This may be a controversial opinion, but Marvel did okay this time? Don’t get me wrong, I’m absolutely not saying that Captain America : A Brave New World is good, but it was okay, and for Marvel that’s big... Which is honestly a bit embarrassing given the amount of money and beloved characters they have to work with, but that’s not my point today. No, what I’m here to talk about is how even after all of Marvels mistakes, even after Sam Wilson replaced Steve Rogers, and yes, even after everything going on in US politics right now, I still love Cap.
If you haven’t watched the new Captain America film yet, I’ll be honest, I don’t know how to describe it to you. There’s a plot, sure, some nonsense about sleeper agents and the president and living up to Steve Rogers, but really it’s no different than any other Marvel film you’ve watched. There are bad guys and good guys, the good guys beat up the bad guys, and somewhere in there is a vaguely positive but overall bland message that couldn’t offend anyone…
Except. There were some small details that felt like tentative pushes against the status quo. Having the main “heroic” cast (with the exception of the morally dubious president) consist of non-white/non-male people is in many ways a political statement these days, as depressing of a reality as that is. Add to that the fact that Carl Lumbly’s character was imprisoned by and experimented on by the US government, calling to mind history like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and there’s a small but distinctly rebellious undercurrent to the film.
It’s nice to finally have a Marvel movie say something again, even if it’s only whispering… But more importantly, it’s nice to be reminded of what Captain America really stands for, especially in the current political context.
I was obsessed with Marvel when I was younger, and while my favourite character was, is, and always will be Loki, that didn’t work so well when my friends and I were trying to decide which Avengers we would be. They all decided I was Bruce Banner - I guess my defining characteristic is “nerdy” - and I was beyond disappointed. Yet when I asked them why they didn’t choose Cap, my favourite of the heroes, they all looked at me like I had two heads.
See, America isn’t cool. Even then (more than a decade ago, yikes) we knew that the US government wasn’t exactly on the side of good, so why would anyone want to be Captain America? He’s nice and all, but a bit bland, and worse yet, patriotic. Given that I was a vocal leftist and anti-authoritarian who wouldn’t stand for the Pledge of Allegiance even then, it didn’t make sense to them that I would identify with Cap.
… Except that thinking Captain America aligns with the US government is a very weird read of the character. Steve Rogers is against government control in Civil War. Sam Wilson clashes with the president over the unjust arrest of his friend in Brave New World. No matter who Captain America is, they’re always fighting for true freedom and justice. They’re on the side of the underdog. Their weapon is a shield, goddamnit. They’re protectors.
They're what America was meant to be.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free”. The country I grew up in might not be living up to that ideal anymore, if they ever did, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still believe in it. If anything, it means that we have to believe in it now more than ever. Captain America, literally the embodiment of the American ideal, is often at odds with the government - a perfect example to the rest of us, no matter where we’re from.
The government is not on our side, and more often than not it isn't working for us. So we have to take on the responsibility that they won’t. It’s our job not only to protect and support our fellow neighbors and citizens but our fellow humans at large, even when that means going against authority and putting ourselves at risk. That’s always been the core message of Captain America as a character, and Brave New World is no different. That’s why I’ll always love Cap - because he’s the reminder we all so desperately need to keep on fighting for each other.
I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that Captain America : A Brave New World is a good movie… But you should watch it. Not because of the fight scenes (honestly pretty well-choreographed) or the plot (very meh), but because I hope it gives you a little bit of hope, or better yet inspiration. The world is scary right now, and the future doesn’t look bright. But as long as I’m here, as long as you’re here, as long as there are people who want things to be better and who are willing to do something about it, we still have a fighting chance. It doesn’t take a hero to change the world - but having one to motivate us doesn’t hurt.
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