I keep hearing about “hero fatigue” at the movies. My rebuttal, among many other things, is that Captain America: Brave New World was number one at the box office when it was released, as well as things like WandaVision spawning not only a spinoff (Agatha All Along), but also a hit song, and the incredible anticipation that (as I write this) just about everyone I know is feeling for Daredevil: Reborn.

Brave New World brings the Captain America franchise to its fourth installment, which only Thor has managed to equal. While pretty much all MCU projects are connected to a greater or lesser degree, most of them can also stand alone. I’d argue you could enjoy this movie without having seen the rest of the MCU (although I’m not sure why you’d want to), but it ties most closely to the movies Incredible Hulk, Eternals, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series on Disney+.

Sam Wilson has succeeded Steve Rogers as Captain America, following the events of both Avengers: Endgame and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It’s a bit unclear exactly what his position is, since Sam doesn’t have an Avengers team to work with, but is working with the military, although apparently not too closely with the President. That’s a lot of weird qualifiers and a tough spot to be in. The movie opens with a high stakes mission that introduces Sam’s new partner in crimefighting, and a frequent foe of Cap in the comics.

As the movie goes on, we see the strained relationship between Sam and President Ross. Ross, formerly played by the late William Hurt and now by Harrison Ford, was instrumental in pushing for the Sokovia Accords (repealed as of the She-Hulk series), that led to the major conflict in Captain America: Civil War, and arguably caused the end of the Avengers. Politics plays a big part in the movie’s events, and also gives us an old foe of the Hulk, as well as toned-down versions of two somewhat obscure heroes, not to mention bringing back Carl Lumbly as Isiah Bradley.

I’m going to take a moment here to give Lumbly the hero-cred he deserves. The man starred in a tv superhero show called M.A.N.T.I.S., has voiced J’Onn J’Onzz in assorted animated projects (as well as a few other DC roles), played J’Onn’s father on the Supergirl series, and then got cast at “the forgotten Captain America” Isiah Bradley in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. That’s a pretty damn impressive resume.

The movie has a lot of action, some nice nods to the comics, a few really well done cameos, and introduces something very important to a certain feral X-Man for the first time in the MCU. The heart of the movie is Sam Wilson, not as a fighter (although he does that a lot), but as an empathic man who wants to help people. We first met Sam in the MCU as a worker with veterans, and in the comics he was a social worker before donning the wings. I think this, more than anything else, is why Steve chose Sam as his successor.

A movie that’s part political thriller is going to draw various comparisons, and I will say that parts of this could be seen as an analogy of the current political situation in the real world. Of course, it was filmed before the last election, so this presumably isn’t deliberate or prophetic. But parts of it might make you wonder.

All in all, I think this was a very enjoyable movie, and a fine continuation of both the Captain America franchise and the MCU. Most of the criticisms and complaints I’ve heard about it make me wonder if the people saying those things saw the same movie I did, or saw it at all for that matter (or perhaps had an agenda that didn’t really have anything to do with the movie itself). I found it to be a good action flick, and that it had a nice note of hope that’s sorely needed these days.

What I Liked: Anthony Mackie is fantastic as Sam/Cap. He portrays a man I absolutely believe Steve would have handed the shield to. Danny Ramirez was enjoyable as Joaquin Torres, and Carl Lumbly as Isiah Bradley. And, of course, Harrison Ford always gives a good performance. The nods to various characters and events from both the comics and the MCU were nicely done, and the cameos were nice surprises (I hadn’t heard about any of them).

What I Didn’t: This is another example of what I call the Shared Universe Problem. Sam has friends that he could have called on, and with a potential world war in the offing at one point, I don’t see why he wouldn’t have reached out to any and everybody he could. There was a point when a specialist was consulted that I think was a missed opportunity for another cameo.

I liked this a lot. I’ll give it a 4.5 out of 5. The end scene hinted at some of the major events to come. I’m looking forward to the various other hero movies coming out this year (Fantastic Four, Thunderbolts*, and from the Distinguished Competition, Superman), not to mention the various series that are due to be released soon.

As a fun exercise in fandom, one of the things mentioned in the movie is creating a new team of Avengers. With whose currently available, at least in theory, in the MCU, who would you pick and why?