Summary
- Mixed reviews for Mackie’s Captain America in Brave New World could lead Marvel to kill off the character in future Avengers films.
- The disappointing response to the movie challenges Marvel’s long-term plans for the MCU and the role of Captain America.
- A potential shift in leadership within the Avengers and the MCU could benefit from Captain America’s death in terms of storytelling and character development.
Captain America: Brave New World has given moviegoers their first experience of Anthony Mackie as Captain America on the big screen, and it has been met with mainly negative reviews. While it isn’t the worst movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America: Brave New World is certainly nowhere near the quality of the Chris Evans trilogy.
It has led to significant questions about Mackie in the role and whether or not it’s the right fit for the MCU moving forward, and that could spark some profound change within the franchise. Marvel Studios always has long-term plans that are well thought out and detailed. But the Captain America: Brave New World reviews could force a change to that.
Related
Review – Captain America: Brave New World Is Frustrating, Messy, And Uninteresting
Captain America: Brave New World didn’t inspire the highest expectations and still managed to fall short of them.
Captain America: Brave New World Has Had Mixed Responses
There was a lot of anticipation for people heading into Captain America: Brave New World due to the popularity of the character, the quality of the previous three films, and the fact it was Mackie’s first in the role on the big screen. So far, it has been met with pretty mixed reviews that have leaned more toward being damaging than anything else, as many people ended up disappointed with it. Fans felt that the film was clunky, disjointed, and lacked many engaging fight scenes, which didn’t get Mackie’s time with the shield started in the most positive light.
Marvel Could Kill Captain America
The fact that people didn’t love the movie could lead to Marvel deciding to kill Captain America in the near future, potentially in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. It’s rare that Marvel will genuinely kill a central MCU character like Captain America, but if those in charge decide they don’t want another solo movie due to the disappointing returns, then creating a huge talking point within another movie could be the right way to go. The character has been around for so many years that Marvel has explored a lot of brilliant storylines for Captain America anyway, and putting someone new in that role doesn’t immediately alter that.
Considering how many new characters are being injected into the MCU in the near future with The Fantastic Four and the X-Men, there is certainly a question as to whether the MCU genuinely needs Captain America anymore. At one point, he was one of the faces of the MCU, but it’s hard to say that’s the case anymore with a new actor in place. Marvel proved they’re capable of killing off a huge Avengers-level character in Iron Man, which was a decision that significantly impacted the MCU.
Captain America has traditionally been seen as the leader of the Avengers, but with Mackie in that role, it’s questionable if that will continue. There could be some MCU fans who can’t see this version of him in that role; therefore, killing him would allow someone else to slot in as the leader. There are plenty of great options available for that, but they’re not going to get the chance while Captain America is still an active part of the MCU.
This Could Massively Benefit A Villain
One of the significant criticisms that has often been placed on the MCU is the quality of the villains, with many fans not finding the majority to be good enough. A big reason for that is that they rarely get the chance to kill the heroes they’re fighting against, which stops audiences from investing in them unless the performance is outstanding. That’s one of the big worries that people have for Downey Jr being put into that role for Avengers: Doomsday. People are wondering if they can buy into him as a villain after so many years as Iron Man. Seeing him kill Captain America would instantly snap people out of that reality and allow Doctor Doom to be seen as a genuine threat that audiences can understand and appreciate. If Marvel wants both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars to work, then a compelling villain on the level of Thanos will be key, and the way for that to happen is for a major hero to die. Captain America might not have been the original victim that Marvel Studios intended, but the recent movie reviews might have forced that change.
Overall, there are many reasons why Marvel Studios could decide to kill Mackie’s version of Captain America. It was a major experiment to simply hand off the shield to another actor, especially since Mackie’s character had been seen more as a sidekick than a leading hero beforehand. So far, there has only been a television show and a movie for Mackie in that role. Therefore, the experiment is still in the early stages. But if Marvel has decided that Captain America: Brave New World’s responses weren’t good enough to continue moving forward with him in that role, then killing him off could provide the biggest benefit.
Captain America: Brave New World
- Release Date
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February 14, 2025
- Director
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Julius Onah
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Anthony Mackie
Sam Wilson / Captain America
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Harrison Ford
Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross / Red Hulk
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Giancarlo Esposito
Sidewinder
