Ever since I was five years old, I have had a connection to Captain America. It was a late night in 2011, and my mom was trying to gather whatever she could from the grocery store to make dinner for us. As we were about to leave, I stopped dead in my tracks to look at the 6-foot-tall, bright red kiosk that held my favorite thing in the world, movies. I was paralyzed and immediately saw an ad for “Captain America: The First Avenger” on the preview side of the Redbox. Being the little kid I was, I told my mom I wanted this more than anything. My mom, who was ready to go home, decided to purchase the movie, thinking it was a PG-rated movie. 

What followed was me watching a movie about a soldier pumped full of a secret serum and trained to kill Nazis with a few occasional curse words. My mom was mortified, and I was in awe. Kids like me grew up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As it flourished, we flourished. As the Avengers were created, we were there. Once new characters came along, such as The Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Scarlet Witch and many more, we supported them. 

However, after the anticipation and 12-year buildup to “Avengers: Endgame,” Marvel’s choices, whether movies or TV shows, have felt disappointing. What took time and effort to build is now seemingly forced to be completed in a single movie, with loose ends all tied up in 90 minutes. 

Since I had watched this franchise unfold for the past five years, I came into “Captain America: Brave New World” very, very scared. Misstepping in this movie could leave a fatal blow to an iconic character and the franchise as a whole. 

Thankfully, though, this movie left me pleasantly surprised. I was happy with and even inspired by Anthony Mackie’s playing of Captain America. They didn’t attempt to downplay his skills compared to Steve Rogers but instead chose to emphasize them and make them his greatest strength. Steve Rogers had a super serum while Sam Wilson had his wings. 

I was worried about how the MCU would recreate The Avengers now that so many members are gone. To my surprise however, in just the first 20 minutes, we receive confirmation of a new Avengers squad coming to us soon.

With so many trailers showing Harrison Ford as Red Hulk, I was worried this was just another ploy to use a big name to put butts in seats and would result in poor writing or CGI. However, the Red Hulk in “Captain America: Brave New World,” was the best example of a Hulk we have seen since “Avengers: Infinity War.” 

Marvel fans also were given a few new villains, including an appearance by Giancarlo Esposito and another comic book villain that was teased in “The Incredible Hulk.” Overall, the villains were a step up from the recent string of, as Miles Morales said, “villain of the week.”

Finally, we got a nice end-credit scene that promotes the idea of “Avengers: Secret Wars,” which will be released sometime in 2027 if all goes as planned in the MCU. 

After seeing this movie with my entire family this past weekend, I felt truly satisfied walking out of the theater. This feeling wasn’t just because I got to see this movie with my family, but because for the first time in a long time, it felt like the old Marvel days. We had something to look forward to in the future, and the story was back on track. After years of mistakes, whether from the loss of actors or plot holes too large to repair, this movie feels like the beginning of a new golden era of Marvel. 

Whether you go with your family, your friends or even on your own, go watch “Captain America: Brave New World.” 

Edited by Faith Jacoby and Alyssa Royston | fjacoby@themaneater.com and aroyston@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Avery Copeland and Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com 

Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com