Brave New World, Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson picks up the big-screen mantle of one of Marvel's oldest and most venerated comic book heroes. So far, audiences have responded: The film earned $192 million globally in its first weekend.

Anthony Mackie picks up the shield at a potentially awkward time. But there’s one way Disney can do right by him and the next generation of Marvel stars.

Brave New World might not be the best Captain America movie, but with its reveals and more factors, all the negative reviews seem too much.

Brave New World and why it felt so strange to me. It was meant to be an espionage thriller (spoilers follow) in the vein of The Winter Soldier, and yet there was no real conspiracy (no traitors, just a guy randomly mind-controlling people) and a twist that was given away in the first trailer (Ross turning into Red Hulk in the Rose Garden).

“This isn’t an instruction manual for the current president,” he said. “It’s simply a story about a group of people in tight suits who can fly, as part of the wonderful imagination that the Marvel Cinematic Universe provides. It’s primarily an escape from reality.”

Many of the faces in Captain America: Brave New World haven’t been on screen since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk which starred Edward Norton in the role of Bruce Banner, later recast with Mark Ruffalo when The Avengers (2012) came out and the Marvel Cinematic Universe took off.

Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World” has been unveiled for members of the press, and the first reactions toward the comic book tentpole are coming in lukewarm. Washington Post entertainment reporter Herb Scribner praised “Brave New World” on X, calling it an “Absolute blast. All-in on the story. It just checked so many boxes for …