Captain America: Brave New World - Our Biggest WTF Questions

Author : Noah Feb 21,2025

Captain America: Brave New World leaves viewers with several lingering questions. This MCU entry, while showcasing Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson as the new Captain America, falls short in several key areas, leaving many plot points unresolved and characters underdeveloped.

Captain America: Brave New World Image Gallery

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The Absence of Bruce Banner: The film directly builds upon The Incredible Hulk, yet inexplicably omits Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner. His absence is particularly jarring given the film's direct connection to his past and the significant Hulk-related events unfolding. While an explanation might be forthcoming, his omission creates a noticeable plot hole.

The Underwhelming Leader: Tim Blake Nelson's Samuel Sterns, aka The Leader, is portrayed as less of a brilliant mastermind and more of a man consumed by a personal vendetta against President Ross. His strategic shortcomings and ultimately simplistic actions contradict his established intellect.

Red Hulk's Inconsistency: The film's Red Hulk deviates significantly from the comic book version. Instead of a cunning and tactically superior adversary, Ross's transformation results in a mindless rage monster, lacking the intelligence and strategic prowess of his comic counterpart. The inconsistency undermines the potential of this character.

Weapon Inconsistencies: Red Hulk's invulnerability to bullets is contradicted by his susceptibility to Captain America's vibranium blades. While vibranium's superior properties likely explain this, it highlights a minor inconsistency in the film's portrayal of power dynamics.

Bucky's Unexpected Career Change: Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes makes a cameo appearance as an aspiring politician. This sudden career shift lacks prior foreshadowing and feels out of character, given his past.

Sidewinder's Unexplained Grudge: Giancarlo Esposito's Sidewinder harbors a seemingly unexplained personal vendetta against Captain America, a plot point left unresolved and potentially hinting at a more extensive backstory to be explored later.

Sabra's Limited Role: Shira Haas' Ruth Bat-Seraph, adapted from the Sabra character, feels underutilized. Her role as a minor obstacle and later ally lacks depth and raises questions about the choice to adapt this specific character, given how different she is from her comic counterpart.

Adamantium's Significance: The introduction of adamantium serves primarily as a plot device, leaving its long-term implications unclear. While its connection to Wolverine is anticipated, the broader consequences of its discovery remain to be seen.

The Ongoing Absence of the Avengers: The film touches upon the need for a new Avengers team but fails to meaningfully progress towards its formation. The lack of significant groundwork for a future Avengers reunion is concerning, given the proximity of Avengers: Doomsday.

Poll: Should Captain America: Brave New World have included more Avengers characters? (Options: Yes, it would have made the climax more exciting; No, this needed to be Sam's story.)

This article explores the unanswered questions and inconsistencies within Captain America: Brave New World, highlighting areas where the film could have been improved and leaving viewers anticipating future developments within the MCU.