Avengers: End Game already made it clear that Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) was due to take over. It even took the entirety of 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to provide further build-up. That’s where we met Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), the Air Force lieutenant who’d soon inherit his former Falcon mantle, and the elderly Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), the Korean War veteran endowed with Super Soldier juju. It was also during the mini-series’ run when it was cast in stone. Captain America was set to face a Brave New World with a Brave New Lead. What a time, as it turns out.

Phase Five hasn’t had the smoothest course, thus far. For every Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 and Deadpool and Wolverine, there was Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels. Sure, some of them were worthy popcorn fare, but none of them resonated the same way as past installments. And, suffice to say, Mackie still has big, patriotic boots to fill, six years since Chris Evans’ swan song as Steve Rogers. It’s a tall order, though he does valiantly try.

Directed by Nigerian-American filmmaker Julius Onah, this latest caper marks Mackie/Wilson’s solo debut as the star-spangled hero. Though now wielding the Vibranium shield, he still has the jitters. Cue the self-doubt monologues and cameo by Bucky (Sebastian Stan). Either way, his predecessor insists he’s worthy because, for one, he never even needed the super soldier serum. Save for his iconic wing-pack, his heroics are in-born and his brawn, unenhanced. The film doesn’t hesitate to put him and Torres in action as they find themselves sent to Mexico to thwart an illegal trade. This is where he meet the secondary antagonists, Sidewinder (ever-chilling Giancarlo Esposito), and his brutish accomplice, Copperhead (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson). Note that the name “Serpent Society” is downplayed – probably because only two of those snake-themed evil-doers made it to the story. 

With half of the twosome apprehended, the mission is deemed accomplished. Sort of. It’s only the opening sequence, after all, and the do-gooders still have to report to their head, newly-elected president Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. Together with their buddy Bradley, they dapper up to visit the White House, where Ross is due to talk about a breakthrough discovery, an indestructible metal called Adamantium (again, see you soon, X-Men).

But the summit is suddenly interrupted by several hypnotized men (including Bradley) who try to assassinate Ross in overblown, pseudo-Manchurian Candidate fashion. The repercussions lead to Bradley’s incarceration, then snowballs into conflict with Japan. That, in turn, builds up to a climactic air scuffle in Celestial Island, the site of the adamantium’s discovery.

It’s bold to highlight such a plot point in this current political climate, to have a character with past indiscretions as Head of State and get shot at during a speech. And, there’s another elephant in the room. His head of security is the Israeli former Black Widow, Ruth Bat-Seraph (Tel Aviv-born actress Shira Haas). As avid comic book readers would know, Seraph would eventually be Sabra, the first Israeli Marvel heroine, who also had her share of controversy when she was introduced. Those risky tidbits aside, Ross’s character is given grit by Harrison Ford, now taking over the role since William Hurt passed away in 2022. That edge comes in handy when he later reveals his monstrous alter-ego, the rogue (and rouge) version of The Hulk. It’s not exactly a spoiler, if it’s in the trailer.

And, come to think of it, this does play like a belated sequel to 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, even with that particular character’s absence. Ross still pines for his estranged daughter, Betty (Liv Tyler), Bruce Banner’s one-time love interest. And Tim Blake Nelson returns after 17 years as the deranged cellular biologist Samuel Sterns. More sinister than ever, he now more closely resembles his green, cranium-baring comic book iteration, The Leader. 

More US landmarks take the fall as the President wreaks havoc in his red behemoth form (and again, save the over-analysis for later) and more loud confrontations ensue in true MCU fashion. Mackie does manage to soar through all the ruckus, but the strain of trying to lift everything up shows.

Obviously, this is all setting us up for a revamped Avengers line-up. More spin-offs abound this year, with Thunderbolts set to close Phase Five in May and the Fantastic Four set to kick off Phase Six with their much-awaited multiverse debut in July (good luck with that one). Only time will tell if Mackie/Wilson can eventually develop the gravitas to lead the future new roster. Because, right now, it’s still tough separating Former Falcon from New Cap. It doesn’t bode well, when both alter-ego and actor are going through an identity crisis, more so when he’s poised to take on a pivotal role.

Much as this entry does eventually come to form, it hardly resonates. As far as the Phase Five goes, it continues to fly low.