Captain America: Brave New World‘s reviews have started to pour in, and the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie of the year is not being met with praise, but a fair share of criticism. Chris Evans’ Captain America movies are highly regarded as part of one of the MCU’s best trilogies, if not the very best. With Captain America: Brave New World‘s story having been compared to The Winter Soldier‘s, Evans’ best Steve Rogers film, expectations were high.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons why so many critics have expressed disappointment with the first of 2025’s MCU movies. Captain America: Brave New World holds a measly 49% score by critics on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. That is somewhat unexpected, as the trailers for the MCU movie seemed to tease the kind of grounded, more serious thriller fans have been asking for years. While the film does go for that tone, there are many issues that seem to have led to a waste of potential.
10 There Is Very Little Fun To Be Had
“The overt seriousness and bleakness saps the movie of any enjoyment we might get from watching a new Captain America movie.” – Molly Freeman, ScreenRant.
One of the biggest complaints surrounding the movie is that it is rather dull and boring. If there is one thing that Marvel Studios films normally aim for, it is that each entry has the appropriate amount of fun. While that has translated into criticism about MCU humor in the past, it seems like Captain America: Brave New World should have mixed things up a little.
RelatedCaptain America: Brave New World lacks the entertainment of an MCU movie, despite compelling performances from Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford.
As the movie’s trailers teased, the reviews focus on how this is a darker, more serious MCU movie. This would have been fine if the story was gripping. However, that does not appear to be the case. According to critics, the audience is left with an overtly bleak project that offers few opportunities for the kind of fun that superhero movies like Marvel’s Thunderbolts* and DC’s Superman promise to bring in spades this year.
9 It Feels Unnecessary And With No Sense Of Urgency
“It feels less like a film than something you make when you can’t think of one, but your deadline is looming regardless.” – Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph (UK).
In the past, MCU movies were treated like unmissable events. However, when the Multiverse Saga started, Marvel began to churn out quite an elevated number of projects with little breaks between them. That led to the MCU’s Phase 4 having nearly the same number of projects as the entirety of the three phases that make up the Infinity Saga. That has led to critics questioning how necessary an MCU project is.
Within the grander scheme of the Multiverse Saga, attention has turned to multiverse-related projects like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Disney+’s Loki, both of which are among the franchise’s most popular entries in recent years. There is still space for grounded movies like Captain America: Brave New World if they have a solid story to tell. However, critics do not believe that it was a necessary addition to the MCU, with complaints about how Marvel might have rushed to release a troubled project.
8 It Fails To Match The Heights Of The Previous Captain America Movies
“This reboot is below the standards of what the Russo Brothers achieved, particularly in the high-water mark Captain America: The Winter Soldier 10 years ago.” Pete Hammond, Deadline.
Before Brave New World was even released, there were already thousands of comparisons between Anthony Mackie’s Captain America and Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers version of Captain America on social media. The two Captain Americas would always be compared, and so Marvel decided to lead that conversation. Mackie and others involved with the film promised that Brave New World was very much in the vein of Evans’ Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Sadly, critics do not feel like the new Captain America movie lived up to the immense success of Evans’ trilogy as the Sentinel of Liberty.
That movie became the perfect example of what a grounded superhero film should aim to be like. Sadly, critics do not feel like the new Captain America movie lived up to the immense success of Evans’ trilogy as the Sentinel of Liberty. When it comes to the specific comparison to The Winter Soldier, the consensus is that Brave New World falls quite short of getting to that level of excitement.
7 Sam Wilson Feels Out-Of-Character
Captain America: Brave New World is meant to be Sam Wilson’s time to shine in the MCU. Up until this point, save for Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie’s Marvel character has played a supporting role in the franchise. Throughout Sam Wilson’s MCU appearances, the character showed how he is one of the most fun heroes in the MCU. His banter with characters like Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Ant-Man, and more has always been great.
RelatedWith Captain America: Brave New World around the corner, a look back at Sam Wilson’s MCU journey so far sets up his arrival on Marvel’s biggest stage.
According to critics, the new Captain America movie strips Sam Wilson of his characteristic joyous personality for most of the film. If there is one thing that Sam’s previous appearances in the franchise have not been, it is bland. However, many critics believe that Mackie’s Marvel hero does not bring a lot of his charming persona into the film, which dialogue filled with exposition helps make even duller.
6 The Movie’s Ties To The Greater MCU Hinder Its Potential
“The possibility for clear and uncomplicated storytelling has been neutralised by the kind of relentless exposition that 34 previous movies and 11 MCU TV shows now, unfortunately, require.” – Kevin Maher, The Times (UK).
One of the biggest complaints the MCU has received from critics and fans alike is that a lot of it feels like homework. The franchise’s interconnectedness used to be its strongest suit. However, with so many MCU movies and now even TV shows having been released and countless more in development, the shared universe has gotten to a stage that might feel like too much for some.
