Next month will see the release of the first upcoming Marvel movie of three set for the 2025 movie schedule and the fourth Captain America movie, in the ongoing MCU. In some ways it will really be the first, as Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson has officially taken on the title from Chris Evans' Steve Rogers. For that reason, it’s certainly a question to see how the new movie will perform, but now the star of Captain America: Brave New World is making headlines, but perhaps not for the right reasons.
Mackie made some recent comments while promoting the new Captain America film that caused something of a minor social media firestorm. This has resulted in him having to release a follow-up statement to clarify his comments.
Anthony Mackie Discussed What He Thought Captain America Represented, And Social Media Jumped On Him
Yesterday a clip went viral on Twitter of Anthony Mackie in Italy on the promotional tour for Captain America: Brave New World, which is set to release in a couple of weeks. In discussing what he thinks Captain America represents, Mackie said…
For me, Captain America represents a lot of different things. And I don’t think the term 'America' should be one of those representations. It’s about a man who keeps his word, who has honor and dignity, and integrity. Someone who is trustworthy and dependable.
Needless to say, the comments putting some distance between Captain America and America itself didn’t go over well with a certain segment of social media. Many saw Mackie’s comments as an attack on America and/or Americans. The phrase “Captain Woke” was briefly trending on Twitter and many suggested Mackie’s comments would keep them out of the theater and that Brave New World's box office would suffer because of this. Comments included…
- “There goes another marvel movie in the drain.”
- “Pathetic”
- “To me, Captain America is Steve Rogers.”
- “He just sealed the fate of this franchise.”
- “That’s one way to tank the box office numbers”
Captain America was certainly designed as a patriotic character, created as a hero to fight Nazis during World War II. In the comics, Cap has frequently distanced itself from American politics, with the modern character generally focused on representing the ideals of America, not necessarily the American government.
Even in the MCU that has been the case, with Steve Rogers being unwilling to put the Avengers underneath U.S. government supervision during the events of Captain America: Civil War. Still, the backlash got so heated that eventually Mackie had to respond.
Anthony Mackie Clarified His Comments, Calling Himself A “Proud American”
In a post to Instagram, Anthony Mackie eventually posted a response to the backlash against him, clarifying that he is a proud American, and that he was simply trying to say that Captain America doesn’t only represent America, as he represents values that are held by people all over the word. Check out his full statement below.
In a global world, and one where the global box office matters (sometimes more than the domestic box office) Marvel certainly wants Captain America to appeal to more than just Americans. Perhaps Mackie's response will mollify those who were upset, and then the world can enjoy Captain America: Brave New World together.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
