After watching an interview about the MCU with Chris Evans in 2011, I think the recent backlash against Anthony Mackie’s Captain America comments is not only hypocritical but shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the character. Captain America will next hit the big screen on February 14 in Captain America: Brave New World, where Anthony Mackie will star as the тιтular hero. Mackie’s Sam Wilson was bequeathed the mantle and shield over five years ago in Avengers: Endgame, though The Falcon and the Winter Soldier depicted his struggle with accepting the role and responsibility.
Ultimately, however, Wilson embraced his new role in the MCU after learning that Steve Rogers picked him as his successor for a reason. While this gradual acceptance took an unfortunate detour after John Walker proved exactly why he couldn’t be the new Captain America, I think this helped to clarify what the mantle means and why only a handful of characters could be considered qualified. I have every confidence that this will shine through in Captain America: Brave New World, and that Anthony Mackie hit the nail on the head with his recent comments about the mantle.
Anthony Mackie’s Captain America Comments And Backlash Explained
Anthony Mackie’s Description Of Captain America Upset Some Fans
On January 27, 2025, Anthony Mackie was speaking to an audience (posted via @redheadsdiaries on Instragram) about what embodying the role of Captain America means. Before comparing acting in Captain America: Brave New World to acting out childhood fantasies (many MCU actors dreamed of portraying superheroes on the big screen, after all), Mackie suggested that Captain America is about more than the country named in the mantle. His full quote is as follows:
“For 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.”
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Unfortunately, Mackie’s comments sparked some backlash. Comments on the original post were mixed, to put it mildly, though some suggested Mackie “hated” America and that Captain America is “all about” America. Others suggested that Captain America: Brave New World would suffer financially as a result of Mackie’s comments, and refused to acknowledge Mackie’s Sam Wilson as the new Captain America. This prompted Anthony Mackie to address such comments two days later, taking to his personal Instagram to clarify his position. In his Instagram stories, he stated:
“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. 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.”
It’s worth clarifying that Mackie was addressing a European audience at the time to help contextualize what he means when stating that Cap has “characteristics that people all over the world can relate to.” Nevertheless, Mackie’s comments have continued to draw derision ostensibly for a perceived misunderstanding of what Captain America is supposed to primarily represent – namely, America. Yet it’s worth noting that Mackie’s comments practically parrot comments made by Steve Rogers actor Chris Evans almost 14 years prior.
In A 2011 Captain America Interview, Chris Evans Made Similar Comments
Chris Evans Suggested That Captain America Should Be Called “Captain Good”
Steve Rogers’ MCU debut came in Captain America: The First Avenger, which was released on July 22, 2011. Chris Evans spoke to CBR in the lead-up to its release in June of the same year, where he specifically delved into the notion that Captain America is primarily a “flag-waving” patriot due to his name and costume. When asked about what it meant to “basically be draped in the American flag” for the movie, Evans responded:
Ha, well, to me, I’m not trying to get too lost in the American side of it. This isn’t a flag waving movie. It is red, white and blue, but it just so happens that the character was created in America during war time, when there was a common enemy, even though it is Captain America. I’ve said before in interviews, it feels more like he should just be called Captain Good. [Laughs] You know, he was created at a time when there was this undeniable evil and this guy was kind of created to fight that evil. I think that everyone could agree that Nazis were bad and he, Cap, just so happens to wear the red, white and blue.
Chris Evans would go on to become one of the most iconic contributors to the MCU as one of its flagship heroes. While Chris Evans doesn’t explicitly state here that “America” shouldn’t be one of the representations factored into what embodying the role means, he says as much by ᴀsserting that his name “should” be changed to “Captain Good,” doing away with the “America” aspect entirely. He also accurately points out that Captain America’s origin as a patriotic character was a product of the time (1940) as a rallying call against Nazism, suggesting that his core characterization has since morphed.
Anthony Mackie’s Captain America Critics Don’t Understand The Character
Captain America’s Values Supersede His Nationality
It’s fair to say that Cap was made to be a political character, but the patriotism imbued in his character was more a consequence of his true origins as an anti-Nazi figure. Now, that patriotism is borne out of the values that America is supposed to represent – the very same expressed by Anthony Mackie in his reading of the character. Captain America is defined by his moral convictions, which include altruism, upholding freedom and justice, and refusing to compromise on these values. These values are supposed to be congruous with the ideals of the nation he is named after.
Captain America is defined by his moral convictions, which include altruism, upholding freedom and justice, and refusing to compromise on these values.
That doesn’t preclude him, however, from rebelling against the USA when he perceives it to be straying from these values. Some of Captain America’s most compelling comic book moments see him rallying against national authority. Responding to the Anthony Mackie backlash, X user @NotRyanDrendel highlighted one such example from “What If…? #44” where Steve Rogers’ Cap is seen declaring “America is nothing!“
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Even the MCU’s Steve Rogers was a fugitive in much of the Infinity Saga – even being dubbed a “War criminal” in Spider-Man: Homecoming for his rebellious role in Captain America: Civil War. His rejection of the Sokovia Accords, which were ratified by the United States government, proves how Cap divests his patriotism from the values he holds with greater conviction. It’s easy to see where Mackie was coming from based on this knowledge alone – and the fact that Sam Wilson so readily joined Team Cap is further evidence of his credentials.
Why The Backlash Against Anthony Mackie’s Captain America Comments Is Hypocritical
Chris Evans Wasn’t Criticized As Much As Anthony Mackie
Regardless of where critics place the importance of Captain America’s ᴀssociation with America, the fact remains that Chris Evans was not criticized to the same degree for his almost identical comments in 2011. While I completely empathize with the pain of losing Steve Rogers (bearing in mind a potential return in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars is still plausible), I’m perturbed by the level of vitriol aimed at his chosen successor, despite the comic book precedent vindicating this succession. Unfortunately, it is hard to overlook how the disapproval of some detractors seems to be rooted in racism.
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson noted “Every time I pick this thing up, I know there are millions of people who are gonna hate me for it. Even now, here… I feel it. The stares, the judgment. And there’s nothin’ I can do to change it.“
Ultimately, Captain America’s MCU tenure was never defined by his nationality. The traits that Anthony Mackie described, not the fact he was an American patriot, are exactly why Steve Rogers deemed him worthy. I think it’s disingenuous to suggest that Sam Wilson doesn’t embody the same traits that made Steve Rogers so iconic, and hypocritical to chastise Mackie for his ᴀssessment of Captain America without leveling the same criticism at Chris Evans.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Captain America: Brave New World
- Release Date
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February 14, 2025
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man Homecoming 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027
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Sources: @redheadsdiaries/Instagram, Anthony Mackie/Instagram, @NotRyanDrendel/X & CBR
