Review: Falcon & The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Brave New World

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I didn’t dislike the latest Captain America film. I gave it a pretty decent 3 or 3 1/2 stars when I first saw it. It’s fun…and as a huge stan of both the hulk AND Harrison Ford, I loved seeing Indiana Jones hulk out and rampage through the White House. All that said…it was a rather large disservice to Sam Wilson to make his first feature length run as Captain America a backdoor sequel to Incredible Hulk.

I enjoyed seeing all the loose threads addressed. It was cool having the first black Captain America movie directed by a black director while featuring a large primary cast of people of color. I even really appreciated the general premise of the first black Captain America on film fighting a war criminal turned US president as he turns into a rampaging kaiju and tears his way through Washington DC. It was great seeing Sam Wilson, who was first seen as a counselor to combat veterans through trauma way back in the CLASSIC Captain America: The Winter Soldier, use those skills for empathy and peaceful mediation as he tries to TALK DOWN the raging Kaiju-in-Chief.

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However, what I find disappointing about this film, and what really sets it apart against the AMAZING Cap trilogy that preceded it is one crucial thing: this film did not go far enough (or very far at all, actually) in how it addressed the racial politics that would and should ABSOLUTELY take center stage in a film about the new black Captain America (let alone one where he has to thwart a conspiracy of war crimes by a corrupt American President…one played by a legend like Harrison Ford, no less).

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The film doesn’t even TOUCH on the backlash Sam would have gotten as he inherited the mantle and took to the world’s stage. The comics did it…and so did the Disney + limited series that preceded it: Falcon & The Winter Soldier. Ultimately, I feel that Falcon & The Winter Soldier was a way better Captain America story and showcase for Sam Wilson and what sets him apart within the Captain America legacy. The introduction of Isiah Bradley, the black Captain America who was disavowed by his country, imprisoned for decades and experimented on, was perfect in how it captured the difficult legacy of America’s racial identity and how that factors into Captain America’s mythology. Daniel Bruhl returning as Baron Zemo was delightful and really highlighted why he’s one of the best (and probably most understated/underrated MCU villains). Then there is John Walker…who is indeed the worst. However, he’s SUPPOSED to be the worst, and the show captures that perfectly with a nuanced and dynamic performance by Wyatt Russell.

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Sam’s relationship with Bucky is electric, dripping with chemistry that honestly rivals the chemistry between Bucky and Steve Rogers. The show wasn’t afraid to ask difficult questions about the differences between revolutionaries and those labeled terrorists by the media...and the tense racial politics behind Steve asking a black man to take over the shield, given the country’s dubious history with its African-American community.

Falcon & The Winter Soldier set up so many moving parts that would have made a truly compelling inaugural film for Sam as the new Captain America…and the film did nothing with any of that. The show wound up serving as a much more effective Captain America story than the film that followed, weaving a far more resonant and impactful story around the new Captain America…with the film that followed coming up woefully short.

Falcon & The Winter Soldier, developed for Disney + by Malcom Spellman, hit streaming on March 19th, 2021. Captain America: Brave New World, directed by Julius Onah and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore, debuted in cinemas February 14th, 2025.