The Full Picture

The Big Picture · Review

‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Is Marvel’s Rock Bottom. Now What?

February 14, 2025/ 70 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins · Chris Ryan

Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, and Chris Ryan record a same-night spoiler review of the fourth Captain America movie, then use it to ask whether the MCU has bottomed out.

1 films across 1 segment.

AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.

‘Captain America: Brave New World’spoilers · recorded the night they saw it

Captain America: Brave New World poster

Captain America: Brave New World 2025

The 35th MCU film, directed by Julius Onah and credited to roughly a dozen-and-a-half writers (Malcolm Spellman among them), with Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson now carrying the shield. All three hosts pan it: Chris calls it one of the worst superhero movies he's ever seen, Amanda says it 'sucked,' and Sean rates it near the bottom of the MCU. Their read: not a movie so much as loose ends being tied up from 'The Incredible Hulk,' 'Eternals,' and 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,' with visible seams from heavy reshoots (Giancarlo Esposito's Sidewinder added late, gone by the third act). The plot hangs on adamantium mined from the Celestial in 'Eternals' (an X-Men tease), Isaiah Bradley's mind-controlled assassination attempt, and Harrison Ford's President Thaddeus Ross turning into Red Hulk in the last 20 minutes, resolved via CGI cherry blossoms. Danny Ramirez plays the new Falcon; Shira Haas's Ruth/Sabra gets nothing to do; Tim Blake Nelson's Leader is played straight. They'd rather have watched 'Madame Web.'

Also mentioned raised along the way

The rest of the MCU, past and future The Incredible HulkEternalsAvengers: EndgameAvengers: Infinity WarBlack PantherCaptain America: The First AvengerDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessThor: RagnarokThor: Love and ThunderAnt-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaDeadpool & WolverineThunderboltsThe Fantastic Four: First StepsAvengers: DoomsdayAvengers: Secret Wars

Other comic-book movies Madame WebKraven the HunterVenomLoganSuperman

Harrison Ford's thrillers Clear and Present DangerPatriot GamesAir Force One

Julius Onah's other films The Cloverfield ParadoxLuce

Cinematic universes, for better or worse John WickJohn Wick: Chapter 4From the World of John Wick: BallerinaDen of ThievesThe Fast and the Furious

In passing CompanionConclaveWerewolvesJurassic ParkRogue One: A Star Wars StoryHalloween 5: The Revenge of Michael MyersSingin' in the RainSnatchPaddington in PeruBridget Jones's DiaryBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads

TV The Falcon and the Winter SoldierWandaVisionLokiSecret Invasion1923LionessSuccession

Podcasts The WatchGood Hang

Books The OdysseyVinelandBridget Jones's Diary (novel)The Turner Diaries

Ads TremfyaNOS EnergyCarvanaBoar's HeadT-Mobile Home Run DerbyWolf TrapPure Michigan