“Captain America: Brave New World”

The Marvel Cinematic Universe at large got to take a break in 2024. Sure, “Deadpool & Wolverine” was one of the biggest hits of the year, but that was more about Disney showing off its newly-acquired 20th Century Fox toys than advancing the lore of its bread-and-butter franchise. But “Captain America: Brave New World” brings back the classics, invoking two characters that brought fans into the MCU in the first place: Captain America and The Incredible Hulk. Sure, it’s the Sam “Falcon” Wilson (Anthony Mackie) version of Captain America, and the Hulk connection doesn’t actually involve Bruce Banner, but a good movie can make audiences care about the evolution of these characters even without the more familiar faces. Unfortunately, this particular movie seems to be reminding people less of the glory days of the MCU and more of why it needed to take a break.