The star of Captain America: Brave New World, Anthony Mackie, has caused controversy recently due to comments about what Captain America stands for. As the wait for Captain America: Brave New World‘s release date grows shorter, Mackie has naturally been doing a lot of press to advertise the project. Just as other casts will do for upcoming Marvel movies beyond Captain America: Brave New World, Mackie has appeared in several interviews, magazine articles, and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks released by Marvel Studios.

This was to be expected given Mackie’s leadership of Captain America: Brave New World‘s cast, but it is all the more vital due to the implications of the project. It is Mackie’s first solo cinematic venture as Sam Wilson after the character embraced the mantle of Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, giving the 2025 Marvel movie a greater sense of importance. Mackie has not been secretive about the cruciality of bringing Captain America to the screen, with some of his recent comments on the matter causing controversy.

What Anthony Mackie Said About Captain America Explained

Mackie’s Comments Explained

The specific comments in question came in January 2025, when Mackie appeared on-stage in Rome to promote Captain America: Brave New World​​​​​​. The event was filmed and posted online by several onlookers (via The Hollywood Reporter) and became the subject of debate, due to Mackie’s comments about what Captain America represents. Although it is unclear what question was asked of Mackie, his response has been doing the rounds on social media:

“To me, Captain America represents a lot of different things and I don’t think the term ‘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.”

Evidently, Mackie delved deeper into what the true meaning of the Captain America mantle is. However, due to his first comment about Captain America not being solely representative of the word “America,” some took issue with the actor’s words. This led Mackie to post a story to his personal Instagram page, stating that he is a proud American and that he has the utmost respect for those who have served his country. Mackie clarified that his comments were simply meant to indicate that Captain America has universal characteristics that the entire world can relate to.

Why Anthony Mackie’s Captain America Comment Sparked Backlash

Great Controversy Spawned From Mackie’s Comments

In the days since Mackie’s interview went viral, backlash and controversy have ensued. Some have proven to take great offense at Mackie’s comments, specifically his insistence that Captain America is not a direct representation of the term “America.” To a group of people, these comments seemed to be a slight against the country itself, with many interpreting the words as Mackie criticizing the morals and values of America as a nation. Naturally, this caused some outrage to be directed against Mackie and Captain America: Brave New World as a film, with both being dubbed “anti-American.”

As many will know, Mackie is no stranger to facing backlash due to his role as Captain America. Upon being handed the mantle in Avengers: Endgame and accepting it during The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s ending, Mackie has been at the receiving end of racist backlash, with online posters refusing to accept the new Captain America. In both cases, this backlash can be seen to stem from ignorance, given that Captain America’s history as a character has proven Mackie to be correct in what he stands for, and thus a perfect choice for the iconic Marvel hero.

Why Anthony Mackie’s Captain America Comments Are Right

The Character’s Many Stories Prove Mackie Is Right

What makes the controversy all the more pointless is that Anthony Mackie is completely right about Captain America. Not once does Mackie insist that America in and of itself is wrong or bad as many have incorrectly insisted, but instead that Captain America is not a representation of solely that country. Instead, Mackie’s comments were about Captain America being a paragon of freedom, justice, truth, and inherent goodness. Mackie simply meant to convey that these traits can be found the world over, not just in America and that every country has times in history that have gone against these characteristics.

Captain America’s depiction throughout the decades since his introduction to Marvel Comics has proven this. The MCU alone aligns perfectly with Mackie’s comments, with many of Steve Rogers’ stories showing him fighting for these American virtues, even if the country itself goes against them. Captain America: The Winter Soldier saw Steve go against SHIELD, an American peacekeeping organization, due to the remnants of HYDRA building from within. HYDRA wanted to rule the world through control and fear, and Steve fought against that – and dismantled SHIELD – to restore freedom.

Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War depicted Captain America as a fugitive of, well, America due to his opposition to the Sokovia Accords. Steve felt that the oversight being implemented by the American government went against his – and the country’s – values of freedom and peace, forcing him to extremes to stand for what he believed. Mackie’s appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier then saw him going against the American government to aid the Flag Smashers, a group of displaced refugees as a result of the Blip.

All of these stories prove that Mackie is correct. The character of Captain America is not simply an agent of the government who will do whatever he is told even if it is morally wrong – akin to Peacemaker in 2021’s The Suicide Squad – but someone who will fight for the positive ideals of the country in which he was created. The comics prove this just as much as the MCU does, proving Mackie’s comments about Cap standing for honor, dignity, integrity, trust, and dependability correct and showing he truly understands the character before the release of Captain America: Brave New World.