Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters, and as reviews and reactions indicated, this one is yet another misfire in the lineup of sub-par Marvel Cinematic Universe films that have come after Avengers: Endgame. Yes, people feel Anthony Mackie to be a solid replacement for Chris Evans as Cap; still, the overall execution of what Marvel has done from 2021 on has been extremely lackluster. There’s a reason for that, though. Brave New World signifies the last film in a slew of movie and TV projects that many feel represent the worst era of Marvel Studios. The reason for that goes back to Disney, and a major changing of the guard at the top of the company.
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Captain America: Brave New World Was Shot at the End of a Bad Era
On February 25th, 2020, Bob Chapek became the CEO of Disney after Bob Iger had stepped down. Chapek stepped in for a major undertaking, as Disney took massive hits in the press during the COVID-19 pandemic, regarding how they planned to earn profitst with their films barred from theaters; produced a wave of streaming shows for Disney+; navigate a war with politicians in Florida regarding Walt Disney World, while paying wages for workers at both the theme parks here in the states.
Through all that, Chapek was head of the table at Disney during what some feel was the dark ages of the MCU. Thanos had been defeated, but there was no firm direction for where the shared cinematic universe could go next. All the films and television shows had some things that worked for them, and then some just felt like another prime example of the phrase “Super Hero Fatigue.” The MCU fell into limbo during the Chapek era, and the last film to come out of that era is Captain America: Brave New World.
[RELATED: The Major Thing Captain America: Brave New World Gets Wrong]
The Return of Bob Iger and Marvel in True Form
Bob Iger would return to Disney as CEO, after Chapek was be fired in 2022. Still, Iger’s return would require some time to take shape, and get the MCU back to the form we know and love. Brave New World is the last film with the fingerprints of the Chapek era on it, thus marking the final film in Marvel Studio’s roughest patch – one which left fans wondering if all that they’ve come to know in love about the MCU had ended.
Iger, however, would order major reshoots on Captain America: Brave New World, which may explain some of the disjointed clunkiness in the overall picture. Still, the move was made to re-establish Iger’s hand overseeing the IP. After Brave New World comes Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+, a project that was completely halted in production and reshot, in the spirit of reviving the MCU we know and love. From there on, we will see films like Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which are the first true back-to-form films of the MCU.
The Chapek era is a low point for Marvel; unfortunately, we see it reflected in Captain America: Brave New World, but it will indeed be a ‘brave new world’ for the MCU films that are slated to follow.
Do you think the MCU is going to get back on track in 2025? Let us know! For now, Captain America: Brave New World is in theaters.
