Captain America: Brave New World might be nearing a $300 million global box office collection, however, it is considered a disaster. Fans should note that the budget of the film is $180 million and the film still has to make it past roughly $350 million to break even.
The film received mixed reviews from viewers, who weren’t convinced of Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson as the next Captain America after Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers. Fans were divided on the film’s political commentary, story, and characterization. However, Harrison Ford’s performance as the Red Hulk received praise.
Fans consider the movie as a disastrous start to Marvel’s year. They have also scheduled two movies for the year, Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, along with a few TV shows including Daredevil: Born Again. A few too many factors were behind this film’s fate at the box office.
5. Kevin Feige is “spent” as the head of Marvel Studios
Captain America: Brave New World‘s disappointing box office numbers are not a one-off incident at Marvel Studios. Only a couple of films in the last few years have managed to bring in huge numbers like the pre-Endgame period. Some fans are blaming it on the leadership at the studio.
Deadpool comic book creator Rob Liefeld did not hesitate in calling out Kevin Feige after the box office performance of Captain America 4. Liefeld who had only great things to say about the previous Marvel film, Deadpool & Wolverine, shared that Feige should step down as the head of Marvel Studios.
He took to X and wrote, “Get Feige off the mound. He’s spent.” He further supported his argument by sharing data on the performances of the MCU’s last few films. He shared that Feige would’ve been removed from the leadership if it was sports. He shared:
As shared by @ScottMendelson, MCU is on an extended downside. This is beyond a trend, it’s become the norm. If this was sports, Feige would be removed. Marvel brand is like Dodgers, Lakers, Yankees, Celtics, coaches that win championships are removed a year later when the results… pic.twitter.com/55wmCl6abu
— robliefeld (@robertliefeld) February 24, 2025
Liefeld also noted that eight films from the MCU crashed in the last three years (via X). It is hard to disagree with Liefeld on the slump that the cinematic universe is currently facing. However, the suggestion could also mean that Marvel should completely overhaul their future plans.
It would be difficult to let Feige go without letting the universe fall apart. However, Brave New World can be a reminder to the Marvel Boss that whatever he is doing is clearly not working. Instead of stepping down, he can bring in more talented people at the top to divide the workload.
4. Marvel’s disappointing run before Captain America: Brave New World
Deadpool & Wolverine, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Spider-Man: No Way Home were the only saving graces of Marvel in the last few years. In the last four years, Marvel saw some of the biggest disappointments in terms of box office performances.
Brie Larson’s female-led The Marvels turned out to be the biggest flop in the MCU’s history, losing the studio $237 million (via Deadline). The highly anticipated movies from Paul Rudd and Chris Hemsworth, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Thor: Love and Thunder, were also huge disappointments.
Before 2021, none of the Marvel films dropped in box office numbers more than 62.2% in its second weekend. However, the last four years saw several MCU films that underperformed on the second weekend. These films included Black Widow (68%), Eternals (62.3%), Spider-Man: No Way Home (67%), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (67%), Thor: Love and Thunder (68%), Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (70%), and The Marvels (78%).
It isn’t just the Marvel movies that were disappointing. Many of the television shows like She-Hulk, Secret Invasion, Echo, and the recently released Agatha All Along received less-than-stellar reception from fans. The response to Captain America 4 might be impacted by this negative perception as well.
3. Absence of Chris Evans in the leading role
During an interview with SiriusXM, the directors of Avengers: Endgame, Anthony and Joe Russo, revealed that they had lengthy discussions about who should get the shield from Cap. At the end of their discussions, they had a number of factors that drove them toward Sam as the choice.
The Russo brothers shared that Sam Wilson had more of a camaraderie with Steve Rogers. They both dedicated their lives to the service of their country, which made Sam worthy. Anthony Mackie‘s Sam had a lot more internal conflict in accepting the title in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TFATWS).
However, for fans, Mackie is no Chris Evans and Sam Wilson is no Steve Rogers. Evans’ Steve Rogers had years of character development across multiple films and he defined the role with his clear moral compass and action-packed story arcs. While Sam Wilson was a fan favorite, he significantly lacked the extensive solo buildup that Rogers received.
Fans are still attached to Evans’ character and TFATWS didn’t do a great job of seamlessly transitioning Sam Wilson into the next Captain America.
2. Marvel is confusing fans with its vast content
When we consider TFATWS‘s fault in not doing a good job of establishing Sam Wilson as the Cap, we should also question the number of fans who actually saw the series. By extending the MCU to television, Marvel made a huge mistake with its vast amount of content. Fans who failed to keep up didn’t bother to watch the film at all.
The confusion can be best explained by legendary video game designer Hideo Kojima’s reaction to Captain America: Brave New World. He shared on X that he couldn’t relate to the film and was confused by a lot of elements in the film. He shared:
I watched “Captain America: Brave New World” in IMAX. I vaguely remember Sam receiving the shield in “Endgame,” but when did he officially become Cap? Is it because I haven’t seen “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier?” And what’s this about the Avengers being reorganized? I’m also… pic.twitter.com/R1WltUhS3u
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) February 23, 2025
Marvel failed to understand that exhausting its audience with content wasn’t going to work for them in the long run. Fans would have probably flocked in to see the new Captain America movie if there wasn’t the need to keep up. The TFATWS series took away the intrigue of seeing a new Cap in the theaters.
1. Marvel doesn’t do justice to Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson
Anthony Mackie went into the movie with many odds stacked against him. The best Marvel could’ve done was to give him a good script and a decently edited film. However, the studio failed in both these aspects in Captain America: Brave New World. The film’s biggest disappointment was the dialogue, which included many cringeworthy interactions and unfunny bits.
Mackie had to do a lot of heavy lifting beyond his capability due to the weak script and dialogue. While he delivered a commendable performance with whatever he had, he still had to be part of some of the ridiculous conversations in the film. Danny Ramirez, playing the new Falcon, was expected to be the funny one, but the writing did him dirty too.
The editing and pacing were absolutely terrible as some of the scenes felt very rushed. There wasn’t enough time for viewers to completely process the politics and messaging in the film. Harrison Ford was exceptional and Giancarlo Esposito did a good job as Sidewinder.
Some of the action sequences were a saving grace, making the film watchable in theaters. However, it is clear that the film did no justice to Mackie who has been part of the MCU for the last decade.
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