Captain America: Brave New World - Connections with Aldous Huxley's novel, explored in depth

Initially, Captain America: Brave New World and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World seemed to have only their names in common. But scratch the surface and you will discover something more deeper hiding under. Both examine the cost of control, the false sense of progress, and what results from the unrestricted use of power.

In the MCU, adamantium represents the "brave new world," a fresh frontier with infinite potential but one with major strings attached. Sam Wilson's path also reflects the challenges of Brave New World's characters battling against a society that expects conformity, control, and well-manicured identities.

Disclaimer:

This analysis is based on the author’s interpretation, drawing from world history, Marvel Comics and films, and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Connections and themes discussed are grounded in these references and should be understood as a creative exploration rather than definitive facts.

Trigger Warning:

This article deals with sensitive topics such as racism, imperialism, war, and systemic oppression. Reader discretion is advised.

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The illusion of development and the hard reality of control

"One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them," said Mustapha Mond in Brave New World.

Control in Huxley's book is a subtle, sneaky power rather than a noisy dictatorship. The World State rewires you from birth, producing compliant people who never challenge the system; it does not issue commands. Perfectly pleased to remain at the bottom of the ladder, the lesser castes, Epsilons and Deltas, are practically created to be weaker and less capable. Though eugenics presents itself as advancement, fundamentally it is a cruel system based on exclusion.

That same subdued energy shows up in Captain America: Brave New World as institutional racism. The toughest struggle Sam Wilson faces goes beyond simply donning the shield. It's about getting the world to believe he belongs. Take it when Thaddeus Ross smiles and says:

"You're not Steve Rogers."

It's more than just a shot at his reputation. It reminds us that Sam's being Captain America still challenges the current status quo.

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Sam Wilson and John the Savage: Default rebels by nature (as well as Aldous Huxley himself)

" If one's different, one's bound to be lonely." — John the Savage, Brave New World.

Never had a chance, John the Savage. Raised outside the inflexible system of the World State, he is always an outsider, too wild for the "civilized" society, too civilized for the wild. He is hazardous because he refuses to fit. Sam Wilson is, in many respects, living John's story. His whole arc focuses on not fitting in the box and on reinventing what it means to carry the shield.

He has encountered doubt and opposition at every stage. It goes beyond simply him not being Steve Rogers. He is not the Captain America the globe is looking for. Like John, Sam understands what it is like to bear the weight of expectations never designed for him.

Adamantium: The brave new world of power

"Reality, however utopian, is something from which people feel the need of taking pretty frequent holidays." says Mustapha Mond in Brave New World.

In Captain America: Brave New World, adamantium—a metal so strong every nation wants—is the ultimate prize. All bundled in one brilliant package are stability, strength, and control. Like Huxley's society, this so-called brave new world is not nearly the paradise it promises to be. A chance turns into obsession very rapidly.

Ross's will to regulate adamantium reflects the World Controllers' will to keep their flawless system at all means. It's about ensuring nobody else gets to make decisions, not about freedom.

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Sakura petals: tragedy, beauty, and metamorphosis

"Nothing costs enough here," said John the Savage, Brave New World.

Then there's that instant when the sakura blossoms descend from the heavens. Though it seems like only another beautiful image, this one has great meaning. Cherry blossoms in Japanese tradition stand for change, ephemeral beauty, and the certainty of death. A reminder that change always has a cost, they softly land in Ross's hand shortly before everything changes.

Ross's transformation into Red Hulk is more like a Shakespearean tragedy than a power-up. It's the logical outcome of someone who pushed too far for too long, much as John's plunge into lunacy.

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Eugenics and systematic exclusion: a dark mirror reflection

"The lower the caste," Mr. Foster remarked, "the shorter the oxygen." — Brave New World

Eugenics dressed in science forms the foundation of Huxley's Brave New World. From the moment they are decanted, the whole life of the embryos is set. Alphas rule, Epsilons serve, and since the system is ingrained in their very genetics nobody dares dispute it. Under the cover of keeping stability, lower castes are purposefully stunted—mentally and physically. This managed dystopia is one in which systematic oppression is a deliberate act rather than an accident-related exclusion.

