I Can’t Believe Captain America: Brave New World Wasted Its New Black Widow & A Captain America Comic Love Interest At The Same Time

[[{“value”:”

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Captain America: Brave New World.Two powerful new female MCU characters were completely wasted in Captain America: Brave New World. Released on February 14, Captain America: Brave New World marked Anthony Mackie’s theatrical debut as Sam Wilson’s Captain America, and he continued Steve Rogers’ legacy in a thrilling adventure that pitted him against President Ross’ Red Hulk, Samuel Sterns’ Leader and Seth Voelker’s Sidewinder. Sam Wilson didn’t fight these battles alone, however, but I found some of Captain America: Brave New World’s supporting characters to unfortunately be severely underdeveloped.

Captain America: Brave New World marked the return of several past MCU characters, including Danny Ramirez’s Joaquín Torres, who became the new Falcon in the Phase 5 movie. While Brave New World also debuted a number of newcomers, I was disappointed to see two significant new heroes get lost in the mix of a jam-packed movie that called back to many chapters in the MCU’s history. I really wish that Marvel Studios had handled the debuts of Leila Taylor and Ruth Bat-Seraph better in Captain America: Brave New World.

Leila Taylor & Ruth Bat-Seraph Were Seriously Disappointing In Captain America: Brave New World

Xosha Roquemore & Shira Haas Both Made Their MCU Debuts In Captain America: Brave New World

Captain America: Brave New World’s overt political themes meant that some of the staff and officials in President Thaddeus Ross’ government needed to be introduced. Xosha Roquemore’s Leila Taylor debuted as a Secret Service agent protecting Ross while also acting as Sam Wilson’s liaison, while Shira Haas’ Ruth Bat-Seraph was introduced as a former Black Widow assassin and Ross’ security advisor. I really wanted Taylor and Bat-Seraph’s debuts to do wonders for powerful female representation in the MCU, but this did not happen the way I’d envisioned.

Instead, I felt as though Captain America: Brave New World completely sidelined Leila Taylor and Ruth Bat-Seraph, while the movie’s male characters were put in the spotlight. Where I wanted either Taylor or Bat-Seraph to be the Peggy Carter, Natasha Romanoff or Sharon Carter to Sam Wilson’s Steve Rogers, they instead got about as much development as Jenna Coleman or Natalie Dormer’s insignificant characters in The First Avenger. I’m shocked Marvel fumbled these debuts, as both Leila Taylor and Ruth Bat-Seraph could have been much more important to the MCU.

Leila Taylor Could Have Easily Been Much More Important To Sam Wilson’s New MCU Story

Leila Taylor Is Sam Wilson’s Most Well-Known Love Interest In Marvel Comics

First seen in Marvel Comics in 1971’s Captain America #139, Leila Taylor is one of Sam Wilson’s oldest friends, confidants and, eventually, love interests. She was one of the first characters to find out Sam Wilson’s identity as the Falcon, and embarked on several adventures with him, including traveling to Wakanda, being brainwashed by the Night People and helping to take down the Anti-Cap. Captain America: Brave New World suggested Sam Wilson and Leila Taylor had some sort of history, but Marvel didn’t explore her personality enough to delve into detail.

Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson has been in the MCU for over a decade now, having debuted in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but very little is known about his life outside his superhero career. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier revealed he has a sister and nephews, but Brave New World had the opportunity to introduce a complex romantic storyline for the new Captain America. I really wish Marvel had retained Leila Taylor’s Marvel Comics backstory, in which she is a journalist, as this would have made her more free to explore a romance with Sam Wilson.

Ruth Bat-Seraph’s Black Widow Backstory Was Wasted In Brave New World

Ruth Bat-Seraph’s Backstory Was Changed After Marvel Received Criticism

While Leila Taylor was rendered a boring, point-and-shoot character in Captain America: Brave New World, Shira Haas’ Ruth Bat-Seraph at least had a little more substance. Even so, a throwaway mention that Bat-Seraph was a Black Widow assassin doesn’t redeem the character from being utterly devoid of a unique personality or point of view. Her depiction in Captain America: Brave New World was a far-cry from her Marvel Comics backstory, and while some of this is better left forgotten, I’m confused about why some of the most important parts were removed.

Ruth Bat-Seraph debuted in Marvel Comics in 1980’s Incredible Hulk #250 as the powerful mutant Sabra. She is able to transfer her superhuman powers and life force to other individuals in Marvel Comics, which would have been an incredible power to see depicted on-screen. I understand Marvel ignoring the character’s roots as a member of the Mossad, but I can’t figure out why she wasn’t kept a mutant, as this would have laid more foundations for the MCU’s upcoming X-Men stories.

Marvel Studios decided to reveal Ruth Bat-Seraph to be a former Black Widow assassin in Brave New World instead of a mutant. Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova freed the Black Widows from General Dreykov’s mind control in 2021’s Black Widow, and Belova then set out to find and free others across the globe. I would have much preferred this change had Shira Haas been given more action in Captain America: Brave New World, as the Black Widow fighting style can be beautiful to watch, but she, like Leila Taylor, favored her gun over anything else, which was seriously disappointing.

Why Captain America: Brave New World Wasted Both The Marvel Comic Characters

Captain America: Brave New World Is A Jam-Packed MCU Installment

I’m genuinely shocked that Marvel Studios didn’t give any of Captain America: Brave New World’s female characters, most notably Leila Taylor and Ruth Bat-Seraph, anything truly meaningful to do. The fact of the matter is, Brave New World’s many male characters, heroes and villains alike, over-saturated the Phase 5 sequel to the point that there was no room for anyone else. Captain America, Falcon, Red Hulk, Sidewinder, the Leader – hell, even William McCullough’s Dennis Dunphy – all stole the spotlight from Taylor and Bat-Seraph, but I think this was a dire shame.

Captain America: Brave New World may have also shot itself in the foot by stressing its connections to The Incredible Hulk. While it was great to see Thaddeus Ross and Samuel Sterns’ storylines advanced and resolved, referring so much to the MCU’s past meant that the movie struggled to establish anything new. I would love to see Leila Taylor and Ruth Bat-Seraph return after Captain America: Brave New World and be given more substantial roles in the MCU, but I don’t actually have hope that we’ll ever see either of them again.

Upcoming MCU Movies

“}]] Two exciting new heroes have been wasted in the MCU.  Read More