Hideo Kojima, the legendary game developer behind Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding, recently watch Captain America: Brave New World and walked away from it feeling a little lost. Not in the immersive world of the MCU, but in its tangled storytelling.
After seeing the film in IMAX, Kojima took to X to share his confusion, highlighting a growing issue for Marvel Studios: Are these movies still accessible to casual audiences, or have they become too reliant on Disney+ series to fill in the gaps?
Kojima shared on social media: “I watched Captain America: Brave New World in IMAX. I vaguely remember Sam receiving the shield in Endgame, but when did he officially become Cap?
“Is it because I haven’t seen The Falcon and the Winter Soldier? And what’s this about the Avengers being reorganized? I’m also getting it mixed up with the Thunderbolts trailer.”
His questions cut right right into the long-standing debate… Can Marvel movies still stand on their own, or do they demand homework? While Avengers: Endgame set up Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) as the new Captain America, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier handled the heavy lifting by exploring his struggle with the mantle, his dynamic with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and the introduction of characters like Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) and Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly).
If you skipped the series, some of Brave New World’s beats will definitely feel disjointed. I know a lot of people that don’t watch the Disney+ Marvel shows, but they watch the Marvel movies. So, I got phone calls from some of those people asking me what they missed because Brave New World was confusing for them.
Now, this isn’t the first time Marvel has leaned on its streaming content to set up a film. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness spun off of WandaVision, and The Marvels picked up right where Ms. Marvel left off.
But Kojima’s reaction is telling… if someone known for crafting intricate, layered narratives finds Brave New World hard to follow, what does that say for general audiences?
Adding to the concern is the film’s box office performance. After a steep 68% drop in its second weekend, pulling in just $28.3 million domestically, it’s clear that Brave New World is struggling and it needs to reach a minimum of $450-500 million globally to break even when accounting for marketing costs and theater revenue splits.
There’s an irony in Kojima, a creator famous for weaving dense, lore-heavy stories, struggling with Marvel’s expanding continuity. But his confusion reflects an issue, the more Marvel asks audiences to keep up, the easier it becomes for casual viewers to fall behind.
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