Captain America: Brave New World is about to arrive in theaters, and it will share one thing in common with eight other MCU movies that has some fans worried.
Captain America 4 Joins Marvel's Shortest Movies Club
Fans were recently left disappointed by the runtime of Captain America: Brave New World, as AMC Theaters confirmed the MCU sequel will be shorter than expected at just 1 hour, 58 minutes.
The runtime will see Brave New World tie with Ant-Man and The Wasp for the sixth-shortest film in the MCU, while also placing it into an exclusive club.
Captain America 4 will join eight other MCU movies in an exclusive club of Marvel Studios blockbusters running under two hours.
All eight previous MCU movies with runtimes under two hours are explored below:
The Marvels - 1 hour, 45 minutes
Standing at just 1 hour, 45 minutes, the Captain Marvel sequel took the record for the shortest movie in the MCU. The below-average runtime immediately stirred up fears from fans of how that may affect the movie's quality, which were quickly realized for many when The Marvels opened to bad reviews and much criticism.
The Incredible Hulk - 1 hour, 52 minutes
The MCU has only released one Hulk movie in its 17 years on screens, and it stands as one of the franchise's shortest offerings. The Incredible Hulk's runtime means Edward Norton only got under two hours as Bruce Banner before he was replaced by Mark Ruffalo, which was hilariously referenced in Disney+'s She-Hulk.
Thor: The Dark World - 1 hour, 52 minutes
Thor: The Dark World is regarded as one of the MCU's worst offerings for its dull story, generic villain, and lack of depth; so much so filmmaker Alan Scott wanted to make a director's cut. Many of these criticisms arguably could have been fixed if the Asgardian sequel had more time to breathe and develop its villain.
Thor - 1 hour, 55 minutes
The original Thor movie is among three of the franchise's four flicks to join the MCU's exclusive club of sub-two-hour movies. As a whole, Thor appears to be viewed among the middle-ground of the MCU, successfully introducing the kingdom of Asgard and telling a fun, fish-out-of-water tale.
Doctor Strange - 1 hour, 55 minutes
Doctor Strange had plenty of heavy lifting to do in its short runtime, introducing both Benedict Cumberbatch surgeon-turned-sorcerer and bringing of whole new world of magical wonders to the MCU. The origin flick was viewed fairly positively but did face criticism for its lackluster villain Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen).
Ant-Man - 1 hour, 57 minutes
Paul Rudd's MCU debut as Ant-Man was, in a way, a comedy, meaning it had a shorter runtime akin to other movies in the genre. Despite being under two hours, Ant-Man is generally looked upon quite positively, successfully introducing the shrinking family and the lore around them in a short period.
Ant-Man and the Wasp - 1 hour, 58 minutes
Much like its predecessor, Ant-Man and the Wasp is one of the MCU's shorter outings, landing just shy of the two-hour mark. In some ways, the lighter, briefer comedy offered a nice break for MCU enthusiasts after releasing between two massive, game-changing epics - Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Thor: Love and Thunder - 1 hour, 59 minutes
Thor: Love and Thunder was panned for numerous reasons, not least of which was its short runtime which arguably prompted its pacing issues. Beyond that, the Chris Hemsworth sequel received seven major criticisms after its release, including backlash toward its humor, CGI, and more.
Should Fans Be Worried About Captain America 4's Runtime?
In the modern days of blockbusters, many moviegoers have become overly focused on runtime, seemingly suggesting that a shorter movie will automatically translate to a worse movie, with a longer one resulting in a better product.
A movie's runtime should always depend on the story being told and how much room it needs to breathe. But as some of the MCU's worst-rated movies such as Thor: The Dark World, The Incredible Hulk, Thor: Love and Thunder, The Marvels, and Ant-Man and the Wasp fall under two hours, there is cause for concern.
Captain America 4 has a lot of heavy lifting to do with three villains set to appear in the Leader, Red Hulk, and Sidewinder. Beyond that, Brave New World is expected to introduce Joaquin Torres' new Falcon, Sam Wilson's latest love Leila Taylor, and bring adamantium to the MCU with connections to Eternals' Tiamut.
With so many new characters in play and plenty of plot threads dangling, it's tough to see how Captain America 4 can stick the landing in just two hours without suffering from major pacing issues.
One of the bigger criticisms faced by movies in the MCU's exclusive sub-two-hour club has been undeveloped villains. That said, Captain America 4 may have a leg-up in this category as antagonistic duties will fall to "Thunderbolt" Ross, an existing MCU character who requires no introduction, albeit with a new actor in the role.
Fans have already voiced concerns about Brave New World following reports of disastrous test screenings, months of significant reshoots, and the introduction of a new Israeli superhero, Sabra, engulfed in controversy.
Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on February 14, 2025.
