Captain America: Brave New World

Story

Newly elected President of the United States Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) sends the new Captain America/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Falcon/Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) on a mission to recover a stolen package.

Torres is still new to the role, so Wilson takes him to train with Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), a forgotten Captain America who has been wrongly imprisoned until recently. While training, they receive an invitation to a White House summit. The summit is for the ratification of a treaty for shared control of an island in the Indian Ocean. The island contains the newly discovered element Adamantium. While President Ross is delivering a speech on the treaty, Isaiah tries to shoot him. Wilson discovers that Isaiah was being mind-controlled and sets off on a mission to uncover the mastermind of the attack.

This mission takes him to Camp Echo One, a US military base where he meets Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), a superhuman genius. Sterns tells Wilson that he was imprisoned and used by President Ross to win the election and develop the heart medicine that’s keeping Ross alive. Sterns then sends mind-controlled guards to attack Wilson and escapes. Wilson fights off the guards and discovers that, as revenge, Sterns plans to ruin Ross’s image and destroy international relations.

Sterns almost succeeds in starting a war between the US and Japan, but Wilson intervenes just in time. In a press conference following the incident, President Ross is angered by journalists’ questions. It turns out that the pills developed by Sterns contained gamma radiation and, combined with Ross’s anger, they transform Ross into the Red Hulk.

Wilson steps up to fight the Red Hulk, with destruction and death on the line if he doesn’t win.

Themes

War; terrorism; murder; crime; death of a parent; family breakdown

Violence

Captain America: Brave New World has a lot of violence:

Wilson (Captain America) fights some mercenaries who are shooting at him with guns. He fights them using shockwave blasts, punches, kicks and his shield.
A mercenary is slashed in the face with a knife.
Wilson breaks down a door with explosives before engaging in a close fistfight with mercenaries. He smashes a cinder block into one mercenary’s head.
Wilson fights a mercenary one on one. Wilson is stabbed with a knife and a hatchet before he breaks the mercenary’s arm.
Several world leaders are shot at in an assassination attempt. Isaiah throws many people through the air.
A mercenary shoots at Wilson’s truck. Wilson blows up the truck with explosives. There’s a fight, and the mercenary shoots at Wilson. Wilson hits the mercenary with a throwing knife before jumping and kicking him in the chest.
A prison guard shoots and kills the presidential assassins before killing himself.
Sterns shoots an army general and his wife off screen.
Wilson fights mind-controlled guards at Camp Echo One, who taser and choke him. Wilson throws his shield, knocking over several guards.
Mind-controlled US Air Force pilots shoot at Japanese ships and planes that are approaching the island in the Indian Ocean. Wilson and Torres step in to save the pilots and prevent further conflict, dodging bullets and detonating missiles before they can hit the ships.
Torres gets caught in a missile blast while detonating it and loses control over his wings. He crashes into the ocean.
Sterns uses soundwaves to stop a soldier’s heart.
Ross slams his fist on a stone table and cracks it.
Ross and Wilson get into a heated argument over the treatment of Sterns, with loud and aggressive shouting.
Ross gives in to his anger at a press conference and transforms into the Red Hulk, growing significantly in size and muscle. Security personnel shoot at him. In his rage, he significantly damages the White House and other buildings.
Wilson steps in to fight the Red Hulk. Hulk throws Wilson through a building as they battle. The Red Hulk also throws an American flagpole at a helicopter, sending it crashing down. Later, the Red Hulk rips off Wilson’s wings and tries to crush his head through his helmet. Wilson stabs the Red Hulk with his wing, which sets off a giant explosion that buries both Wilson and the Red Hulk in rubble.

Sexual references

Captain America: Brave New World has some sexual references. For example, Ruth talks about Bucky as a prospective romantic partner, saying, ‘I can work with that’.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Captain America: Brave New World shows some use of substances. For example:

President Thaddeus Ross repeatedly takes pills, which turn out to be a heart medicine engineered by Sterns to turn Ross into the Red Hulk.
Wilson orders beer in a bar.
Wilson, Torres and Isaiah hold glasses and champagne in a limousine on the way to the White House.

Nudity and sexual activity

Captain America: Brave New World has some nudity and sexual activity. For example, when Ross transforms into the Red Hulk, his clothes no longer fit. They rip off his body and leave him wearing only knee-length pants.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in Captain America: Brave New World:

Torres wears an Adidas tank top while training with Isaiah.
Wilson drives a GMC Truck.
Isaiah has a poster of NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the wall of his boxing gym.
iPhones are used frequently throughout the movie and are also used as a method of mind-control for Samuel Sterns. Additionally, Torres takes a photo with Isaiah and uses the AirDrop feature to share it with him.

Coarse language

Captain America: Brave New World has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Captain America: Brave New World is the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the fourth Captain America movie within it. The movie focuses heavily on government wrongdoing, with a plot involving lies, secrecy, imprisonment and human experimentation.

Because of its violence and coarse language, Captain America: Brave New World is best suited to older teenagers and adults. We recommend parental guidance for children aged 15-16 years.

The main messages from Captain America: Brave New World are to embrace your unique qualities and have confidence in yourself, regardless of the responsibilities you’re asked to take on. The movie also champions standing up for what is right in the face of injustice.

Values in Captain America: Brave New World that you could reinforce with your children include teamwork, courage, friendship, compassion, trust and integrity.

Captain America: Brave New World could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues like the use of threats, violence and lies for personal gain.