‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Star Anthony Mackie Says Star-Spangled Avenger “Represents A Lot Of Different Things, And I Don’t Think The Term ‘America’ Should Be One Of Those Representations”
In kicking off the Captain America: Brave New World press tour with a bit of controversy, star Anthony Mackie believes that while the titular Marvel hero “represents a lot of different things”, he should not stand for the idea of ‘America’ itself.
The next actor to wield the shield offered his opinion regarding the thematic core of the Star-Spangled Avenger’s character while speaking to attendees of a Brave New World press event, as hosted at the Hotel De La Ville in Rome, Italy on January 27th.
Per a video of his response shared to Instagram by Italian entertainment news website The Redheads Diaries, ostensibly asked as to what the flag-clad hero represents to him, the actor opined, “For me, Captain America represents a lot of different things and I don’t think the term, you know, ‘America’, should be one of those representations.”
“It’s about a man who keeps his word, who has honor, dignity and integrity,” he explained. “Someone who is trustworthy and dependable.”
Unfortunately for those curious to his thinking, rather than expounding on his critique, Mackie then completely changed gears to offer up a non sequitur reflection about how his upcoming appearance as the second MCU was Captain America “kind of like an aspect of a dream coming true.”
“All of us as actors, I believe, want to get back to that day before someone told you ‘No’,” said the actor, his attentions now fully diverted from the initial question. “When you look out your door and you see a five year old kid with a stick and he’s slaying dragons to save the princess in the tower, that kid really believes there’s dragons out there, that stick is really a sword, and he’s really trying to save that princess. And then one day, somebody told them, ‘No. There’s no dragons, that’s not a sword, and that princess is not here,’ and all of his little dreams were dashed. So I think, as an actor our job is to get back to the day where we see the dragon, to slay the dragon, to save the princess, and that’s kind of what that movie was to me.”
This is not the first time that Mackie has criticized the ‘America’ aspect of Sam Wilson’s new eponymous mantle.
Recalling his time filming Falcon and the Winter Soldier during a 2021 interview with Variety‘s Adam B. Vary, Mackie asserted, “I’ve worked so long in this business and I’ve done so many things that I felt were not appreciated, or overlooked or things that were not considered to be worthy of promotion — and this is like my first promotion.”
“The idea of being Captain America was something that I never fathom, or because it was so so so far fetched,” he said. “I wanted to be in comic book movies so I could be the guy in ‘Spider-Man’ that goes, ‘It’s Spider Man!’. That was as far as my ambition could take me in that universe.”
“The fear of representing a country who doesn’t represent you, you know, was something that’s not only unfathomable, but hard to overcome,” Mackie continued. “My dad always used to say greatness is as far as you can see it… There are limitations that we place on ourselves because of our surroundings. And, you know, I did that to myself, and that’s definitely what Sam Wilson goes through.”
It should be noted that despite Mackie’s apparent implication that Captain America is an enforcer or defender of a given political administration or ideology, the original Marvel Comics have long held that the hero – or at least the Steve Rogers incarnation of him – instead stands for the basic ideals of freedom that exist at the base of America’s identity.
For example, when seeking answers from the higher-ups in the American military as to the identity of the murderous psychopath known as Nuke in the Frank Miller-penned Daredevil Vol. 1 #233, the top brass attempt to dissuade him by digging any further by praising his “commitment” and “loyalty”, only for Rogers to firmly fire back “I’m loyal to nothing, general – except the dream” before continuing on in his investigation.
Likewise, in What If? Vol. 1 #44, writer Peter Gillis explores an alternate timeline where Captain America is revived not in the 1960s, but the 80s, upon doing so discovering that the man currently wearing his mantle, William Burnside, was using it to help install an oppressive, far-right regime across the United States.
Eventually bringing Burnside’s reign of terror to an end with the help of Spider-Man and members of the Black Panthers during a public political rally, Rogers convinces the confused public of his identity by explaining the true meaning of the Shield.
“Listen to me,” begins the hero. “All of you out there! You were told by this man – your hero – that America is the greaterst country in the world! He told you that Americans were the greatest people – that America could be refined like silver, could have the impurities hammered our of it, and shine more brightly! He went on about how precious America was – how you needed to make sure it remained great! And he told you anything was justified to preserve that great treasure, that pearl of great price that is America!”
“Well, I say America is nothing!” he then shockingly declares. “Without its ideals – its commitment to the freedom of all men, America is a piece of trash! A nation is nothing! A flag is a piece of cloth!”
“I fought Adolf Hitler not because America was great, but because it was fragile!” Rogers recalls. “But because it was fragile! I knew that liberty could be easily snuffed out here as in Nazi Germany! As a people, we were no different from them!”
“When I returned, I saw that you nearly did turn America into nothing!” he ultimately concludes. “And the only reason you’re not less than nothing is that it’s still possible for you to bring freedom back to America!”
Met with cheers from the crowd, the original Captain America responds with a staunch order to “Stop!”, cautioning his fellow Americans, “You followed a leader in this garb once and he led you into evil! I won’t have you exchange one piece of cloth for another! I can’t undo the horrible damage you’ve let befall America! Even now men are dying in the street, for that cause – and the war for liberty is just starting!”
“I’ve taken away your crutch,” he asserts, before rallying his fellow country men, “now you must look to your own hearts, join with those that you have denied were your brothers – reach out for the ideals that made this costume I wear mean something – and find America once again!”
Barring any further reshoots, Captain America: Brave New World is currently set to fly into theaters on vibranium-covered wings on February 14th.
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