Summary
AsCaptain America: Brave New Worldinches 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 Worldhas 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 thatone 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.
While the film and Mackie are already dealing with a lot, including the fairlypopular idea thatCaptain America: Brave New Worldis 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 fromAnthony 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 thatMackie has had to clear the air on the conversation surroundingCaptain America 4recently, 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 bythe awesome Thai posters forCaptain America: Brave New Worldthat 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’sbox office predictions allow for some cautious optimismabout 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 Worldis set for theatrical release on 06 July 2025.
Captain America: Brave New World
Captain America: Brave New World (formerly titledNew World Order)marks Sam Wilson’s first MCU big-screen appearance as Steve Rogers' successor after receiving the suit and shield in Phase 4’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie returns as the titular Avenger alongside Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres, Carl Lumby as Isaiah Bradley, and Tim Blake Nelson as The Incredible Hulk’s former ally Samuel Sterns. Harrison Ford makes his MCU debut replacing the late William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross.
