MCU film, the solid but unexceptional "Deadpool & Wolverine," poked fun at this very scenario, with Ryan Reynolds' Merc with a Mouth joking that Marvel is "at a bit of a low point." Holding off all reactions to "Captain America: Brave New World" until just two days before the film's theatrical release did not look like a show of confidence from Marvel Studios.

Brave New World was never going to escape “being political” in some aspect. You can’t make a story about Captain America without reckoning with what it means for a single man to represent a nation. At the same time,

Anthony Mackie stars in a not surprising Marvel film with CGI issues and an underwhelming villain, but Harrison Ford shines as the U.S. President.