There’s a moment in Captain America: Brave New World where Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) carelessly destroys the physical embodiments of American democracy in a blind, self-serving rage. That seems like a very supervillain thing to do — recall General Zod’s desecration of the White House in Superman II — but in this case, Ross is the MCU’s fictional President of the United States. You know, the guy responsible for protecting such institutions. Typically.

As I watched the destruction unfold, I could only think one thing: Damn, this looks awfully familiar.

Marvel included these scenes in the trailers, which means they consider them a selling point. Take that to mean what you will.

Actually, I’ll editorialize for a sec.

I think Marvel wanted to recapture the awed excitement we felt when the Independence Day trailer showed the White House getting vaporized. It was a real 90s moment. The kind that got people in theaters.

Putting similar scenes in the Brave New World trailer may be a lazy nostalgia play, but it’s also really hard not to view it through 2025 eyes. And to wonder who the destruction was supposed to mobilize into theaters. Is it affirmation for those who signed up for it? Or a glimmer of hope for those who voted against it? Or is it both, because capitalism only serves itself? (The answer: Both.)