Captain America: Brave New World and the fall of the Marvel empire

Over a decade into Marvel’s reign, the rot they’ve unleashed on our culture has never been clearer. The films are stupid and, increasingly, poorly made. Storytelling has long taken a backseat to easter eggs and marketing opportunities. The films have become increasingly convoluted and fragmented, the effects cheaper and cheaper. Even the propaganda feels desperate and unconvincing. What once was (albeit debatably) a good thing was ruined by the same greed and artlessness that has helped contribute to the fall of the American Empire as well.

Captain America: Brave New World continues the mad descent of a once successful franchise. Sam Wilson is now Captain America (Anthony Mackie) and he finds himself pulled into the inner-circle of the newly elected American president, Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford). The optimism of a new presidential term collapses, however, after a violent event spurs distrust in the new regime but contributes to a collapse in international relations that thrusts the world on the brink of war. Captain America not only has to save America, but also a close friend who has been unfairly implicated in the incident.

Like many late-era Marvel films, Captain America: Brave New World feels fragmented. While pretty much par for the course in terms of Disney’s over-produced and data-driven blockbusters, this one has an especially gruesome restructuring. The film introduces Ruth Bat-seraph, played by Israeli actress Shira Haas, a character intended to be the Israeli superhero Sabra. For dishonourable reasons tied to their bottom line rather than their conscience, it’s clear that Disney had cold feet given the ongoing genocide and spotlight on Israeli war crimes, and did their best to diminish the character. The film feels edited around diminishing mentions of Israel as much as possible and, as a result, downplaying the influence of a character who was clearly instrumental to the plot. She’s still very much present, particularly in the second half, but as an ineffectual prop in a plotless spectacle. Even so, the movie treads that oh-so-diplomatic line of diminishing without criticizing, lest anyone assume Captain America: Brave New World has taken the moral high ground.

Once upon a time, it felt not only accurate to point out that Marvel films are intended for children, but necessary. The fandom that swirled around the movies attempted to elevate these corporate products as high art akin to modern myth-making. Now, pointing out that these films are intended for children should send a chill down your spine: these movies are insidious, pacifying tools that offer little substance and do little more than uphold the American military. Far from a new development, this goes back all the way to Iron Man in 2008, but it seems especially urgent to emphasize that these movies represent a negative contribution to art, culture and human life.

The fact that the film tries — and fails — to deal with the complexity of race relations in the United States only adds insult to injury. As the movie grapples with what a Black Captain America “means,” it does so with only feigned subversion, embracing many false tenets of a post-racial society while vaguely alluding to the difficulties that Black Americans face. As this film seems set up to fail critically and at the box office, it also seems ripe in our newly post-woke culture that the blame will inevitably fall on the POC leads rather than the greedy, anti-art executives. 

As Palestinian arts organizations ask for a boycott of this film and Disney, it should be a moment of reflection for fans who are still willing to dish out money to see Captain America: Brave New World. Where does your loyalty lie? With plastic propaganda or with the people? ■

Captain America: Brave New World opens in Montreal theatres on Friday, Feb. 14. 

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