Summary
- Anthony Mackie clarified his comments on Captain America’s ideals, emphasizing universal values beyond just American representation.
- Mackie responded to social media backlash, asserting pride in America and recognizing the character’s universal appeal.
- Despite controversies, Mackie’s efforts to address criticism strive to ensure that the film’s premiere is not overshadowed.
As Captain America: Brave New World inches closer to its theatrical release in February, the film’s leading man has found himself in a bit of a PR pinch regarding some comments he made about one of the character’s foundational qualities.
Captain America: Brave New World has faced a lot of criticism and controversy over its production, and things haven’t let up by much now that it’s less than a month away from release. Talk of reshoots and rewrites leading to so many changes that one prominent performer confirmed that they’d been totally cut from the project, as well as rumors of a massively overreaching budget for the whole thing, has led to a lot of negative discourse surrounding the film. All this stands in the way of the film’s plot, which already has a lot to live up to and the added challenge of cementing Anthony Mackie as the new Captain America.
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While the film and Mackie are already dealing with a lot, including the fairly popular idea that Captain America: Brave New World is inevitably going to be bad, the man behind the mask and shield has yet another issue to address in the leadup to the premiere. At a recent sit down event promoting the upcoming film, Mackie spoke on what he believed Captain America should represent. “Captain America represents a lot of different things & I don’t think the term ‘America’ should be one of those representations,” Mackie explained. “It’s about a man who keeps his word, who has honor, dignity, and integrity. Someone who is trustworthy and dependable.” While the statement seems to be an insistence on expanding on the values behind the character as opposed to trying to minimize the link to America and Mackie immediately pivots to discussing how the film is a dream come true for him and how that feeling feeds into his work as an actor, the internet was immediately set on fire. As has become routine at this point, the perceived anti-American sentiment from someone prominently involved in a Captain America project really blew out of proportion. Despite the tame origins of the controversy, things did heat up on social media enough to eventually merit a response from Anthony Mackie on Instagram.
Responding to the controversy via a text post on his Instagram story, Mackie made it clear that he wasn’t being anti-American. “Let me be clear about this, I’m a proud American, and taking on the shield of a hero like CAP is the honor of a lifetime,” the post read, dismissing the claims being made by some on social media. “I have the utmost respect for those who serve and have served our country. CAP has universal characteristics that people all over the world can relate to.” This is pretty much what a segment of the fanbase already said in defense of Mackie’s statements and view on the character, and it seems to line up just fine with his original comments. It’s not the first time that Mackie has had to clear the air on the conversation surrounding Captain America 4 recently, but it is the first (and probably last, considering the film releases in less than a month) controversy stemming from something he said himself.
Heroes like Captain America have a universal appeal that people of any nationality can aspire to, and while these values are foundationally American, that doesn’t mean that ‘America’ has to be the label they’re presented under to everyone. It’s also worth noting that the MCU is an international franchise, as evidenced by the awesome Thai posters for Captain America: Brave New World that gives the characters a localized flair to stellar effect. The inspiration behind the characters is very prominently displayed in his name and on his uniform, and previous films in the franchise have done a lot to establish just how American Cap is. Mackie’s view, then, seems to be reiterating what so many comics have done in the past: Captain America represents the ideal values of the founding fathers and the country they built, even when the country itself doesn’t. This is very clearly also a plot point in the upcoming film, which sees a Hulk-sized presence in the White House and manipulation from unknown forces.
While it would have been a better outcome if people took Mackie’s comments in good faith instead of reading them as anti-American, it’s a good move to clear the air so this doesn’t affect people’s enjoyment of the movie. Captain America: Brave New World’s box office predictions allow for some cautious optimism about the film’s success, but it’s a fragile thing, and the cast, crew, and executives attached at Marvel Studios could certainly do without any extra strain to the film’s premiere success.
Captain America: Brave New World is set for theatrical release on 14 February 2025.
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Source: Anthony Mackie/Instagram