Anthony Mackie Slammed For Saying "America" Shouldn't Define Captain America

Anthony Mackie, who stars as Captain America in Captain America: Brave New World, recently shared his – what others might call – “unpatriotic” take on the role. 

During a press tour, Mackie said about his character, “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. Someone who is trustworthy and dependable... This is kind of like an aspect of a dream coming true, you know, and I was a kid.”

He continued, “All of us as actors, I believe, want to get back to that day before someone told you, no. 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 a tower. That kid really believes there are dragons out there. That stick is really a sword and he's really trying to save that princess. And then one day, somebody told him, ‘No. There are no dragons. That's not a sword. And that princess is not there. And all of his little dreams were dashed.’”

“So, you know, as an actor, I feel like our job is to get back to the day where we see that dragon and we slay that dragon to save that princess. And that's kind of what this movie was for me.”

Mackie pointed out values like honor, integrity, and imagination as the core of the character rather than tying him to a flag or nation, even though his name is literally “Captain America.” 

“Strange take. Captain America literally has America in the name and represents American values of freedom, justice, and standing up for what’s right. Why try to separate that? The character’s whole origin is tied to WW2 America,” tweeted @Divine3rd.

“Pretty sure it’s about America. It’s in the name,” posted @cryptokaren_sol.

@BryceStirbakken wrote, “Why is his name Captain America and why does his suit and shield look like the American flag then?”

And @WizardsOGL wasn’t having it either, “Well, his name is Captain America. He represents American values. Get used to it.”

Many also came to Mackie’s defense, arguing his interpretation wasn’t so far off the mark. “Americans using this to bash Mackie when he’s just saying Captain America should represent what it means to be a good person is really telling,” wrote @capitalspidey.

@Vaughanilla_ added, “It’s also like… no different from what Cap has always stood for. The entire first trilogy was Steve fighting for real ‘American’ ideals against the corrupt American government.” Indeed, Steve Rogers’ arc often involved rebelling against corrupt systems to uphold justice and fairness. 

Low Ticket Sales and High Expectations

Unfortunately for Brave New World, ticket pre-sales are, well, underwhelming. Early tracking suggests the film will pull in around $95 million during its opening weekend, which is a decent chunk of change but far from Marvel’s usual box-office dominance, according to CBR. For comparison, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania earned more, and it was deemed a disappointment.

Some argue that Brave New World may simply have a different target audience. With a spy-thriller vibe and Harrison Ford stepping in as President Ross (who becomes Red Hulk), the film seems geared toward slightly older viewers, who don’t always rush to buy tickets in advance. The film’s $180 million budget, while hefty, isn’t as outrageous as early rumors claimed. And with little competition in theaters for weeks after its February 14 release, there’s a bit more time for ticket sales to pick up steam.

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