As much as fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe hoped things would go well, Captain America: Brave New World is doing decently at the box office. Notably, the critics aren't as kind, with the Rotten Tomatoes score at 50%. It feels like a middling entry, which is disappointing given how movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War impressed audiences.

Many deemed it clunky and disjointed to the point the director, Julius Onah, had to dispute reports that re-shoots affected the movie and the overall narrative. Unfortunately, it does feel like it was doomed from the start. Marvel Studios had some simple solutions to avoid this, which were, sadly, ignored. Had they been employed, this could easily have raked in more money and struck postive chords with critics.

. For one, it has too many homages to The Winter Soldier to the point where it comes off as a replica of the previous movie in some of its narrative beats -- namely, the spy thriller nature of the film coupled with the Sentinel of Liberty going rogue. .

When The Falcon and the Winter Soldier came out in 2021, Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson officially donned the Captain America costume. It had momentum as Avengers: Endgame occurred two years prior with the handing off of the shield. In reality, two years is the average time for sequels to hit and truly resonate. Thus, 2023 would have been the perfect time for Captain America 4 to establish its own identity, while feeling like part of the future. It's worth remembering that Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home ended the Infinity Saga in 2019. .

The MCU should have struck when the iron was hot because Captain America 4 was basically a bridge between both periods. However, that balance isn't there, and is in limbo in a sense. . For all of these elements to resonate, the MCU shouldn't be pushing them in 2025.

. Secret Invasion suffered from this, too. Nick Fury was already working with the Skrulls before, so that TV series felt like Marvel Studios was forcing a story for the sake of what happened in the comics. It was a sequel to Captain Marvel that came too late and felt too repetitive. These narratives feel like they've arrived at the party too late.

. In the Phase 4 movies, Black Widow was an unnecessary prequel that came after Natasha died. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever remained confined to Wakanda. Some of them do well commercially, but movies like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Spider-Man: No Way Home do feel like they're better fits.

. It builds to Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, where Earths will collide and be destroyed. Fans will always gravitate to movies and the affiliated shows (WandaVision, for example) that speak to the larger picture. It's all about that overarching tapestry. Captain America 4, unfortunately, doesn't add to this. In Steve's journey, the Infinity Stones factored in, as well as Earth's Mightiest Heroes fraying, which are developments that strengthened Thanos during the Infinity Saga.

Captain America 4, by contrast, feels like an MCU side-quest just to bring Harrison Ford's Red Hulk out and have Sam active with his new Falcon. . It also regurgitates Sam's woes as a Black Captain America. While these are not bad arcs to tackle, by waiting so long to bring them out, they no longer feel connected to the larger universe. Releasing six years after Endgame and four years after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier makes the movie feel like an afterthought Marvel Studios felt obligated to put out. There isn't a strong sense of high stakes or major consequences for Sam Wilson, which makes him feel short-changed.

. Given how volatile the US political landscape has become since then, Marvel Studios would have been wise to release the movie years earlier. As it stands, America is experiencing a major governmental crisis, which could impact critical and fan reception of the film, in addition to story issues.

Fans that may otherwise see a new Captain America movie may not want to see an oppressive Thaddeus Ross barking orders that are tantamount to fascism. . He goes as far as to invade Celestial Island to steal adamantium and break a treaty. The moment fans hear this happens, it can remind them of the crisis currently happening in Gaza. Bad word of mouth can spread, especially online.

That can turn people off as they want escapism, and not to be saturated with real-life politics. Throw in how the US executive branch started threatening trade wars with China (Hollywood's other major market) and other allied countries, like Canada, it could see people potentially boycotting the movie or simply waiting for it to hit streaming. In the latter case, streaming helps save money, especially for families who want to hit movies together, and gives critical thinkers peace of mind.

To guarantee success, Captain America 4 should have closed off the Infinity Saga, or come out immediately after The Falcon and The Winter Soldier concluded. It would have stayed relevant, and the Captain America 4 post-credits scene would have made more sense. It has Samuel Sterns using his genius as the Leader and tells Sam that he is predicting a major event (Secret Wars) coming. That would have whet the appetite better years ago.

Instead, this sequence doesn't feel emphatic at all and feels like it's playing catch-up. Everyone knows what's happening already. If it came before, Sterns would have been a bigger villain and garnered more interest. His moment arrives when people are simply looking towards Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. .

Secondly, the probability of success would have been higher had Chris Evans as Old Man Steve Rogers been in a supporting role. This would have created proper connective tissue to the previous Captain America movies, as well as Endgame. In the comics, Old Man Steve ran the Secret Avengers and was a Watcher-like figure planning for big wars. . Merely hiding Old Man Steve away in the MCU and not intervening feels so uncharacteristic.

The fact Sam doesn't even seek Steve's help when he's in doubt is also odd. It may be Evans was too costly to bring back. But the fact he may return for future movies, and that Downey Jr. is back, suggests the MCU could have found a way to include him. The Russos and the Captain America writers (Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely) are back, too. One has to think: had this movie been done earlier, it would have fit so well into what Marvel Studios wanted with a creative team that brought Sam into play, and which made billions along the way.

Ultimately, everything looks good in hindsight, but even from the trailers, it was easy to see Brave New World was going to feel out of place. Unfortunately, the MCU has to pivot and move forward, which won't hopefully detract from the touted arc of Sam leading the Avengers.

Captain America: Brave New World is now in theaters.