After witnessing Captain America: Brave New World‘s story, I am certain it has debunked a four-year-old Marvel worry that links to the franchise’s various Disney+ shows. The ending of Captain America: Brave New World solidified Sam Wilson as the next leader of the Avengers, truly proving him to be the тιтular hero after receiving the shield from Steve Rogers during Avengers: Endgame. In upcoming Marvel movies, Sam’s role will only be cemented further, providing a logical next step in the character’s MCU journey.
Before Captain America: Brave New World, Captain America’s MCU timeline was last addressed in 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is one of Marvel’s better-ranked TV shows released on Disney+, with the story sharing many narrative connections to Captain America: Brave New World. Interestingly, this has furthered a point of discussion that has raised worries for four years, since Marvel Studios delved into the world of TV. Finally, though, it seems Captain America: Brave New World has ended the debate.
Captain America: Brave New World’s Story Is Very Similar To The Falcon & The Winter Soldier
The Two Installments In Sam’s Journey Are Inherently Connected
Firstly, it is worth exploring how Captain America: Brave New World and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are connected. As someone who has seen both projects, which may not be as common as first thought for general MCU audiences, I cannot deny how similar the stories of both truly are. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier primarily depicted Sam coming to terms with being handed the shield by Steve Rogers, overcoming the latter’s legacy to strike his own as Captain America.
In Captain America: Brave New World, this story was somewhat repeated. While Sam was already Captain America at the onset of the film, it still featured a crisis of faith in himself as he worried he was the wrong choice to hold the mantle after Steve. By the time of the film’s conclusion, Sam comes to terms with the fact that he is Captain America, just as he does in the final episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The frustrations of a repeтιтive narrative aside, I believe that this debunks the aforementioned worry about the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Many Worried That Marvel’s Disney+ Shows Would Become Required Viewing For The MCU
General Audiences Have Been Concerned That Marvel’s Disney+ Shows Would Be “Homework”
The worry in question is that Marvel’s various Disney+ installments would need to be watched in order to understand the continued slate of MCU movies. This was first raised back in 2021 with the release of Disney+ shows like WandaVision, Loki, and, of course, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Each of these TV shows has tied to different aspects of MCU movies and drastically expanded the overall lore of the franchise, just as Marvel’s upcoming MCU TV shows will continue to do.
This led many to wonder if the once-simple task of keeping up with each theatrical release would be more daunting should general audiences be expected to watch the various TV shows to understand the overarching narrative of the franchise. This is a worry that has not decreased in recent years, especially with Marvel Studios only increasing the volume of its TV efforts, be it the live-action Marvel Television installments or those of Marvel Animation. Required viewing is something that most big franchises would wish to avoid, and I believe that Captain America: Brave New World proves the MCU has achieved exactly that.
I Think Captain America: Brave New World Makes Sense Without The Falcon & The Winter Soldier
The Latter Is Not Needed To Understand The Former
Image via Marvel Studios
As I have alluded to, the idea of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier being required viewing for Captain America: Brave New World has been proven wrong by the latter. Overall, the film makes sense without the knowledge of the TV show. In many ways, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is not really needed at all to understand Sam’s first theatrical installment. Discounting The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the last time Sam was shown in the MCU was in the final moments of Avengers: Endgame.
Sam was shown receiving the shield from an old Steve Rogers, questioning whether he deserves it as it “feels like someone else’s.” However, after a brief back-and-forth, Sam tells Steve that he will do his best. If nothing else is shown between that and Sam being the тιтular hero in Captain America: Brave New World, this transition certainly makes sense, as does his later crisis of faith and the subsequent pep-talk from Bucky. As the next step in Sam’s journey, this flows well in terms of both narrative and character.
Some Elements Of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier Benefit Captain America 4, But They’re Not Vital
Some Characters & Relationships Were First Outlined In The Falcon And The Winter Soldier
Despite my view that Captain America: Brave New World works without The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it is worth exploring some elements of the latter that benefit the former. However, these aspects are simply supplemental character or story elements that can be argued to make Captain America: Brave New World a better film, but not any that are absolutely necessary to understand it. The main aspects in question are the common characters and their relationships with Sam that are found in both projects.
Two major inclusions in Captain America: Brave New World‘s cast of characters are Isaiah Bradley and Joaquin Torres. Isaiah is one of the supersoldiers who was forcefully created and mistreated by the American government as a means of recreating Captain America, and Joaquin is an agent who formed a strong friendship with Sam. These relationships and backstories were highlighted in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, making their inclusion in Captain America: Brave New World more rewarding for those who have seen the Disney+ show.
Bucky’s cameo in Captain America: Brave New World also works without having seen The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but it is admittedly better if audiences witnessed their friendship grow in the latter.
In Captain America: Brave New World, the basics of Isaiah’s past are highlighted thanks to his focus on the film’s overall story. Joaquin is then established as the next Falcon, which the film adequately highlights via the constant mentorship and training he undergoes under Sam’s watch. While, again, it is likely more rewarding from an emotional standpoint for audiences to have seen The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and, thus, understand the characters and their history, these elements are not required in any sense.
How Other Marvel Movies Proved That Disney+ Shows Aren’t Required Viewing
In the four years since Marvel Studios released its first Disney+ TV show, the franchise has proved in other ways that they are not required to understand the movies. Perhaps the biggest example of this comes in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which stemmed greatly from WandaVision. WandaVision was essentially the prequel to Doctor Strange 2, outlining Wanda’s grief after Vision’s death and the somewhat unwitting lengths she went to in order to live happily.
This tied directly into her villainous multiversal crusade to find her children in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, yet the 2022 film still made sense to audiences who had not watched WandaVision. The same can be said for The Marvels, with two of the three characters in the тιтular team having been introduced in Disney+ shows. Nonetheless, The Marvels was a coherent film and explained the elements that needed to be explained so that those unfamiliar with WandaVision and Ms. Marvel could understand the story.
Evidently, it is not only Captain America: Brave New World that does a good job of rendering its connected Disney+ show as a supplemental story rather than a necessary one. While I will admit that I believe Marvel could still strike a better balance between the crossover between TV and film, there is no denying that the studio is doing a good enough job to give audiences less “homework.” Captain America: Brave New World typifies this, as I am sure upcoming Marvel movies will continue to do.
