Captain America: Brave New World Review: Anthony Mackie Takes on the Iconic Shield

Six years after Steve Rogers handed Sam Wilson the Captain America Shield in the Avengers: Endgame, The Falcon is finally in the Marvel game as one of the leading men. 

“Captain America: Brave New World” will be the story of Wilson as he takes on the mantle passed on by Rogers. As Bucky Barnes grapples with the weight of Steve’s legacy, Sam is now back to working with the US military, along with the new Falcon, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) on a mission. That’s until the newly elected U.S. president, Thaddeus, aka “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) takes over and invites Cap to the White House, asking him to re-form the Avengers. 

And later, all hell breaks loose. Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas) gets thrown into a political conspiracy, after the terrorist attack on the White House, as Ross makes efforts to bring world peace. Cap battles villains like Giancarlo Esposito’s mercenary killer, Sidewinder, and Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), who returns for the first time since 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk.” 

As Samuel Sterns returns for revenge, wanting his stolen life back, Wilson realizes the Star Wars alum is at risk of turning into a red version of the Hulk. Captain America has to help cool the jets on a risky international incident and manage Ross’s inner rage. The movie revolves around Ross and Wilson’s struggle to put their conflicting ideologies on how superheroes should operate to face the new threats

The movie has newly introduced characters like Sam, Joaquin, Ross, and Ruth Bat-Seraph, the head of president security. Directed by Julius Onah, Brave New World is one of the more back-to-basics MCU entries in recent years. Anthony Mackie is new to the tasks of dealing with the multiverse or traveling across alien galaxies.

The Avengers will re-form in May 2026 for ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ where Mackie is positioned to be the group’s new leader, heading the Avengers together.