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If you've already watched Captain America: Brave New World, you'll know it does things differently.
Gone is the traditional Marvel Studios logo opening and, despite the inclusions of Tim Blake Nelson's Samuel Sterns and Harrison Ford's 'Thunderbolt' Ross making it feel a little like The Incredible Hulk 1.5 in places, it largely does away with the sort of low-hanging fruit fan service that made Deadpool and Wolverine such a roaring success.
Yet, the one time it does indulge itself in that department, it sets about putting down an unexpected blueprint for the next pair of Avengers movies, Doomsday and Secret Wars: Simply put, the end of the Multiverse Saga needs to go smaller, not bigger.
Spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World follow.
As Brave New World hurtles towards its inevitable showdown between Red Hulk (Harrison Ford) and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), the new Cap takes stock and looks on as surgeons fight to save the life of Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres) after the incident over the Indian Ocean.
As one brother-in-arms lays prone on the operating table, another of Sam's comrades joins him. Enter Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), who delivers a much-needed pep talk to a Captain America that almost inadvertently tiptoed the United States into wartime and is feeling especially powerless after spending half the movie being told he's not Steve Rogers and continuing to refuse the Super Soldier Serum.
In the age of leaks and spoilers, it feels like Marvel can't surprise us anymore. This felt like a surprise – a welcome one. Much like an old family reunion, Bucky stepped into frame like a warm hug and the movie suddenly lights up. Whatever your thoughts on Brave New World, that was lightning in a bottle and even came equipped with a line in the chamber that will fire across the internet in the same way Vision's persevering line about grief captured our hearts in WandaVision.
"Steve gave people something to believe in, but you give them something to aspire to," Bucky tells Sam. It may have been with an assist from the congressman-in-waiting's speechwriters, but it's potent all the same. These heroes may be able to save the world with their powers and suits, but sometimes words still hit the hardest.
Bucking up their ideas
It's that sense of camaraderie and brotherhood that Marvel needs to explore more in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Yes, most of the world's eyes will be on Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom as he faces off against Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but the focus should really be elsewhere.
It got me thinking: what other relationships need to be wrapped up or rediscovered before Secret Wars likely reboots the MCU? Forget big multiversal battles and bombastic CGI scenes involving faces from Marvel past. Instead, there needs to be closure of a different kind.
Chief among them is a reunion we've waited literal years for. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) still doesn't know Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is alive and kicking, first as part of the TVA and then as the very being holding all of time in check. If Marvel wants the next Avengers movies to hit the sort of emotional heights that Endgame accomplished with ease, the brothers' reunion needs to be its beating heart. In much the same way Sam needed Bucky in that moment, there's plenty to be mined from the brothers who were constantly at each other's throats showcasing their growth as they aim to take down Doom and whatever else is waiting for them.
Elsewhere, there are intimate relationships aplenty that need mending or patching up again. Doomsday and Secret Wars may never be able to top Thanos' assault on Earth and the magic of the portals scene, so it needs to tap into a very different type of emotional response from its audience. Alongside Thor and Loki, it's about time to bring Wanda and her family back together too. Vision, Tommy, and Billy's journeys can start on Disney Plus, but they deserve a big-screen outing. Even Deadpool and Wolverine's broken Logan deserves a mite more finality if he gets to fight alongside some X-Men for one last time.
So, Marvel, please: don't go all out for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. You don't need to. Bucky and Sam's small scene in Captain America: Brave New World proved that while we love our explosions and screen-filling battles, we love the quiet moments and the character dynamics just as much.
For our verdict on the new Captain America film, be sure to read our Captain America: Brave New World review. Then join us as we break down its final act with our guide to the Captain America: Brave New World ending.
