Captain America: Brave New World Review - The red dawn of a new World 

Disclaimer: This review reflects the author’s opinion, based on established MCU canon and speculations drawn from official media. Spoilers ahead!

If I had to choose one word to characterize Captain America: Brave New World, it would be inconsistent. Early on, the film falters in its tempo and presents exposition-heavy dialogue to us like the cinematic counterpart of a Red Hulk punch. It felt as though I was seeing the Marvel machine just running along, trying too hard to link dots from (more than) a dozen separate corners of the MCU.

Then, though, the third act occurred.

Red Hulk, What If...?, and the mirror we did not expect (or did we?)

Everything came together in that scene—the change of President Thaddeus Ross into the Red Hulk. It became now more than just a disjointed political thriller—it was raw and exciting. For those who watched What If...?, more significantly, the episode What If... the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?—this moment strikes differently.

In the animated episode, it is Sam Wilson, not Natasha Romanoff, who brings Bruce Banner back from the brink. His calm voice and steady hand touching Bruce reflect the same emotional resonance we now see in Captain America: Brave New World. When Sam steps in to stop Ross’s rampage, it feels like the perfect callback, tying the multiverse together in a way that feels earned and emotionally grounded.

Ross: A tragic hero caught in his own collapse

Ross's metamorphosis into the Red Hulk is a tragedy rather than merely another evil turn-about. He was not sure exactly what he was swallowing or how it would permanently alter him. How his narrative unfolds has a nearly Shakespearean quality.

Once in charge of everything—his job, his choices, even the fate of others—a man finds himself helpless against the very power he sought to master. Ross is a victim of his desire, stuck in a loop of decisions sure to catch up with him; he is not your typical comic book villain. Although his fall is not startling, it is sad since it seems natural.

Sam's attempts to bring him back mirror the emotional weight we (or some of us who have already watched it) observed in What If....?, giving an otherwise chaotic situation a human touch. The moment strikes so strongly because, like in the animated episode with Bruce, Sam gets the same result as Ross.

The Sakura flower: Transient beauty before ruin

Ross's metamorphosis has one of the most arresting events when a Sakura petal falls in his grasp shortly before all changes. This has great meaning, not only a haphazard visual flourish. Cherry blossoms represent the transient character of life in Japanese society. However, like happiness or success, beauty is always ephemeral.

In doramas and anime, Sakura petals frequently represent the start or finish of something important (a brave new world?). They might stand for emotional turning points, mixed farewells, or times of metamorphosis. Their looks suggest that usually, without a return, life is about to change significantly. Besides, the Brave New World has another connotation. By the way, have you lately turned over this book?

The sakura blossoms in Captain America: Brave New World are elegantly melancholic. They serve as a subdued alert of the transformation Ross went through. More petals fall, signifying his metamorphosis into himself again, with poetic finality, underlining the sense of everything he once knew sliding away.

Adamantium, the international covenant, and brittle peace

Remember that giant Celestial poking out of the Indian Ocean? Turns out it’s loaded with adamantium, and now every world power wants a piece of it. Enter President Ross, trying to hold this fragile treaty together.

This might be the first time you’re hearing about the Celestial Island. Don’t worry, Marvel’s got a lot of homework for you—just know that they’re crucial players now.

Captain America: Brave New World is a high-stakes political game fundamentally driven by vast concentrations of adamantium, the rarest and most potent metal in the Marvel universe, abound in the corpse of Tiamut, the great Celestial from Eternals. Every great world power naturally desires it.

The only thing preventing them from fraying each other is President Ross. Even reaching a delicate truce with Japan, a major actor in this convoluted game, his aim is to retain an international convention controlling the mining and usage of adamantium. Not everyone plays fair, though, and as tensions grow, it is evident that some would stop at nothing to control the adamantium.

Could this be the MCU's method of bringing the Japan story of Wolverine to life really quickly? Or Weapon X? A pillar of his story in the comics is his relationship to Japan. Rich in tragedy, passion, and treachery, it combines samurai honor with his terrible history. But he's also weaponized in another arc - guess only time will tell.

Though Captain America: Brave New World feels as though it is laying seeds for something greater, maybe a storyline that ultimately delivers us Wolverine in Japan or maybe the rebirth of the Weapon X program can make an appearance in the MCU. The possibilities are infinite.

Seeds, planted long ago, have grown

Ross's narrative seems to have been gathering in the background for over a decade. The Incredible Hulk (2008) offered initial hints of his preoccupation with power and control and his readiness to test risky technology. Back then, what appeared to be a subplot has now become absolutely vital.

In Captain America: Brave New World, every careless action he takes logically results in disaster. Ross genuinely felt he was defending his nation, not wanting power for any other reason. But his drive blinded him to the hazards. Not only sad, but his metamorphosis into Red Hulk was unavoidable.

The development of Captain America in a different environment

Sam Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie, keeps showing why he is the ideal carrier of the shield. Captain America: Brave New World places Captain America in a difficult position between national obligation and personal interests. This is about making difficult decisions and steadfastly sticking to his beliefs, not only about defeating enemies by fists.

As Captain America, Sam develops throughout the movie by facing the weight of the legacy he has inherited. The film does not hold back on the political overtones associated with a black man carrying the shield, giving his character even more depth.

That post-credits scene with the Multiverse connection

The post-credits scene twists everything just when you believe the film is finished. Indeed, it only shows after all the credits have rolled, so yes, you will have to stay right till the very end. It proves that the multiverse is not only a side tale any more, but the future of the MCU, without spoiling too much. Universes collide, and the effects seem more significant than ever.

For those that watched What If...? (and/or read the comics), this is where things truly become even more interesting. There are countless avenues for crossover narratives, and Captain America: Brave New World seems like the first actual path into a more vast cosmos.

What if...? - Is this only the starting point?

Captain America: Brave New World surprises us ultimately. Early on, it could stutter, but once it gets its pace, it provides precisely what we came for: action, feeling, and a taste of what the MCU could develop.

Like that sakura blossom, it is brief yet remarkable, leaving something more in its wake. What if the best has yet to come?

Bonus:

An inside reference quote from Harrison Ford, who has taken over the mantle from the late William Hurt:

"It was either lose the moustache or lose the election."

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Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Captain America: Brave New World lags early, but its powerful third act—Ross's metamorphosis into Red Hulk—makes up for it. Three out of five Sakura petals delicately fall into Red Hulk's huge hand for the effort.

Rating with a touch of flair:

Three out of Five Sakura petals, delicately falling into Reg Hulk's huge hand