Fair warning, I had fun with this movie and there will be spoilers. Buckle up, let’s do this.

So, the MCU has been going on for a while now. And I’ll admit, I haven’t tired of these movies yet. When the trailer first dropped and we got hints of Red Hulk, I got interested. Then Tim Blake Nelson was going to come back as Samuel Sterns from the 2008 Incredible Hulk movie, and I decided that this was going to be a movie to see in theaters.

I’m one of those geeks that loves it when comic book movies really dig deep into the rogues gallery and deliver some villains most people haven’t heard of. Red Hulk has been a thing in the comics for a while but the Leader seems to be reserved for animated series featuring the Hulk. Still kind of bummed that Sterns is not called the Leader in this movie at any point but I get it.

So I went to the theater to check out this latest MCU installment. And I’m not sure when theaters started to do this but there was merchandising. I got a shirt and was tempted to get a shield pillow but I bought candy instead. And I rarely ever eat candy, so I was in a good mood going into this movie. Sour Patch Kids Watermelons for the win! The whole bag was gone before the movie even started, and I didn’t get sick! Huzzah!

So, what previews before the movie I recall: that Not-Starring-Reeves-John-Wick movie called the “Ballerina” looked cool. There was the trailer for “Thunderbolts*” which looks like fun but I could not help but think Marvel is trying to do James Gunn’s Suicide Squad or Guardians of the Galaxy all over again. So we’ll see how that movie goes. And speaking of James Gunn, there was a trailer for his Superman and it looks like it's going to have some DC characters that have not had a time to shine yet. Looking forward to that when it comes out.

So, this Captain America movie starts up by reminding us that the Hulk-2008 movie is canon to the MCU. I got to see Harrison Ford with a mustache for a few seconds, which was a welcomed surprise. It needs to be said that RIP Willaim Hurt. I heard he was looking forward to playing Ross turning into Red Hulk before he passed. I will say this though, Ford does a good job playing a grump and rage-filled general, now elected president.

I would like to remind people that Sam Elliot has played Ross in a previous Hulk movie. Though, he would be a cool addition to the MCU but not as Ross. He’s too laid back to be an angry general-turned-president. Elliot could play maybe as a previous incarnation of Ghostrider 😉

So the Celestial that died at the end of Eternals is the main focus of the movie. Which surprised me because I thought Marvel all but forgot about Eternals. But hey! Good on them for acknowledging even the movies that underperformed or mainstream audiences kind of lost track of. But then they go a step further and say that this dead Celestial has . . . adamantium.

Just hearing Ford of all people say adamantium was a real treat for me. The fact that adamantium is finally canon in the MCU is going to be a blast. Eventually that means some poor actor is going to follow up Hugh Jackman as the new MCU Wolverine. I wish that brave soul all the best.

So there is plenty of action in the movie. And I was entertained by the fight scenes and the new Captain America is flying around, taking full advantage of his Wakanda super-tech wings, which does kick a lot of ass. I’m only breezing by talking about the action scenes because it's an MCU movie. You are either engaged by the action or you look at your phone until it's done. And yeah, after watching so many of these movies, and being deep into anime, action scenes do tend to become predictable.

Giancarlo Esposito as Sidewinder was a highlight for me during the action. I’m a Breaking Bad fan and to see the same actor who played Gus blowing stuff up was a lot of fun. Though I recall him popping out of a van with a gatling gun in the trailers. That does not happen in this movie. Studios keep doing that, putting deleted scenes from movies in the trailers. And for some reason I always remember them the most and am super disappointed when they do not happen in the movie.

So, yeah, action, action, and more action. I’ll get the Red Hulk fight at the end out of the way here. Having the President of the United States turn into a Red Rage Monster and smash the capital felt a bit like Marvel was saying something. Not as much as Pedro Pascal’s Maxwell Lord from Wonder Woman 1984 but there felt like commentary was being made when Ross hulks out and smashes DC landmarks. I’m sure there was something being said. But I came for the Cap v Red Hulk fight and the movie delivered.

Ford’s face on the Red Hulk is something I never thought I would see. Seriously, who would have thought Ford’s face would be on marvel merch, let alone the Red Hulk of all characters. Oh, and Ford is looking a little thin after he turned back from being Red Hulk. I’m wondering if the Indiana Jones outfit added a few pounds. But anyway, cool that we have Ford in the MCU now and he is slated to appear in the Thunderbolts* as well. 👍

That Hulk climax was a fun action fight and I was getting anime flashbacks as the cherry blossoms fell. If the director is not a fan of anime fight scenes, I will be surprised. But the Red Hulk fight was only half the reason I went to the theater to see this movie.

I like supervillains who are smart about their evil plans. And not be OP smart about it, like the Thinker was in season 4 of the Flash. Sterns laid out this sixteen year old plan to destroy Ross and he delivered. And there were flaws, he might be a super-genius but he still is human (to a degree). And if not for Captain America, things would have escalated to an all out war. Which would have been just collateral for Mr. Blue.

Yeah, that song choice for the brainwashing, I love it when Marvel does little callbacks like that for the fans who are paying attention.