As such, each individual project in the MCU needs to be able to stand on its own feet to some degree. However, one of the biggest sources of criticism found in the Captain America: Brave New World reviews is related to how much it owes to the rest of the MCU. Be it with returning characters or plots from films and shows or setting up future events. When the Captain America movie focuses on the wider MCU, it seems to lose track of itself.
5 The Movie’s Many Reshoots Are Easy To Tell Apart And Distract From The Plot
“Despite the admirable efforts of director Julius Onah and his cast, Captain America: Brave New World shows all the signs of a production that was tampered with almost to the point of self-collapse. ” – Andrew J. Salazar, DiscussingFilm.
It is no secret that Captain America: Brave New World has gone through a few rounds of reshoots. While those involved with the film have downplayed how much was changed, with Anthony Mackie calling the reshoots normal and something that happens in every MCU movie, critics have commented on the situation, stating that the reshoots are very easy to tell apart, and it affects the movie negatively.
There appears to be a lack of connection between different parts of the film. Certain fight scenes look spectacular, while other action sequences leave it to be desired with their CGI. Characters also come and go frequently, leading to the movie not telling a cohesive story, which detracts from the theatrical experience. Fans feared that the film would be put together like Frankenstein, but according to the reviews, that is precisely the case.
4 It Makes A Forgotten MCU Movie Pretty Much Required Viewing
“And yes, this film is as much a sequel to 2018’s [sic] The Incredible Hulk as it is to the Captain America movies; viewers are advised at least to read the Wikipedia page for this mostly-forgotten franchise entry. – Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict.
On the topic of larger connections to other MCU franchises impacting the film negatively, many critics did not enjoy how much Captain America: Brave New World seems to be directly related to The Incredible Hulk. That film was the MCU’s lowest-grossing entry until recent years, with many characters from it staying away from the franchise until now. According to critics, the new Captain America film does not stand on its own.
Thaddeus Ross’ MCU Movies
Year
Actor
The Incredible Hulk
2008
William Hurt
Captain America: Civil War
2016
William Hurt
Avengers: Infinity War
2018
William Hurt
Avengers: Endgame
2019
William Hurt
Black Widow
2021
William Hurt
Captain America: Brave New World
2025
Harrison Ford
A criticism found in multiple reviews is that Brave New World feels more like a sequel to The Incredible Hulk than a new Captain America entry. This was one of the main topics of conversation about the movie before its release. It also seems like Tim Blake Nelson’s the Leader is used sparingly in the film and ends up making for a weaker villain than expected, which further questions why he was brought back.
3 Exposition Plagues What Is An Uneven Script
“Entire conversations and characters… exist for the sole purpose of dumping exposition onto viewers.” – Jeremy Mathai, SlashFilm.
Some key aspects of Captain America: Brave New World were not positively received by critics. Chief among them is the movie’s story. A common criticism is that the MCU film never tries to do something special with its characters, instead delivering a by-the-numbers narrative that presents few thrills. Exposition appears to be one of the film’s biggest sins, with some reviews claiming that characters often speak their actions out loud to make it clear to the viewer that they are doing something.
Due to their comic book elements, many MCU movies have had to deal with exposition dumps one way or another. The problem seems to be that Captain America: Brave New World pretty much makes it a part of its DNA, which leads the movie to drag. A lot could apparently have been trimmed out and streamlined.
Perhaps a symptom of the movie’s many reshoots, critics have pointed out how there are way too many moving parts in Captain America: Brave New World. Marvel Studios has shown with its Avengers films and other huge franchises that a setup like that can work. However, those different settings and characters have to make sense to the narrative. In the Captain America movie’s case, they do not seem to serve that goal.
The reviews make it seem like the movie tried to be too ambitious. With a political story at its center, Captain America: Brave New World is a global film. However, instead of making it feel fresh and exciting, the constant jumping around with different characters and subplots detracts from a story that was already uneven, according to critics. With fewer subplots, Marvel could have worked on the core story to make it stronger, which critics feel was necessary.
1 It Feels Like A Retread Of The Falcon And The Winter Soldier
“The central theme of whether Sam Wilson is ready for the shield is a retread of his Disney+ series, while the political elements just remind you of of better Captain America movies.” – Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy.
Finally, critics claim that the core theme of Captain America: Brave New World feels repetitive, as the MCU has already told that story before. The new Marvel movie follows Sam Wilson establishing himself as Captain America, dealing with how others view the passing of the baton from Steve Rogers to Sam and how Anthony Mackie’s character thinks of himself as worthy or not.
Based on those points raised by reviews, it sure seems like Captain America: Brave New World is retreading the journey Sam Wilson went on in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The Disney+ series was all about Sam realizing that he was indeed the best person for the job and showing the world that. However, perhaps out of fear that moviegoers might have missed the show, Marvel repeated the story for Captain America: Brave New World, but with rather lackluster results.
All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies
