Sam Wilson is a superhero with unwavering courage, sharp instincts, and a strong sense of justice. He's also a superhero with big shoes to fill.
Sam is Captain America. Well, he's the new Captain America.
The original Captain America was Steve Rogers, the super soldier who fought evil and delivered world peace before retiring and passing his shield to Sam, who previously fought alongside him as Falcon.
It's now Sam's turn to battle evil on behalf of the red, white, and blue. Not surprisingly, the American president -- Thaddeus Ross -- wants his help.
"Help me rebuild the Avengers," President Ross tells him.
Ross believes Sam can help bring peace to the world just as a major discovery threatens to divide it. That discovery is adamantium, a rare metal mined from a mysterious island in the Indian Ocean that promises to revolutionize the fields of medicine and defense. This virtually indestructible metal, Ross says, is the "discovery of the millennium."
Peace, though, is fragile.
Mere seconds before the U.S. hosts a peace summit with the world's most powerful nations, an attempt is made on Ross's life -- shattering any illusion of stability.
The gunmen are apprehended, yet Sam is adamant that a mastermind was pulling the strings.
But who was it?
The new Marvel Studios movie Captain America: Brave New World (PG-13) follows Sam as he searches for a shadowy figure and uncovers a dangerous plan that threatens world peace.
Here are three things parents should know about it.
Warning: spoilers ahead!
Photo Credit: ©Marvel
1. It's the First Film in a New Franchise
1. It's the First Film in a New Franchise
The original Captain America was last seen in Avengers: Endgame (2019), when Steve Rogers traveled back in time to 1949 and lived out his life with his love, Peggy Carter. The movie ended with Rogers reappearing in the current day as an elderly man to pass his shield to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie).
Captain America: Brave New World continues that storyline yet also is a direct sequel to the Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), which follows Wilson as he struggles with the weight of taking up Captain America's mantle while facing global threats.
Brave New World serves as a bridge to the next phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which will include Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
The newest Captain America film also introduces a new Falcon: Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez). Harrison Ford portrays the president.
Photo Credit: ©Marvel
2. It's about Courage, Leadership and New Beginnings
2. It's about Courage, Leadership and New Beginnings
Brave New World opens with Captain America partnering with a U.S. military force to intercept an illegal sale of adamantium -- a mission that also involves freeing hostages, including a priest and a group of nuns, within a Catholic church.
The plot then turns to the White House, where Ross is set to host a world peace summit and invites Wilson, Torres and ex-soldier Isaiah Bradley -- a friend of Wilson's -- to watch. Tragically, though, the peace summit gets ambushed when Bradley and four other gunmen fire upon Ross, who is shaken but miraculously escapes unharmed.
Although Bradley and the others head to prison, Wilson grows suspicious they were being manipulated by an outside force. His suspicions are confirmed when he and Torres uncover a secret remote laboratory headed by Samuel Sterns, a scientist and enemy of Ross who has uncovered a mind-control technique that allows smartphones to be converted into powerful neurological weapons capable of bending victims to his will. Sterns' goal: destroy Ross and wreck world peace. Although Sterns is the film's villain, he's also a tragic figure. We learn that Ross formerly conducted science experiments on Sterns that gave him superhuman skills but also a monstrous appearance.
For the rest of the film, Sterns attempts to ignite a global war by using mind control to manipulate key military personnel.
Brave New World offers moviegoers lessons on courage, leadership and new beginnings.
"You're not Steve Rogers!" Wilson is told midway through the film, a stinging remark that anyone who follows a legend hears.
Wilson, though, forges ahead, knowing his mission is bigger than comparisons to the past.
The film implicitly promotes bipartisanship. It's apparent Wilson isn't a fan of President Ross. Yet he joins forces for the good of the country.
"The country is lost," Wilson says. "I'm standing next to the president. Even if it's Ross, it gives people hope."
Photo Credit: ©Marvel
3. It Pushes the Boundaries for a Marvel Film
3. It Pushes the Boundaries for a Marvel Film
Brave New World is rated PG-13 for "intense sequences of violence and action and some strong language," according to the description from the ratings board. Such a "strong language" warning is rare for a Marvel movie. (Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War, for example, did not carry such a label.)
The new Captain America movie has perhaps double the amount of coarse language as most Marvel films—a disappointing trend for a genre that is marketed as family-friendly and promotes toys aimed at children (Details below). Sam Wilson is one of the worst offenders.
The violence remains within PG-13 boundaries with plenty of explosions, gunfire, and fist-on-face combat, but we also see a few graphic moments that may give parents pause: an off-screen suicide and a knife in a chest, for example.
Brave New World has its engaging moments. We cheer as Sam Wilson embraces his role as Captain America. We root for President Ross to secure world peace.
But the film is confusing at times, dull at other times, and lacks depth. Only an appearance by "Red Hulk" injects excitement into the final third of the film.
No doubt, the youngest of Marvel fans will enjoy all the bells and whistles. Let's hope the next movie in the franchise, though, is more family-friendly.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some strong language. Language details: h-ll (15), s--t (14), d--n (5), SOB (2), a-- (3), b----rd (2), GD (1), misuse of "Jesus" (2).
Discussion questions for families: Why is it so hard to follow a legend? How can we discern when to collaborate with those we disagree with for the greater good? Why is courage important in leadership? Can anyone be redeemed?
Entertainment rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
Family-friendly rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
Photo Credit: ©Marvel
Originally published February 14, 2025.
