Anthony Mackie Clarifies His Comments About 'Captain America' After Conservative Backlash

Marvel actor Anthony Mackie, who stars in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, cleared the air about his previous comments regarding his character not representing "America" that riled conservatives.

The 46-year-old American actor, who is reprising his Marvel character Sam Wilson–a.k.a. Captain America–in the new film, took to Instagram stories to state, "Let me be clear about this, I'm a proud American."

He continued in his January 28 statement:

"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."

@anthonymackie/Instagram

His remarks came after backlash to comments he made at an event in Rome to promote Brave New World, the fourth installment in the Captain America film series and continuation of the 2021 Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

"To me, Captain America represents a lot of different things, and I don't think the term 'America' should be one of those representations," Mackie told fans at the event.

He continued listing the qualities embodied by his veteran U.S. Air Force Pararescueman supherhero character.

"It's about a man who keeps his word, who has honor, dignity, and integrity. Someone who is trustworthy and dependable," he said during the onstage panel discussion.

You can hear him discuss what his character means to him without being tied to the nation in the clip below.

His take on Captain America not being representative of the U.S. landed him in hot water.

Conservative fans who were disappointed in Mackie's remarks predicted the film's early demise at the box office.

Others saw logic in Mackie's comments and defended him.

X user @capetosauro shared a screenshot straight from the Marvel comic that aligned with Mackie's view of what Captain America represents, a hero who recognized that "America is nothing. Without its ideals—Its commitment to the freedom of all men, America is a piece of trash!"

Marvel Comics

This is the first time Mackie stars as the titular hero in a proper Captain America film.

The role was previously played by Chris Evans for seven MCU films, starting with 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, until his character passed the mantle to Mackie's Sam Wilson at the end of Avengers: Endgame in 2019.

Brave New World is directed by Julius Onah from a screenplay by Rob Edwards and is the 35th film in the MCU and is part of Phase Five.

In the cast, Mackie is joined by actors Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, a.k.a. "Red Hulk."

Brave New World is scheduled for a February 14, 2025 release.