Marvel Studios’ latest superhero epic, Captain America: Brave New World, marks a pivotal moment in Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) transformation from reluctant hero to full-fledged Captain America. Three years after the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the film propels Wilson into a complex geopolitical landscape fraught with international tensions and emerging global threats. As Wilson and his partner Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) navigate high-stakes missions involving stolen adamantium and the recent election of President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), the film artfully weaves together action and political intrigue. However, the movie is far from perfect, with some plot points from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier being conveniently ignored.
Videos by ComicBook.com
WARNING: Spoilers below for Captain America: Brave New World
The stark contrast between Wilson’s economic struggles in the Disney+ series and his current circumstances in Brave New World is not explained in the new Captain America movie. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, viewers witnessed Sam’s desperate fight to preserve his family’s Louisiana fishing business, facing repeated bank rejections that laid bare the economic vulnerabilities of even a world-saving superhero. That series helped to show Wilson as a nuanced character wrestling with systemic barriers, presenting a powerful narrative about the disconnect between heroic achievements and financial survival in contemporary America. One could expect Captain America: Brave New World to at least mention this issue, but instead, the movie shows Sam as a well-funded hero who isn’t lacking anything in life.
Who Is Funding Sam Wilson in Captain America: Brave New World?
Captain America: Brave New World reveals a completely reimagined operational landscape for Sam. Where financial constraints once defined his journey, he now commands a sophisticated headquarters bristling with cutting-edge technology. Advanced computer systems, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and a well-resourced base suggest substantial financial backing that the film conspicuously fails to explain.
The political dynamics add further complexity to this mystery. In Brave New World, President Ross attempts to recruit Wilson, urging Sam to help him reinstate the Avengers as an official force for world peace. What’s implied is that Sam is still working as an independent agent and does not answer to the U.S. government. There’s no way the Army has paid Sam to act as Captain America, even though he offers support to strategic military missions, such as retrieving stolen adamantium.
[RELATED: How Leader’s Captain America: Brave New World Story Sets Up His Avengers: Doomsday Role]
It’s hard to imagine Captain America accepting money from private contractors or unknown benefactors, although these could help explain how Sam is now a full-time superhero. Nevertheless, Brave New World simply doesn’t address the issue, leaving fans to imagine what happened to Sam to allow him to stop counting pennies. More than a simple narrative oversight, this economic transformation fundamentally challenges Sam’s character development in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where he decides to become Captain America despite his financial struggles. In short, by making Sam a well-equipped superhero, Captain America: Brave New World undermines the series’ powerful exploration of heroism and economic inequality for plot convenience.
This issue wouldn’t exist if Captain America: Brave New World spent five seconds to explain who’s funding Sam. A single throwaway line about Petter Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow) giving Sam money to honor the late Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) wishes would go a long way in preserving the in-universe coherence. Alas, we get nothing. So, while the film successfully advances Sam Wilson’s journey as the new Captain America, Brave New World misses an opportunity to provide deeper insight into how heroes can even pay their bills in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Captain America: Brave New World is currently available in theaters. Did you watch the movie already? How do you think Sam and Joaquin pay for their crime-fighting operations? Join the discussion in the comments!
