Captain America: Brave New World
had a lot riding on it, but despite some exciting trailers, it actually reversed one of my biggest fears in an unexpected and disappointing way. Sam Wilson has taken the mantle as the next Captain America, and in his debut solo film, the MCU hoped to establish him as a worthy successor. However, in an attempt to make sure this was conveyed, it appears that the movie made some things overly complicated by introducing numerous other characters, villains, and plots.
As a result, the movie had a total of three primary villains, but not all of these characters were treated equally in the story. In fact, characters like Sidewinder, played by the incredible Giancarlo Esposito, were not added to the story until the eleventh hour, with Esposito cast after the movie had already been in production for some time. This also led to several rounds of reshoots, and a wavering confidence that the movie could strike the right balance and give these incredible actors the space and time they deserved to bring their characters to life.
I Was So Worried Before Captain America: Brave New World’s Release That Sidewinder Would Be Totally Sidelined Because The Movie Has 3 Villains
The Movie Had The Potential To Be Overstuffed
Tim Blake Nelson was finally brought back to the MCU after more than 15 years of a cliffhanger from The Incredible Hulk. His character, Samuel Sterns, suffered an injury in the earlier movie that left him mutated and taking on the moniker, The Leader. In addition, the incredible Harrison Ford was cast to take over the role of Thaddeus Ross, who finally transforms into the Red Hulk in this entry. And finally, Esposito was cast as a mystery character initially, whose idenтιтy was not revealed until after the first trailer was released. As a result, it appeared as though Esposito’s character was likely to be the one with the least prominence in Brave New World.
With three villains, it makes sense that not all of them can be given equal time on screen, and their importance would vary, and so, I had my doubts that Sidewinder would be handled all that well. Add to that the fact that Sidewinder is easily the least recognizable villain of those three, and it makes sense that the character would be disproportionately sidelined in Brave New World. Not to mention the fact that Marvel has struggled to pull off multi-villain stories in the past with varying results. It just made sense that Sidewinder’s debut was likely to be more minor, with a chance to return in future MCU projects.
The MCU’s Track Record With Multi-Villain Movies Didn’t Bode Well For Brave New World
Not Everyone Gets An Equal SH๏τ At The Spotlight
The thing is, when Marvel tries to create a story with a large cast of villains, it needs to prioritize one or two in order to have an impact. Ulysses Klaue took a backseat to Killmonger in Black Panther, The Lizard, and Sandman played a minor role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Ebony Maw was one of the only members of the Black Order to actually have a substantial part in Avengers: Infinity War. This isn’t to say that the movies overall suffered, but the characters were undoubtedly less important than primary villains, which left some figures in the background.
But to be fair, Marvel Studios have often managed to pick and choose the villains that will make the biggest impact, and give them the spotlight. So, with the lineup of villains set to appear in Brave New World, and again, thanks to Esposito’s late addition to the role, I figured that his character was going to be the least prominent. This would make the most sense, because The Leader is evidently a big returning villain, and someone who can set up future stories, and Red Hulk is one of the most exciting prospective villains to come from the MCU in a long time.
Sidewinder Actually Got Way More Screentime Than I Was Expecting – Because The Red Hulk Didn’t
The Red Hulk Was Largely Absent From Captain America: Brave New World
However, in a stunning turn of events that came completely out of nowehere, Sidewinder ended up with a significant amount of time on-screen, while Red Hulk only showed up for about 10 minutes at the end of the movie. Now I get that they wanted to build suspense and tension in the run up to Ross transforming, but if that’s the case, they really should not have put so much Red Hulk into the trailers. The first trailer teased a glimpse at the character, and then, giving the fans what they wanted, the subsequent releases revealed more and more clips of the character.
However, with Red Hulk’s extremely limited time on screen in the movie, the bulk of his scenes are actually revealed in the trailers. This created a false sense that the character would have a much larger role, and was counter-productive to the finished film. On the other hand, despite revealing very little about Sidewinder, his character plays a major role, appearing at multiple points in the movie. These inclusions were handled well, but it didn’t match up with what was advertised. Ultimately, losing Red Hulk in favor of featuring a minor villain from a few comic book runs was a let-down that could and should have been avoided.
The Red Hulk Getting So Little Screentime Doesn’t Seem To Have Been The Perfect Solution To The Movie’s Villain Balance
Red Hulk Deserved To Have A More Prominent Role In Brave New World
I think, looking at the movie as a whole, it was clear that things were a little muddled. Having three villains is a struggle, and it creates an obstacle in terms of trying to give everyone an opportunity to shine. However, the trailer is one of the biggest betrayals from the movie, even more than the reshoots and choppy editing, because it gave away the big ending. If Marvel Studios wanted to capitalize on Red Hulk, it should have done so early on. If they wanted it to be a surprise twist, it should have avoided giving it away in the trailers.
Maybe if the movie opted to have Red Hulk show up early on, and reveal that it was Ross all along at the end, like they did in the comics over the years, it could have been a much better outcome for Captain America: Brave New World.
Had the movie been more clear in terms of what it wanted to achieve, and how it wanted to engage fans, it could have been a lot better. As it stands, it was messy, and the villains storylines did not work together. Respectively, all three actors and the characters they portrayed had the potential to be a much bigger deal, but cramming not one but three villains in, and reducing Red Hulk’s role to make him a small part was a mistake. Maybe if the movie opted to have Red Hulk show up early on, and reveal that it was Ross all along at the end, like they did in the comics over the years, it could have been a much better outcome for Captain America: Brave New World.
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