One finds it difficult to overlook the similarities with Sam Wilson's path as Captain America. Sam's experience reveals a different picture in a society that says it has transcended discrimination. He is continually reminded, gently and blatantly, that he is not the "right" Captain America. Ross's cold, exact attitude to authority reflects the world of the Controllers in Huxley. Every effort to deny Sam his legitimacy is simply another kind of forced exclusion stemming from a past of systematic racism that refuses to die quietly.

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The fallacy of stability: when authority turns into a prison

"No social stability without individual stability," Mustapha Mond, Brave New World

Though the cost is always too great, both Brave New World and Captain America Brave New World provide the illusion of stability like a carrot. Stability in Huxley's universe corresponds with conformity, obedience, and sacrifice of uniqueness. Stability for Ross is ultimate control; adamantium is the key to it; anyone who disturbs it becomes a barrier.

Sam objects to playing that game, though. As he discovers, stability is not worth it if it means giving up what distinguishes him. His rebellion reminds us that stability for the affluent usually results in persecution for everyone else.

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Thaddeus Ross and the Red Hulk: Catastrophe masquerading as power

"Most people have almost unlimited capacity for taking things for granted." — Brave New World

From the beginning, Ross's metamorphosis into Red Hulk feels certain. His fixation on control sends him down a road devoid of return, much as the Controllers in Brave New World do. Though every stride he makes distances him more from humanity, he feels he is preserving the earth. His sad journey in the movie is highlighted by his denial of seeing the price of his ambition—until it is too late.

His transformation reflects the relentless search for excellence by the World State. Ross is left isolated and engulfed in the very force he hoped to control when what begins as a need for strength turns into a curse.

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The multiverse and limitless possibilities

[Loki spoilers: I'm in shock, the multiverse is already official in Marvel (sic).]

"Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly; they will go through anything." — Helmholtz Watson, Brave New World

The multiverse is more than just a showy enhancement of the MCU. It's a metaphor for escaping tight stories. The universe provides opportunities the MCU never ventured into before, just as Helmholtz Watson's words cut through illusions. This is about reinventing what a hero might be, something Sam Wilson is already doing, not only about different worlds.

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Sam’s stand: freedom at any cost

"All right then," claimed John the Savage, Brave New World, "I'm claiming the right to be unhappy."

Sam's greatest triumph ultimately comes from defying convention rather than from combat. He does not want the approval of the world. He argues, on his terms, the right to be himself, like John the Savage. Real transformation never provides a neat resolution, hence the movie does not present any either. Rather, it begs the issue of what type of world we are ready to fight for.

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The weaponizing of characters

In Brave New World, identity is something allocated to you, created in a lab, and reinforced by unrelenting indoctrination; it is not something you find. The World State shapes you according to its assessment of your value to the system, not alone of who you are. Bodies start to be instruments, robbed of autonomy and shaped for a particular use.

The continuous weaponizing of identity inside the MCU reflects this terrifyingly in Captain America: Brave New World. Weapon X looms big, suggesting a time when bodies might once more be tools of war. Deeply linked to Japan and experimentation, Wolverine's narrative fits exactly in this brave new world of adamantium-driven politics. Sam, though, rebels against that destiny. His identity is something he chooses and claims for himself; it is not a government experiment, not a legacy he was meant to fulfill.

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Soma and contemporary diversions from reality

"Take a holiday from reality whenever you liked, and come back without so much as a headache." — Mustapha Mond, Brave New World

The ideal getaway is Soma in Brave New World, a medication that maintains society peaceful, comfortable, and blissfully ignorant of their bonds. Nobody sees the need to challenge the system, hence none does. Ultimately, why rebel when you can swallow a pill and feel fantastic about everything?

Likewise in the MCU, adamantium serves a similar function. Promising stability and power, it is the best diversion. Blinded by its promise without thinking through the actual cost, every country fights to seize it. Ross's fixation with keeping control reflects the World State's fixation on stability. Both consider freedom as a threat and a diversion from a fix.

