When the Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2008, the films were very grounded and standalone films that didn’t necessarily care about trying to do too much. The stories were focused and told a single, singular story. That’s something that the Captain America Trilogy has done well, and that is partly why Captain America: The Winter Soldier is considered one of the best comic book films of all time. Captain America: Brave New World It looks like it will follow suit.

The first two phases of Marvel Studios worked so well because of the way the studio approached them. It wasn’t necessarily all intended as a prequel to other films. There was no need to focus on building an overarching big villain or a storyline that would carry through other films. Although the film hasn’t come out yet, Captain America: Brave New WorldThe trailer suggests that the film will return to its down-to-earth approach and remind audiences why the Marvel Cinematic Universe is great.

Marvel Studios must return to its roots

While there’s no denying that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still one of the most impressive franchises of all time and has enjoyed continuous success for over a decade, it hasn’t been without its problems. One of the things that made Marvel Studios so great in the beginning was its ability to take risks. It took lesser-known characters, including the Guardians of the Galaxy and even the original Avengers and made them household names. It also found a way to tell these incredibly well-structured superhero movies and still remain grounded. The first two phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were not perfect, with films like The Incredible Hulk And Iron-Man were not well received by critics, but films like Iron-Man And Captain America: The First Avenger showed what was possible in the superhero genre by taking these great stories and making them more grounded for live-action. There were no concerns about establishing a villain like Kang, who seems to be put on the back burner, but rather telling a single story about the titular hero. Of course, there were instances where the heroes needed help and other heroes were called in, but even those characters were pretty crucial to the plot and weren’t just added to enable what was to come.

As the universe evolved and Marvel Studios wanted to bring the Avengers together on screen for the first time, the stories became bigger and more complex. Future films became more about team-ups and setting up future episodes by bringing in the big villain. This worked in the lead-up to Avengers: Infinity War And Avengers: Endgameas the films were the final document to everything that came before them. Unfortunately, in preparing for the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios seemed more concerned with production than quality and seemed to lose itself. The stories were no longer grounded. They no longer focused on the title character and his journey. Fortunately Captain America: Brave New World seems ready to go back to basics and get inspired by people like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and everything that came before it.

Captain America: Brave New World could surprise everyone

When Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson at the end of Avengers: Endgamefans were excited to see what would happen next. Then came The Falcon and the Winter SoldierThe series was one of Marvel Studios’ first series to appear on Disney+ in 2021, alongside the critically acclaimed WandaVision And Loki. While these series were hits for both Marvel and Disney+, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier proved to be a bit of a failure for Marvel, as fans felt the series was trying to accomplish too much in too short a time. The project was hit by several problems during post-production due to COVID-19 and had to endure rewrites and reshoots to try and correct what was rumored to be a pandemic storyline within the original storyline. What should have been a grounded series that prepared Wilson for his new title Captain America was instead a stodgy series that wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. From the return of Zemo to the appointment of Sharon Carter as the Power Broker to a story that took the characters all over the world, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had a lot of story it wanted to tell in just six episodes. Fortunately, instead of benching the show’s heroes, Marvel Studios revealed that Mackie’s Wilson would return to direct a fourth installment Captain America Film that follows his journey to becoming a legendary hero in Steve Rogers’ place.

Fans were skeptical, especially because the film had to endure extensive re-edits and reshoots, but the film’s first trailer suggests that Marvel Studios has worked out its mistakes up front and brought back the grounded approach that the franchise has needed for some time. As the studio looks to fix the problems it’s already facing with the transition from Kang to Doom, it seems like Marvel Studios is trying to give fans a quality story at a time when they need it most.

Captain America: Brave New World will be released in theaters on February 14, 2025.