Pop Mythology Pop Mythology: Movie, Book, Comic reviews & commentary
There have been many issues with the Post-Endgame MCU output. Constant re-writes and reshoots, rushed or faulty visual effects, repetitive and formulaic scripts, lackluster television shows, projects that seem created solely to introduce a character for later or to have something in theaters, and, perhaps most detrimental, a lack of coherent vision in where the franchise is meant to go. Sure, there was always the vague notion of the “multi-verse saga” (decided on back when multi-verses were still novel and before Jonathan Majors’s ouster from the role of Kang) culminating in the inevitable Secret Wars storyline, plus the promise of the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and Doctor Doom debuting in the franchise, but where Marvel once excelled at making each sequential piece feel like a panel in a comic book page, recent offerings have felt like required viewing. Combined with a lower quality of filmmaking and the general excitement for the MCU is perhaps lower now than it has been since before the debut of Iron Man. Yet despite all this valid criticism the one that is most often cited as “the death of the MCU” comes down to one word: Woke.
Anyone with any sense of cultural awareness knows that this term – up until its recent replacement by the dreaded “DEI” – became a catch-all to demonize anything that racist conservatives don’t like. Suddenly everything that featured non-white, non-straight, or non-male characters was “woke.” Marvel, which introduced a Civil Rights analogy back in 1963 and had Captain America literally punching Adolph Hitler months before America entered World War II, had “gone woke.” It wasn’t just Marvel: Star Wars, a series where a band of rebels fight against a fascist regime, had “gone woke;” Lord of the Rings, a series which features fictional races, had “gone woke;” The Last of Us, which had all of one game released before revealing that the lead character is gay, had “gone woke.”
So, of course when Captain America: Brave New World released, with its own myriad of story and character issues brought on by numerous rewrites and long reshoots, the worst people in the world couldn’t wait to decry it using their favorite form of misinterpretation. The reason for this is so obvious that it would be insulting to point it out.
Yet, there is one way in which the “woke” criticism is valid: Brave New World doesn’t say anything.
Image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Unlike other recent entries in the franchise, the film is not disposable in that it does further the MCU in ways both good and bad. For several years 2008’s Incredible Hulk existed in a nebulous space within the MCU canon. Despite its post-credits Tony Stark cameo the film was never given proper placement in the on-going universe. Similarly, Brave New World finally addresses the literal biggest hanging plot thread in the entire MCU, that of a Celestial sticking out of Earth. Even more, this development is used to introduce something that anyone familiar with the comics will recognize as essential if there is to be any hope for the franchise moving forward. The unfortunate part of these connections is that rather than associate itself with two of the franchise’s best in Winter Soldier and Civil War, this new Captain America entry feels more connected with what most people view as the franchise’s worst in Incredible Hulk and The Eternals (which I still contest is very good when left as a standalone… an argument invalidated by Brave New World). The irony is that the film wants so badly to invoke The Winter Soldier that it repeats several of the same notes, including a government conspiracy, Cap taking on sidekick and a Widow, and a car shootout. Thus, in terms of universe-building, Brave New World is in fact a required panel within the page, yet the film feels disposable in that the actual events don’t carry any thematic weight.
For many people it is impossible to hear the term “Brave New World” and not think of the novel by Aldous Huxley, a book so influential that it helped define the entire dystopian fiction genre. Originally published in 1932, the book envisions a world where genetic engineering and psychological manipulation, including the consumption of mood-altering drugs, create a society in which citizens are shunted into pre-determined castes. Thus naming a film Brave New World gives the impression that the production must in some way reflect the sensibilities of its namesake. Instead, Captain America: Brave New World seems content to just be another middle-of-the-road superhero flick with a few neat fight scenes, some great effects alongside some shoddy ones, a high-minded and well-intentioned protagonist, and absolutely nothing to contribute to the cultural or social discussion. If one of the major criticisms of Falcon and the Winter Soldier was its toothless response to issues it raised about America’s original (and ongoing) sin of racism than I shudder to think what those same critics think of Brave New World’s refusal to respond to anything about anything. In the effort to appeal to as many people as possible, to be neutral and inoffensive, to never be too “woke,” the film becomes meaningless. There is absolutely nothing “brave” about it.
Yet, there is a way in which the “woke” crowd is incorrect: Brave New World shouldn’t have to say anything.
Image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Like Falcon and the Winter Soldier before it, it is not the responsibility of Brave New World, nor of Marvel or Disney, to make some profound statement on world events. As much as we may want our superheroes, especially Captain America, a character with a history of punching fascists, to use the current moment to make a stand against… oh… say… the re-emergence of fascism, it is actually unfair of us as filmgoers to expect any level of political courage from one of the world’s most recognizable brands. In fact, despite the efforts of analysts like myself, several of Marvel’s best and most successful films lack any cultural statement. Black Panther was powerful in proving that an all-Black production can be successful, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 went hard on animal rights, Captain Marvel was more profound just for existing than anything in the film, but what social or political messaging was there in any of the Avengers movies other than the women-can-do-it-too sequence in Endgame which even women found ham-fisted? In fact, what statement did any of the previous Captain America films make other than the then-non-controversial idea that Nazis are bad? A film with a Black protagonist shouldn’t be required to make a political statement any more than a film with a Black protagonist should be condemned as “woke.” The film just needs to be exciting.
The problem with Brave New World is that it isn’t exciting. It’s competent, which is more than can be said about people running our real world, but it’s also kind of boring. Where the plot of most MCU films fall apart under analysis, Brave New World barely holds together while watching. Abundance of rewrites have left the script overstuffed, under-developed, and without any of the banter people associated with Marvel films, as though the franchise responded to criticisms of its humor by deciding to remove it all together. Sam’s exchanges with Isaiah Bradley and Joaquin Torres are enjoyable but shallow. While it’s nice seeing Sam’s skills develop, and the film establishes his place as a normal human among superheroes and gods, he doesn’t do anything unique to him. In previous films he proved himself a worthy successor for Steven Rogers. Here he’s just a really good guy with a shield and gadgets. The film even wastes the presence of Giancarlo Esposito, whose effortless gravitas is brought to all of three scenes. Worse yet, the film’s many flaws do disservice to Anthony Mackie, a tremendously talented actor committed to the part. Sam (and Mackie’s) on-screen debut as Cap should have been a statement. Instead, it’s an excuse for the worst people in the world to again say Marvel has “gone woke.”
Image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
The thing is, that criticism is going to exist one way or another. Just having Sam Wilson as the lead character automatically means there is a portion of the audience – the worst portion – that will condemn the film before it’s released. They called it “anti-white” and “forced diversity” and all those other false justifications racists use even when the film goes out of its way to be as inoffensive as possible. Why not embrace that opportunity? If the anti-woke crowd is gonna call your movie “woke” then make it friggin’ woke. Don’t make your film as bland as possible to appeal to people who are never going to see it anyway. Marvel, with its history of being “woke,” shouldn’t be afraid to use its allegorical characters to make allegories. When a character’s most known story is fighting racists then fight some f***ing racists! At least then the film may be worth watching beyond tidbits of lore.
After all, over the last eighty years there’s never been a more appropriate time to be “woke” than right now. When the new world is leaders of Captain America’s country embracing nationalism and giving each other Nazi salutes, being “woke” isn’t just brave. It’s required.
