I had a chance to watch Captain America: Brave New World today. It was… okay. I was curious at first, but I just shrugged it off halfway through.

Why?

Because the movie sucked big time.

Don’t get me wrong—I appreciate the diversity in casting, and I love a good superhero flick. But the storyline? It felt like another case of “rinse and repeat.”

And here’s the thing—when you’ve spent half your life as a coder, UX thinker, and product manager, your brain gets wired differently.

🔹 You spot patterns.
🔹 You identify the root cause.
🔹 You form a hypothesis.
🔹 You test and validate.
🔹 If the problem repeats? You apply a refined framework to solve it more efficiently.

That’s how great products evolve. That’s how real innovation happens.

But when I look at Captain America: Brave New World (and honestly, most recent Marvel movies), I see the same problem resurfacing—without a fresh, evolved solution.

Take Hulk, for example.

Over the years, we’ve seen multiple iterations of the character:

• The Incredible Hulk (2008) – Edward Norton
• The Avengers (2012) – Enter Mark Ruffalo
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
• Thor: Ragnarok (2017) – Hulk goes full gladiator mode
• Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame – Smart Hulk, new blend
• What If…? (2021) – Animated multiverse version
• Shang-Chi (2021), She-Hulk (2022) – More of the same

Each iteration slightly tweaks the formula—but at its core, it’s still the same rinse-and-repeat storytelling.

And now, in Brave New World, they introduce the Red Hulk.

Guess what? It‘s the same crazy Hulk action.

🔹 Red Hulk smashes things.
🔹 Helicopters still get destroyed in the same way.
🔹 The military still reacts like they’ve never seen a Hulk before.

At this point, it feels like someone just copied and pasted the previous Hulk action sequences—zero evolution in problem-solving, just a new skin.

As a product leader, this is where my mind goes:

💡 If a problem keeps reoccurring, do you keep tweaking the surface or rethink the entire system?

💡 If your audience starts losing interest, do you add a fresh coat of paint or challenge your fundamental approach?

💡 If your solutions are repetitive, do you acknowledge the stagnation or push for true reinvention?

Marvel’s approach? It has the exact blueprint but different skin.

And yet, here’s the twist:

🚀 Despite negative reviews, Captain America: Brave New World still pulled in $192.4M at the box office.

This is where things get interesting.

🧐 As product people, we often assume “better experience = more success.” But Marvel proves another principle:

💰 Brand loyalty and nostalgia can carry a product—even when the experience is mid-tier.

Now, imagine if they innovated.

A great product manager, UX leader, or engineer doesn’t just settle for “good enough that it sells.” We identify patterns, evolve frameworks, and build truly innovative experiences.