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The ascent and descent of empires

"Most human beings have almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted." Brave New World

Huxley's dystopia is a warning about the frailty of nations founded on lies. Though the World State seems unbeatable, one disturbance away from collapse might bring about catastrophe. Similar instability results from the worldwide hunt for adamantium in Captain America: Brave New World. Nations fight to assert their rights, risking all for the prospect of dominance.

Built on compromise and control, Ross's presidency is a delicate kingdom in itself. It will fall, like every great empire. The issue is whether those it aims to subjugate will bring it down or if its own ambition will cause it to fall.

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Multiverse as a parable for fate and choice

Choosing in Brave New World is an illusion. Birth marks the beginning of a life one cannot deviate from. The MCU's multiverse presents a striking contrast, full of countless possibilities and other worlds.

The multiverse to Sam Wilson is more than simply a theory. It stands for liberty and the ability to write his own life. Unlike the people of the World State, he refuses to let others define him. His path is about escaping inflexible narratives and forging his future independent of their volatility.

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Humanism and the quest for excellence

"All right then," the Savage responded, "I'm claiming the right to be unhappy." — John the Savage, Brave New World

In Brave New World, the quest for excellence eliminates what defines humans. Emotions are stifled; uniqueness is lost; imperfection is a crime. Ross's metamorphosis into Red Hulk captures a similar fixation with strength at the price of humanity.

What initially is a need for strength turns into a prison. Ross loses himself in his quest for control, much as World State residents lose their humanity in the name of advancement. Sam's narrative provides a counterbalance, demonstrating that real strength comes from accepting imperfections, rejecting perfection, and keeping to who you are.

Sam as a metaphor for hope against control?

Hope is alien to Brave New World. Stability, efficiency, and organization abound; however, never the spark of something fresh. Like a machine, the World State crushes everything that defies tight fit within its intended use. John the Savage appears and his non-conformist behavior causes anarchy.

In Captain America: Brave New World, Sam Wilson fills a similar position. He is a total disturbance, not only a fresh Captain America. His life is evidence of the disintegrating ancient institutions of authority. Hope for Sam is not a great lecture or a showy fight. Every stride he makes, every time he maintains his ground and defies the definition by another person's story.

Adamantium rush and the echoes of imperialism

The Director, in Brave New World says, "A love of nature keeps no factories busy."

The fixation of the World State with control reflects the actual history of imperialism, in which countries battled under the cover of development for control of resources. adamantium is the new gold in Captain America: Brave New World; a resource so strong it causes a worldwide craze. Not because it marks progress but rather because it denotes domination, every world power wants a bit of it.

Ross presents himself as the defender of this new frontier, but his reasons are far from moral. The frenzy for adamantium is not about improving the planet. This is a power grab that represents the very real effects of imperialism—inequality, conflict, and the exploitation of those who dare stand in the way.

While Brave New World explores the price of development, Captain America: Brave New World wonders what results when legacy and power interact. It's about choosing which sort of world is worth protecting, not only about rescuing the planet.

The cost of rebellion

John the Savage, Brave New World says, "I'm claiming the right to be unhappy."

In Brave New World, revolt pays a heavy price. John becomes a spectacle, a symbol of all the World State aims to stifle, because of his rejection to fit. His narrative reminds us tragically that resistance is never simple, particularly in a society meant to stifle dissent.

Sam Wilson is somewhat familiar with this struggle. Every combat he battles is about maintaining his right to exist as Captain America, not only physically. Though he is a target because of his nonconformist attitude, he also represents something more: the strength of will and the need to stand up for what is right even when the odds are stacked against you.

What brave new future awaits the MCU?

Captain America: Brave New World feels like a tipping point; the multiverse is vastly open. The MCU is laying out a future full of possibilities—and hazards, much as Brave New World provides a picture of a society gone too far.

From the Weapon X program to the arrival of Wolverine, the movie seeds possible storylines, and also suggests more general conflicts connected to the multiverse. The issue is not whether the MCU will adopt these darker, more complicated narratives but rather how far it is ready to travel. Captain America Brave New World showed us, if anything, that every brave new world has a cost. The sole remaining issue is: Who will pay for it?