Brave New World’ Change Its Name?

The Big Picture

• The original title “New World Order” for the new Captain America film had to be changed due to its association with a real-world antisemitic conspiracy theory.
• Captain America stands for justice, patriotism, and fighting for the common good, so associating him with a controversial conspiracy theory would be a disservice to his character.
• In our current climate, it’s important to be aware of the potential influence and harm that certain phrases and signals can hold, and not allow them to be normalized through their use in popular culture.

We haven’t gotten a new Captain America film since Captain America: Civil War in 2016 and while The Falcon and the Winter Soldier gave us a first look at Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in the star-spangled suit, he still hasn’t made his big-screen debut as the titular hero. But that’s finally changing. The fourth Captain America film is finally underway after a variety of different setbacks. Its latest release date is slated for February 14, 2025. The film, originally titled Captain America: New World Order abruptly changed its name to Captain America: Brave New World after a lot of backlash to the original title. But what was so wrong with it? Well, “New World Order” being a real-world antisemitic conspiracy theory seems like it would certainly be enough to justify a change.

What’s Wrong With the Name “New World Order”?

If you’ve ever heard someone talking about a “global cabal”, the “deep state”, or some sort of secret ruling sector of society dead set on manipulating the world to its will, that’s a reference to the New World Order conspiracy. The idea that there’s a secret global government pulling the strings and brainwashing people has deep ties to antisemitic beliefs that Jewish people are somehow secretly puppeteering the entire planet to line their pockets.

The phrase isn’t always used with the intent to espouse antisemitism, but it’s so often used in that way that it’s become nearly impossible to divorce it from its most nefarious meaning. With the historical ties to hate movements, this phrase cannot be disconnected from its dangerous roots. And it certainly can’t be casually used for a fun, family-friendly Captain America flick.

What Does Captain America Stand For?

Justice, patriotism, and looking out for the little guy are usually the go-to’s, but it’s more than just that. Captain America is a unifying symbol meant to embody the best of what America can be, even when the country isn’t living up to those expectations (see: Captain America: The Winter Soldier). Whether it was Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) fighting bullies in alleys, a super soldier taking on Hydra in World War II (and again in the present), or Sam Wilson taking on the mantle to fight new problems in a broken world, Captain America has always fought to make the world a safer and more humane place. It’s a heavy responsibility but both Steve and Sam accept it fully.

To associate that “New World Order” with any version of Captain America is as much a disservice to his character as making him join Hydra was in the comics. The idea of conspiracy and even global conspiracy are nothing new to the character but when that fictional conspiracy is even nominally tied to a real-world one with historical weight or prejudice, we can’t just let that slide. For a film studio that so often sanitizes the more overtly political elements of its stories, allowing such a blazing red flag to go by would be absolutely ridiculous. And when all the other titles have been so straightforward this feels like an unnecessary and extreme departure. Not to mention it’s such a vague subtitle that the only possible thing we could think to associate it with is the terrible real-world origins it has.

We Can’t Escape Reality

Unfortunately, we live in a time when even innocuous things can become dog whistles for conspiracy theories. In an age where a poorly drawn green frog can become a symbol of fascism, it’d be completely irresponsible to allow such a blatant and long-lasting allusion to a harmful conspiracy to be in the title of a superhero blockbuster that supposedly espouses American values. With antisemitism on the rise again in general and with conspiracies like Q-Anon gaining traction in the last few years, we cannot ignore the power certain phrases and signals can hold. It would be irresponsible at best and actively hateful at worst to let these phrases be made innocuous through their use in pop culture.

Marvel likes to maintain an overall very light-hearted, escapist form of media. They provide bombastic and fun action movies that help us get a short reprieve from the day-to-day. The MCU loves sympathetic villains but we have to draw the line somewhere. Their cinematic universe is an ever-evolving tapestry of connected stories meant to take us to another world. The last thing we need in these films is unchecked conspiratorial dog-whistles tainting what should otherwise be harmless entertainment. A “New World Order” has no place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Where Does the “Brave New World” Title Come From?

The new title, Brave New World, is a reference to the Aldous Huxley novel of the same name. It’s a book commonly taught in high schools to introduce the concept of dystopias. The book takes place in a dystopian future society called the World State where from birth people are forced to suppress both their emotions and their individuality. The society reveres science and utilizes eugenics to create a “perfect society” but it’s ultimately a flawed system, as any dystopia is. This new title is not only still very similar to the original but, as a literary reference, will carry more thematic weight. And it carries a double meaning with both its literal allusion to a dystopia and the fact that this is a new Cap in what is essentially a new world.

The title “Brave New World” evokes the same dystopian image that the original title was trying to evoke–without the same ties to a real-world ongoing hate campaign. Captain America as a film franchise is constantly questioning the systems it engages in whether that be S.H.I.E.L.D. in Winter Soldier or the Avengers as an organization and Tony’s decisions in Civil War. And with the world of the MCU getting more dystopian over the years, especially in the aftermath of the Blip, it makes sense to continue this theme of interrogating systems that hold power on a larger scale. The problem was not necessarily what the title was pointing to but how it was pointing to it. The title change not only loses any problematic meaning but also points a little more positively to the new status quo of the Captain America franchise.

Marvel’s Captain America movies are available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.

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