Every Marvel fanatic knows the star-spangled superhero with the shield, Captain America. He’s protected our country’s rights and values since the day he debuted in comic books. Eventually, his adventures left the pages and made their way onto bigger venues like television. He’s even had a wild journey throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe theatrical films. And it expands with the addition of the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. It’s speculated it’ll have a promising opening, but with the MCU’s varying success, will it?
Rise of the First Avenger
Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Captain America arrived in Captain America Comics #1. His appearance came months before the United States participated in World War II. Comic sales, sadly, plummeted because of the war, and the patriotic hero vanished in 1950. He returned four years later, thanks to Atlas Comics, but the revival was short-lived. Stan Lee brought the star-spangled man back, presenting him in Avengers #4. Since then, Captain America has been a mascot of Marvel and a highly prominent character.
Captain America’s superhero origin tale began in the 1940s during World War II. He was Steve Rogers, a strong-willed and patriotic young man from Brooklyn. All he dreamed about was protecting his country from the threat of the German Nazis. Sadly, Steve’s attempts to enlist failed due to his physically meek body. He eventually got his chance after participating in an experiment by Dr. Abraham Erskine. The meek Brooklyn man was no more, and in his place was America’s hope.
The MCU Story of Captain America
The 2011 MCU film Captain America: The First Avenger revisited this famous backstory. Chris Evans portrayed the meek Steve who’d become the heroic star-spangled man with the plan. However, he’d spend time as an entertainer before transitioning into a full-blown war veteran. He and his Howling Commandos faced off against H.Y.D.R.A. and their leader, the Red Skull. Captain America’s next appearance was in the first Avengers movie in 2012. He joined forces with other iconic MCU characters to repel an alien invasion.
The star-spangled superhero returned to the spotlight in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He teamed up with Black Widow and Falcon to stop the renegade Winter Soldier. Captain America returned in Avengers: Age of Ultron to help defeat a mankind-hating robot. His next role was Captain America: Civil War, where the Avengers broke up. He returned in the climactic two-parter Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, retiring afterward. He passed the mantle and shield to Sam Wilson, a.k.a Falcon.
Opening Weekend for Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World occurs after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Sam, fully adopting his new mantle, finds himself face-to-face with new challenges. At the same time, Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross becomes the new United States president. Things become further complicated when Ross transforms into a rampaging red-colored Hulk. Anthony Mackie returns to reprise his role as Sam, the new high-flying Captain America. Harrison Ford steps in to play Ross after the passing of William Hurt.
Since January 17, ticket pre-sales for this movie have started at the U.S. box office. The amount currently stands at $95 million, 40 percent better than most recent MCU movies. This boost might stem from the fact the movie is releasing on a four-day weekend. Either way, the figures are a good sign but not a guarantee for success. The MCU film franchise has had varying success since Endgame. Fans can only hope Brave New World is a hit like Deadpool and Wolverine was.
Final Thoughts
I’m excited to see Brave New World, especially since there’s a new Captain America. It’ll be intriguing to see how Mackie puts his twist on the role. The same goes for Ford playing the new Ross, though I’m confident in his skills. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t ecstatic to see Red Hulk. I’ll remain optimistic about this movie, regardless of what anyone says. Brave New World comes to theaters everywhere next month on the 14th.
