The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest installment, “Captain America: Brave New World,” opens Friday fresh off the heels of some of the superhero franchise’s worst-ever reviews as well as several controversies, including protests over an Israeli superhero character and anti-“woke” conservative backlash.

Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford star in “Captain America: Brave New World,” which is receiving a … [+]

Key Facts

“Captain America: Brave New World” has just a 53% score on Rotten Tomatoes, one of only three movies in MCU’s catalog—which now spans 35 films—to receive a “rotten” score, a designation given to movies that have a score under 60%.

The newest installment only ranks above “Eternals” (2021) and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (2023), two recent MCU films that failed to impress critics.

The movie’s poor reviews come on the heels of Disney CEO Bob Iger stating on an earnings call last year that Disney, particularly the MCU, would “reduce output and focus more on quality” after several films, including “The Marvels,” failed to make a dent at the box office and received middling reviews.

Marvel previously released about three to four films per year, but only one MCU installment hit theaters in 2024: “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which fared much better with a 78% critics score and more than $1.3 billion in box office gross.

In “Captain America: Brave New World,” actor Anthony Mackie makes his film debut as the titular superhero, taking over the role from Chris Evans, who starred in multiple MCU films.

Chief Critics

Many critics considered the film one of Marvel’s worst outputs. Rotten Tomatoes top critic A. A. Dowd wrote for Digital Trends the film is a new “rock bottom” for the franchise with a “mess” of a plot, stating “no blockbuster that cost this much money should look this shoddy.” Vulture critic Bilge Ebiri slammed Marvel as becoming a “giant slop machine,” accusing the franchise of spinning “out of control into the confused and shallow mess that we have before us.” In a 1.5-star review, Washington Post critic Ty Burr called the film “humorless” and a “pixel-pounding mishmash” that is “more interested in fan service and protecting corporate IP” than in telling a coherent story. The Hollywood Reporter critic Frank Scheck blamed the film’s writers for letting Mackie and his co-stars down with poor material.

Why Is “captain America” Sparking Controversy For An Israeli Superhero?

The film stirred some controversy by including what seemed to be an Israeli superhero when it was announced in September 2022 Israeli actress Shira Haas would play Ruth Bat-Seraph, also known by her alter-ego Sabra, a character who appears in the Marvel comics. The character is a member of the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, in the Marvel comics, but Marvel clarified in 2022 that the character would be reimagined for the film. After the trailer was released last summer, an updated description for the film described Haas’ character as a U.S. government official, not a member of the Mossad, and The Hollywood Reporter reported the film would not use her alter-ego name Sabra, which some critics pointed out is the same name as a refugee camp in Lebanon where Palestinians were massacred in 1982. But the decision to change Bat-Seraph’s backstory angered Israeli critics, and the Israeli news outlet Haaretz published a story claiming she was “stripped” of her “Israeliness.” Pro-Palestinian activists, meanwhile, have protested the character’s inclusion. Organizations supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement called for boycotts of the film, while dozens of protesters gathered at the film’s Hollywood premiere Tuesday.

Why Did “captain America” Spark Anti-”woke” Backlash?

“Captain America” has been caught in the crosshairs of the anti-“woke” and anti-diversity, equity and inclusion culture wars over the past several weeks, particularly since Mackie made controversial comments about his character at a question-and-answer session. “For me, Captain America represents a lot of different things and I don’t think the term ‘America’ should be one of those representations,” Mackie said, stating he believes the character is a “man who keeps his word, who has honor, dignity and integrity.” The comments received immediate blowback from conservatives online, who considered his statement anti-American, and some slammed Mackie as “woke” or a “DEI” Captain America. Mackie clarified his comments on Instagram, stating he is a “proud American and taking on the shield of a hero like [Captain America] is the honor of a lifetime,” adding he has “utmost respect for those who serve and have served our country.” Director Julius Onah defended Mackie in an interview with Vanity Fair, stating “things at times get misinterpreted.” Disney has long been a target by anti-“woke” activists, who have slammed several of its films, including “The Marvels” and “The Little Mermaid,” for centering LGBTQ themes, women and people of color.

Contra

The film’s box office outlook is promising, according to projections from multiple outlets, including Variety and Deadline, both of whom predict the film will gross about $80 million over the weekend and $90 million to $95 million over the extended President’s Day weekend. That would mark the biggest opening weekend of the year by far, and the biggest since “Moana 2” debuted over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Tangent

Some of the most recent notorious superhero flops—“Kraven the Hunter” and “Madame Web,” which earned scores of 16% and 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively—were also box office bombs, but they’re not considered part of Disney’s MCU. These movies were produced and distributed by Sony as part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, based on characters from Marvel’s Spider-Man comics, though Spider-Man himself is not a main character in these films. The Sony Spider-Man Universe, which also includes “Morbius” and the “Venom” series, consistently struggled with critics while most of the series flopped at the box office, and The Wrap reported in December the franchise appears to be on hold.

What To Watch For

Whether Marvel’s focus on “quality” over “quantity” will pay off later in the year. Two more MCU films are planned to release in 2025: “Thunderbolts*,” which hits theaters in May, and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” which opens in July and is intended to reboot the “Fantastic Four” franchise.