Anthony Mackie Refuses To Wear This Costume In Captain America: Brave New World

Anthony Mackie headlines the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. However, the lead star admitted refusing to wear one of the superhero’s most iconic costume elements.

Marvel Studios will be dropping Captain America: Brave New World in a few days. It’s the first Captain America movie from the MCU without Chris Evans as the titular superhero. Mackie has been doing interviews to promote the project, and he was asked about one element that was noticeably missing from his costume. Apparently, Mackie, who had worn the item in a previous project, refused to wear it again in the new film.

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Mackie spoke with IGN about his costume as the new Captain America. The interviewer asked why they removed his “white half helmet.” Mackie gave a straightforward response, saying it was he who requested not to wear what he called the “cowl.” “Because I told them that I was never wearing that s**t again, dude,” Mackie explained. “That was hard – with the heat, the sweat, the fogged-up glasses. It was impossible. It was called a cowl… it was my worst nightmare.” He added while shaking his head, noting that with the said costume, “you can’t do anything.“

Mackie wore a partial cowl in the Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier when he officially debuted as the new Captain America in Episode 6, “One World, One People.” He also wore a comic-accurate costume by donning a white and blue suit. The white cowl featured blue highlights and covered the side of his head, leaving his face and ears fully exposed. Although the cowl was true to the source material, it received mixed responses from the audience. Some found it awkward in live-action and felt it was bulky and unnecessary, compared to Steve Rogers’ sleek and tactical helmet. Some even suggested that a full cowl or helmet was more practical because it would offer him better protection. Meanwhile, some loved it because the costume was faithful to the comics. They also approved keeping his goggles because they kept the element from his Falcon days.

Staying faithful to the source material is something comic readers will surely love to see on the big screen. However, since adding the cowl seems pointless as it has no purpose, ditching it is not a big deal. If Mackie’s Sam continues wearing the white cowl and the audience doesn’t understand its purpose, it will only bother them. The cowl is one of Captain America’s iconic costume elements. It’s a close-fitting headpiece with a white “A” on the forehead and wings on the sides. The original design covers his head and only exposes his mouth and chin. MCU redesigned the cowl by giving Evans’ Steve Roger a sleeker, helmet-like cowl integrated into his suit for protection.

Mackie’s character, Sam, doesn’t need extra headgear because of his high-tech EXO-7 Falcon wingsuit that offers him speed, agility and maneuverability. He can perform mid-air flips, fast aerial strikes and dodges with his jet-powered wings. But most importantly, Mackie’s comfort during production is essential. It’s good that he has a voice regarding his costume because actors need to be comfortable with what they wear, especially when filming action scenes. Superhero movies demand actors to wear bulky costumes and adding unnecessary elements that serve no purpose would only make it even more inconvenient for actors when they shoot their scenes. Regardless of the lack of a cowl, Mackie’s Captain America looks promising despite the reported reshoots allegedly due to bad test screening.

Captain America: Brave New World will premiere on February 14, 2025.

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Source: IGN/X