What can be said about a Marvel movie that has not already been commented on numerous times, by other critics and here on The Legionnaire?  Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fatigue is real, and while I do not feel it to the same degree, I must also admit to wondering how much more of this I can take.  Having said all this, it would be wrong to say that Captain America: Brave New World is a bad movie.  Anthony Mackie’s character, Sam Wilson, is a fitting inheritor of the Star-Spangled Shield conferred by Steve Rogers (Chris Evans, not pictured), the first person to don the mantle of the eponymous hero.  I was even cheered a bit when, early on in this film, Captain America frees a monk and nun taken hostage by secondary villain Seth Voelker (Giancarlo Esposito), a deadly assassin going by the nom de guerre Sidewinder.  Yet, how different is this story from any other MCU entry?  I am not sure I see any, but maybe you will think differently after you read my synopsis?

The aforementioned monk and nun at the beginning of Captain America: Brave New World are held somewhere in Mexico by Sidewinder.  He and a group of his men are awaiting a mysterious buyer to purchase an equally mysterious package he has stolen from the United States military.  In order to take care of the situation, Captain America is called upon to intervene.  Assisting him is his protégé, Lieutenant Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) of the United States Air Force (USAF), who has filled Falcon’s wings passed on by Sam.  Though Sidewinder escapes, Captain America frees the hostages while the Falcon retrieves the package.  Doing so is vital to the newly elected President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford), who is working on a treaty with France (for some reason), India, and Japan to reap the incredible resources of the dormant Celestial in the Indian Ocean.  To understand this a bit more, you would have to remember the events of Eternals (2021), but that is the MCU for you.  This one is called Captain America: Brave New World partly because the subtitle refers to a rare wonder metal being extracted from the Celestial called adamantium.  President Ross has invited Sam to the unveiling of this new mineral, and Captain America has brought two guests: Lieutenant Torres and an aged friend named Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly).  The latter of these had been given the same super soldier serum as Steve Rogers, but had been locked up by the government for thirty years during which they conducted experiments on him.  Isaiah is suspicious of President Ross, but the veteran allows himself to be convinced to attend the event.  Not long into President Ross’ presentation, Isaiah, along with a number of other assailants, stand up and attack the chief executive.  Thanks to Captain America’s intervention, along with President Ross’ head of security, Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas), a former Black Widow (2021, just for context), President Ross is unhurt and Isaiah is detained.  In the aftermath, seeking to protect his friend, Sam confronts President Ross, saying that Captain America will find out what has happened.  Because of the connection between Isaiah and Sam, President Ross points out the conflict of interest.  When Sam says he is going to go ahead with his investigation anyway, President Ross rescinds the offer to reform the Avengers.  With Lieutenant Torres’ help, Sam is able to track the signal of a phone call to Sidewinder after the mercenary once more attacks Captain America.  It leads to a secretive army base where our two heroes come face-to-face with Dr. Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), who had worked on the gamma radiation that had turned Dr. Bruce Banner (Edward Norton, or Mark Ruffalo, neither are pictured) into The Incredible Hulk (2008, again, just for context).  Dr. Sterns had been bombarded with gamma radiation as well, which swelled his brain and turned him into an evil genius, and he now calls himself The Leader.  It is he who is the mastermind in the shadows of Captain America: Brave New World specifically controlling the minds of those who had made the attempt on President Ross’ life.  Among the information gathered before Sam and Lieutenant Torres depart, assisted by Ruth, are files on pertaining to President Ross, and a vile of pills with his name on them including instructions on taking them.  Handing the tablets off to a friend to be analyzed, Sam and Lieutenant Torres must rush to the Indian Ocean to settle a rising conflict between Japan and the United States.  The Leader has brainwashed two American pilots into firing at the Japanese fleet, and Captain America and the Falcon take to the air to down the projectiles, Lieutenant Torres being severely hurt in the process.  As chaos is about to break out, the Leader contacts President Ross, attempting to push the leader of the free world into losing control.  This is because those pills had been prescribed by Dr. Sterns and laced with gamma radiation, President Ross having been secretly working with the scientist to deal a heart condition.  What keeps the Hulk at bay this time is Captain America succeeding in diffusing the situation.  Upon returning to the United States, the Leader confronts Captain America, saying that the hero may have stopped a global catastrophe, but there is nothing to be done about what will happen with President Ross.  Before Captain America can get to the White House, a host of reporters are asking questions that begin to fluster the executive in chief.  Then comes the Leader’s voice claiming to be in league with President Ross.  Finally losing control, President Ross turns into the Red Hulk, and Captain America arrives to fight the new menace.  Keep in mind that this Captain America, while certainly brave, is just a guy in a wing suit and holding a shield.  He “beats” the Red Hulk by appealing to President Ross’ humanity, reminding the rage monster about his daughter, Dr. Betty Ross (Liv Tyler).  This brings President Ross down, who accepts imprisonment at a secret jail called The Raft.  We close with Sam bringing Dr. Ross to visit her father in this secluded place.

