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Captain America: Brave New Worldis certainly coming at an interesting time. Originally set for 2024, multiple delays have caused the movie to arrive in theaters less than a month after Donald Trump became the 47th President of the United States, and morale among many Americans is at an all-time low. A series of executive orders have been pushed through that threaten the lives of millions of Americans. It certainly makes the prospect of a Red Hulk as President less terrifying. It also makes a Black man like Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson taking on the mantle of Captain America fighting the President of the United States take on a whole new meaning.
With America seemingly more divided than ever, it certainly makes one look at a character like Captain America one worth examining. Since he was created in 1940 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Captain America has been a symbol of America, but what that means precisely has always fluctuated on whether he is meant to represent the country as it is or the ideal.During a Q&A held in Rome, Anthony Mackie recently spoke about what Captain America should represent as an ideal, saying, “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 and who has honor, dignity, and integrity. Someone who is trustworthy and dependable. This is like an aspect of a dream coming true.”
As with everything, that nuanced take from Mackie was quickly twisted and spun into something it wasn’t, which generated backlash from many overtly patriotic fans. Mackie later issued an apology statement…but should he have had to?
Not only did Anthony Mackie not say anything disrespectful, but it was no different from what his predecessor, Chris Evans, said during his tenure as Captain America. The idea of what Captain America is supposed to mean is also something Marvel has grappled with since the 1970s following Watergate and which the MCU has made part of the narrative.
Mackie’s Well-Intentioned but Unnecessary Apology
Captain America: Brave New World
Mackie’s apology read:
“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.”
Mackie’s need to say he has the “utmost respect for those who serve and have served our country” is well-intentioned but an unnecessary clarification. Nowhere in Mackie’s original statement did he say anything disrespectful to any members of the armed services. Suppose Mackie wanted to critique the military (which he never did). In that case, technically, the men and women serving the United States are fighting to uphold the fundamental values the country holds, one of the biggest being freedom of expression, which includes the freedom to critique one’s own country and hold them accountable.Ironically, Mackie’s not-criticism is being treated as some great offense by individuals who often accuse others of getting offended too easily.
Mackie’s comments were less about how Captain America is meant to represent America as it is but the ideal it strives for. The image props itself up as someone who represents honor and heroism and always does the right thing. It bears repeating, but what Mackie said was, “It’s about a man who keeps his word and who has honor, dignity, and integrity. Someone who is trustworthy and dependable. This is like an aspect of a dream coming true.“That is why Captain America, despite its name, has become a box office sensation worldwide, even in countries that may have the most favorable opinion of America itself.
Mackie Isn’t the First Person to Make These Observations
InCaptain America, Masculinity, and Violence: The Evolution of a National Icon, author J. Richard Stevens notes that instead of Captain America being someone who is “championing the specific cultural or political goals of the United States…[Captain America’s] patriotism is more focused on the universal rights of manas expressed through the American Dream.” Notice how this is similar to what Anthony Mackie said.
This is nothing new for Captain America, and the particular dog pilling that Mackie has received is absurd when one considers howno one reacted when other white creatives shared similar sentiments. Joe Johnston, the director ofCaptain America: The First Avenger,at San Diego Comic-Con 2010, said, “He’s a guy that wants to serve his country, but he’s not a flag-waver. We’re reinterpreting, sort of, what the comic book version of Steve Rogers was.”
Anyone who critiqued Anthony Mackie’s comments will undoubtedly be shocked to hear his predecessor say a similar sentiment. Chris Evans, who played Steve Rogers in the MCU before the release ofCaptain America: The First Avenger,said in a 2011 interviewa statement that today might have him accused of being “disrespectful.” Evans said:
“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.”
It certainly shows how long ago 2011 feels. One is that Evans’s statement about how “everyone could agree that the Nazis were bad” was widely accepted as a fact, but now some people will attempt to debate that point or even defend a particular tech mogul mimicking the Nazi’s salute (let us reiterate…NAZIS ARE BAD). But also certainly howthis sentiment in 2011 was mildly controversial to the same overly patriotic flag-waving individuals, but they were widely ignored as a fringe group not worth taking seriously.
