Marvel Star Anthony Mackie Bizarrely Claims The MCU Is Limited By Comic Book Canon: “There’s Only So Much Creativity You Can Bring To The Table, Because Stan Lee Gave Us So Much Content”
In one of the most bizarre and head-scratching statements possibly ever uttered in relation to the franchise, Captain America: Brave New World star Anthony Mackie has claimed that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is limited in how ‘creative’ it can be “because Stan Lee [only] gave us so much content.”
The man behind the MCU’s live-action incarnation of The Falcon offered his take on the franchise’s creative potential while speaking to UK entertainment news outlet RadioTimes.com in promotion of the local premiere of his Twisted Metal live-action television series.
Asked by the outlet’s Rob Leane whether his time adapting Marvel Comics’ Sam Wilson to the silver screen had prepared him for his work bringing the Sony video game title to life, Mackie asserted, “I would say the Marvel thing is completely different, just because it’s such a space of controlled entertainment.”
“Like, there’s only so much you can do,” opined the actor. “There’s only so much creativity you can bring to the table, because Stan Lee gave us so much content.”
“Whereas with [Twisted Metal],” he added, “it was like, ‘There’s a guy and a girl… go!’ So we were really able to build the world around it.”
Met by his host’s subsequent speculation that the Twisted Metal franchise’s lack of an intricate story allowed for the show’s production team to more easily take liberties with the source material compared to Marvel, the actor exclaimed, “Exactly.”
“And that’s the hard thing about the Marvel universe,” he added. “It’s like, you can’t really go outside of the lines of those comic books.”
“You know, when we introduced the Falcon, and the growth of the Falcon to Captain America, all of that had to coincide with what Stan had already gave us,” Mackie said. “So it’s an interesting juggle to be a part of that world. And this was more like, ‘Let’s just have fun and figure it out as we go.'”
As most readers may have yelled at their screen by now, given what audiences have seen from the MCU over its thus far 16-year-run, Mackie’s comments are, to say the least, absolutely baffling.
While an argument could be made that the franchise’s Phase One was trying its damndest to stay accurate to its source material – for example, Obidiah Stane’s story in the first Iron Man film plays out pretty damn close to how it does in the original comic books – as soon as Phase Two kicked off, this was no longer the case.
For some brief examples of Marvel’s change in design philosophy, look no further than the fact that such elements as Trevor Slattery having spent a significant time impersonating The Mandarin, Darren Cross’ taking up the identity of Yellowjacket, and the entirety of The Guardians of the Galaxy’s depiction represent significant deviations from their original comic book forms.
At current, Mackie’s next MCU appearance, Captain America: Brave New World, is currently set to glide – or, if rumors of its abysmal test screenings hold true, crashing – into theaters on February 14, 2025.
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