There is a post-credit scene in Captain America: Brave New World, but it is some vague warning by the Leader that is meant to presage more MCU movies.  One of the reasons why this and the fatigue I mentioned in the introduction are problems is, again, the fact that Marvel is running out of stories.  For the past few years, it has been all about multiple universes.  This can be a useful plot device, particularly when one writes oneself into a corner, but it can also be difficult to keep track of because all these stories are meant to be somehow intertwined.  It is no secret that Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios for the better part of two decades, has noticed people getting tired of some of the more convoluted aspects of these comic book movies.  Of his earlier work, one of the more popular films was Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).  A primary reason for why it was well-liked is because it was less about alternate dimensions or Infinity Stones, and more like a spy thriller.  It is evident that Captain America: Brave New World attempted a similar plot, yet it also had to deal with some of the baggage of all the other films from the intervening eleven years.  To this end, the movie is only partially successful, but there is one aspect of the protagonist’s character that I appreciated as a Catholic.  As discussed in the synopsis, Sam is a regular guy, electing not to take the super soldier serum that could enhance his speed, stamina, strength, etc.  This works for the story because we can identify more with this Captain America than some of the other heroes on Marvel’s roster.  What I like about it from a Catholic point of view is the realization Sam comes to that, by himself, he is enough.  To be sure, he struggles with this decision, noting how handy it would be to have a little boost when facing Red Hulk.  In the end, though, he comes to see himself more as God sees us at the moment of our creation: fundamentally good, and with the capacity to strive for better.

While I suspect that those who made Captain America: Brave New World did not strive for better, instead aiming for safe, there are some good ideas to be taken from it.  Indeed, this Catholic’s heart was warmed when Sam is visited by Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), the aforementioned Winter Soldier, and they discuss this Captain America becoming an enhanced individual.  It is not the reunion of these two characters that gave me cheer, but what Bucky tells Sam in response to the latter’s desire to be more like Steve Rogers.  Bucky tells Sam that the new Captain America is a human being doing his best.  I often say this when somebody praises me for a deed I have done, that I am simply doing my best.  This line, at least for me, is inspired by my Faith.  I think of it in terms of using the tools God gave me to the best of my ability.  That is how Sam operates, but it goes beyond mere effort.  In appealing to President Ross to call off an attack on the Japanese fleet, Sam remarks on the importance of seeing the good in others.  Sam clarifies that when we stop doing that, the fight is lost.  You can achieve a kind of victory over another person, but if you demonize the other, the victor becomes the defeated.  Doing this can be difficult for us.  We tend to like to gloat over our successes, sometimes subtly, other times overtly, and thereby bring humiliation upon the vanquished.  Jesus identified with those vanquished, with the downtrodden of the world.  We see this dedication in Sam as he tries to clear Isaiah’s name.  He could have easily lost sight of this goal while pursuing supposedly bigger problems.  Yet, he did his best and, as God does for us, and Sam is blessed for it.

It was somewhat of a blessing to see Captain America: Brave New World.  Actually, it is a total blessing to be able to go to the cinema (hopefully) each week and bring you a review of a new release.  They may not all be masterpieces, but I enjoy bringing them to your attention.  How much of your attention does this one rate?  Some, I suppose.