Audiences are presumably walking out of Captain America: Brave New World reeling, but not for the reasons one may think. The latest entry in Marvel's patriot-hero saga attempted to set itself apart but failed to hit the mark. Anthony Mackie excels in his performance as the star-spangled hero and brings something new to the character—it's simply not enough, though.
One might ask what the producers, the director, or the studio could've done differently, and the answer pertains to reshoots. The movie suffered so many changes from beginning to end that it's no surprise the final product turned out the way it did. Even the film's subheading went from Serpent Society to Brave New World, which brings us to our next point.
The Serpent Society—that group briefly encountered in the theatrical cut—originally had a huge role in the film. Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) would've had partners, including Diamondback, King Cobra, Constrictor, and Rattlesnake, to help him rain hell on Sam Wilson. Marvel cast Seth Rollins as cast as King Cobra and Rosa Salazar as the pink-haired Diamondback. Their purpose would've presumably been to aid Sidewinder in his endeavors, although an entire subplot devoted to their group points to something grander.
Regardless, the Serpent Society's removal stands as proof that the movie underwent a lot of re-edits. There's been confusion surrounding how much was done and the number of times cast members returned to film more for the film, but now there's some clarity.
According to an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Tim Blake Nelson shot his scenes for Brave New World twice. He mentions shooting it once at the beginning of the year, then returning for a second round during the Summer. Nelson's statements back up other outlets' reporting on the reshoots.
Further proof of extensive changes exists, as well. Marketing for Brave New World released merchandise as early as March of 2024. McDonalds' line of tie-in toys featured characters from the film. They included known characters such as Captain America, Red Hulk, Falcon, and one surprising addition: Diamondback. The pink-haired soldier for the Serpent Society wasn't in the movie but was initially important enough to be featured in merchandise.
What that confirms is there's probably another cut of Brave New World in Marvel's archives, or perhaps it's an entirely different movie. Maybe Nelson's words of "shooting the movie twice" are a hyperbole regarding how much content they got. The directors may have gone in with the Brave New World premise, wound up with a movie about Serpent Society, and then had to backtrack as best as possible. It's the likeliest scenario.
The silver lining is Marvel Studios might be sitting on an unfinished Serpent Society movie. Seth Rollins hoped that the scenes he shot would be "repurposed," and that's the best scenario with the cards presented. Marvel could take advantage of the opportunity instead of worrying about the backlash from releasing it. The feedback from Brave New World can't get any worse, so why not? Who knows how long the studio was sitting on Werewolf At Night, then look at how successful that Marvel Special Presentation turned out to be? Dropping a second Captain America movie without warning might not seem like the best play, but marketing for Brave New World is still ongoing. As such, Marvel can bank off the current promotions to get Serpent Society seen; possibly rebounding from another Eternals debacle.
Captain America: Brave New World is currently in theaters everywhere.