Blake is a great actor. I’ve seen him in some stuff before and he works as a mutated supervillain who is five steps ahead of the hero. Back in the 2008 Hulk movie, his appearance felt more of a bit part and since nothing was followed up until now with him, most MCU fans assumed that Sterns was just a cameo and nothing more. Now he’s a major villain in the MCU that I do hope sticks around for a while.

So many Marvel villains die off in one movie and we never see them again. I know it's necessary for the conclusion of a movie for the villain to perish. But to me, it does feel like a waste for really good potential recurring villains to just have their swan-song in the same movie as their introduction. RIP Ultron.

The make-up on Blake was so creepy and well done. He looked like a monster from an old school Universal monster movie just with modern day effects. That brain bulging out of his skull and one of his eyes is all white and the other glowing green, so freaking good. Any supervillain that has a touch of sci-fi horror is so a plus for me.

And even though Sterns has this genius plan, it's more based on psychology than calculations or science. His predictions on how people act and use of brainwashing is pretty damn terrifying if you really think about it. But I call BS that Sterns would not have dozens of back plans in cause his plan A fell through. With all the superheroes running around in the world, having him turn himself in because plan A failed seemed forced.

Though Sterns got what he (and audiences) wanted, Ross turned into the very thing he hunted for years. You know, writing this just makes me think of the biggest complaint this movie probably has garnered. There was no cameo with Bruce Banner/Professor Hulk. Ross, Sterns, and even Betty Ross make an appearance in this movie. All these Hulk supporting cast members and no Hulk. Which, I get it, the movie is already stuffed with so many characters, adding more would get bloated.

But maybe have a mid-credits scene with Banner and Sterns playing chess, exchanging a few lines or something? Well, Sterns is still alive so there are plenty of future opportunities for the two to have banter on screen. None of that off screen hand wave, Mark Ruffalo and Blake on screen together quipping would be fantastic(4).

We at least got a Bucky cameo. And Danny Ramirez as the new Falcon and Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley return from the Falcon and Winter Soldier series have plenty to do in this movie. It was cool to see them again and they both play a huge part in the movie. You know, I knew Lumbly looked familiar to me. Just now, I’m finding out he was in the series Alias and he was the lead in the sci-fi superhero show M.A.N.T.I.S. Does anyone remember that TV series? Yeah, it’s okay, the 90s were a blur for a lot of us.

The only appearance that made me raise my eyebrow was Liv Tyler returning as Betty Ross towards the very end of the movie. It felt like she may have been green screened in? I might be off and her appearance was cool nonetheless. The 2008 Hulk was only ever hinted at throughout the MCU and kind of forgotten about. It's nice that movie is being recognized again.

All and all, I had fun with Captain America: Brave New World. I’m a Cap fan, he is my favorite of the MCU heroes. Anthony Mackie may not be Chris Evans but he does not need to be. Legacy heroes have been around since as long as stories have been told. It is awesome to see Mackie take up the mantle of Cap while making it his own. And I am curious what his Avengers are going to be like.

Is Shang-Chi going to make a comeback? One of the Marvel ladies going to join up? How about a new Hulk [Amadeus Cho]? You know, right out of my head, Machine Man! Wonder Man! Man-Thing! You know what, I want that now. I want all these people to be in the Avengers! Heck, Wolverine was in so many different teams in the comics, why not? Adamantium is canon, bring X-23 on board or maybe . . . just a thought . . . an original character not from the comics? 😦

I keep seeing on social media that the MCU is dying but honestly, I think this franchise still has some life left in it. I’m excited after seeing this latest Cap movie. When Endgame came out, I told my friends that this was going to be where marvel peeks, it has been a good run for the first saga, and every movie after Endgame is going to be gravy.

And this movie was some nice gravy. And I mean that as a plus. This was some nice savory gravy that was not too salty or sweet, but just enough to enjoy a well made action flick. Honestly, I have no clue how much longer superhero/comic book movies are going to last in mainstream cinema. But even since Sam Raimi’s first Spiderman movie back in 2002, I’m still enjoying this ride. What else is being released for this year again?

Thunderbolts* comes out on May 5, Fantastic Four is July 25, and Superman is July 11. Oh, we got competing comic book movies in the middle of the summer? I feel like that hasn’t been a thing in a while. Cool.

Well, at least it should be a fun summer when it comes to movies. Hopefully the world is still in one piece by then. And movie theaters haven’t all fallen apart. Yeah, I see that in the Google Search, with the theater’s ceiling caving in, when looking up this movie. Just, wow.

Good Luck and thank you for reading!

—Buck

PS: I’m still not sure how to feel about Robert Downy Jr playing Doctor Doom. But I did make a joke a few years back to a friend that when MCU Doom does show up, I hope he says “Doom has made improvements on Stark’s design!” Well, who better to make improvements on Stark’s design then . . . evil Stark? We shall see, come 2026!

PSS: Should Edward Norton come back to the MCU? He’s a good actor that I feel jumped ship way too soon. Then again, he was in Birdman and that whole movie was like the entire Cinema industry coping with the existence of big comic book movies. That movie was odd and entertaining and I’m sure it was cathartic for a lot of actors.