The Screen Scribe

So, fans of the MCU have been eating well this weekend. Three trailers dropped, the first of which I’m going to cover is Captain America: Brave New World. I have to be honest, of the three trailers that we got, this was the one I was least excited for. I wasn’t especially impressed by most of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and if I’m honest, Sam Wilson was never my first choice to be the next Captain America. It’s nothing against the character or the actor, I’ve really enjoyed his performances as the Falcon and the character development that has gone into him. Anthony Mackie has done a stellar job imbuing Sam with heart and humor and no small amount of humanity.

But growing up reading the comics, having seen both Bucky and Sam take up the iconic shield during different periods, I always felt Bucky was a far more natural fit. Former WWII soldier. Steve’s best friend. Hydra agent (in the MCU) and the legendary Winter Soldier. He began a redemption arc throughout the Winter Soldier and Civil War films that never really reached a climax. What better way to continue to develop an already richly nuanced and complex character on the path to redemption than by making him the new Cap?

But I understand why Marvel decided to go with Sam. Having already established the Captain America mantle as embodying the ideals of ‘a good man’ in The First Avenger, that is essentially what Sam is. A good man.

I can only lament the lost story and character potential of choosing Bucky, because at heart, despite Hydra, despite his Winter Soldier brainwashing, Bucky is still a good man beneath it all and handing him the shield, with all its inherent responsibility and history, would be a show of faith that Bucky could still be that man. I just feel Marvel chose the safe option with Sam.

I know, I know. We’re here to talk about the trailer and I’ve been rambling on. But it was just to set some context. Honestly. You might remember, all those paragraphs ago, that I mentioned this was the trailer I was least excited for? Yes? You’re still with me? Good. I’m happy to admit my uncertainty, while well-earned by Marvel’s latest outings, was unfounded.

The trailer was fantastic, a robust step up from the teaser we got during the summer. While I mentioned earlier that my initial reactions to Falcon and the Winter Soldier were less than enthusiastic, I may have to go back and refresh my memory of it. The trailer picks up threads of the series with Isaiah Bradley returning as the elderly super soldier from the Korean War era, as well as the new Falcon in the form of Joaquin Torres. It feels like a cross between Winter Soldier and Civil War, with a sprawling, international conspiracy at the heart of the story that the new Cap Sam Wilson must uncover and attempt to stop, whilst facing off against the Serpent Society, the Leader (Samuel Sterns, remember him from all the way back in The Incredible Hulk?), and at long last, the Red Hulk.

The trailer does a fine job of highlighting Sams new flight suit and some new, fancy, supersonic moves. We get our best look yet at the Red Hulk and his explosive transformation. And finally, the gigantic Celestial hand jutting out of the ocean from the Eternals is finally addressed, four years after the fact at the time of this film’s release. It’s a promising look at Brave New World, that fills me with…maybe not the giddy excitement of previous Cap entries, but a cautious optimism that hopefully Kevin Feige is on the road to steering the MCU ship back on course.

I’m gonna give this 3 / 5 vibranium shields and all fingers and toes crossed that the film lives up to the hype.

Captain America: Brave New World will be in theatres on February 14^th 2025.

Check out the trailer now on Youtube.