In 2011, accepting that maybe America had some flaws wasn’t outside the realm of reasonability and seemed to be something people were open to discussing. Some individuals take any slight criticism or even acknowledge some of America’s faults as an attack. The fear of acknowledging any issue with America’s history has gotten so out of hand that Trump issued an executive order titledEnding Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling, as he and many of his supporters seem to believe the goal of schools is “to instill a patriotic admiration for our incredible Nation and the values for which we stand” instead of education or the ability to think critically.The idea of patriotic admiration with no ability to discern nuance is how people get so up in arms about Anthony Mackie’s rather harmless comment.
Captain America’s Complicated History, Legacy, and Relation to the Country
It seems that people who were mad about Anthony Mackie’s comments about Captain America seem to take the character’s name at face value. They think that Captain America is a flag-waving “love my country or else” type of person who is a tool of the state. Yet neither the comics nor the Marvel Cinematic Universe have depicted him this way.Marvel had even shown how awful the idea of a jingoistic Captain America would be when they introduced John Walker, who would later become The U.S. Agent and would be introduced in the MCU inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
WhileCaptain America was created as a responseto America’s non-intervention movement during World War II before Pearl Harbor, when Marvel brought him back in the ’60s and the Vietnam War rolled around, Captain America largely stayed out of the fighting. Instead,in the 1970s, Captain America comics touched more on American political issues on the domestic front. Topics like political corruption, poverty, and racism. It is fitting that the newest Captain America, Sam Wilson / The Falcon, was introduced in 1969.
Following the Watergate scandal, writer Steve Englehart and artist Sal Buscema taped into the country’s low opinions on the President in the 1974 story “Secret Empire.” The series revolves around an evil shadow organization that looks to take over America from within and use propaganda to discredit Captain America. In the story’s climax, Steve Rogers chases the leader of the Secret Empire into the Oval Office as he unmasks himself, shocking Captain America before the villain dies by their hand. While the head of the Secret Empire is never shown, it’s obviousthe man under the mask was supposed to be Richard Nixon.
Bringing Back Chris Evans Is a Disservice to Sam Wilson’s Captain America
The return of Chris Evans to the MCU seems like it takes away attention from Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson just before his film is set to come out.
The revelation left Steve Rogers so shocked that he abandoned the identity of Captain America andtook on the mantle of Nomad, who had the subtitle “the man without a country,” with Rogers later vowing to reclaim the ideals of America at a time when its leaders seemingly let down the American people. As seen by Mackie’s comments getting any traction, this type of story would send some individuals into a violent screaming rage, but it was not controversial for comic readers in the 1970s.This was a critically acclaimed decision that took Captain America from one of Marvel’s lowest-selling titles to one of its best. This conflict between America as it idealizes itself to be and what America is, in reality, has become as much a part of Captain America’s character as fighting in World War II or being frozen in ice.
Marvel has also acknowledged the legacy of Captain America, like the country itself, being rooted in some dark, troubling racism with the 2003 miniseriesTruth: Red, White & Blackby writerRobert Morales and artist Kyle Baker. The series revealed that before the super soldier serum was given to Steve Rogers, the United States Army tested it on Black soldiers, invoking the awful real-life Tuskegee Syphilis Study. In the story, it is revealed that over 300 Black men were tested and killed before Isiah Bradley became the first truly successful supersoldier serum, only to have him and the records of all the men who died erased from history. Editor at the time, Axel Alonso, even acknowledged the “inherent politics of wrapping a Black man in red, white, and blue” as “a larger story … a metaphor of America itself.”
Captain America Has Reflected the American Cultural Zeitgeist for Years
Edward Snowden
Once the MCU took Captain America out of World War II and dropped him into the modern day, the franchise started to grapple with what Captain America as a symbol means.Captain America: The Winter Soldiersees Steve Rogers morally rejecting the targeting of civilians in the name of peace. The film’s plot felt very relevant to many Americans following Edward Snowden’s leaking classified NSA information about government surveillance in June 2013, 10 months beforeCaptain America: The Winter Soldierhit theaters. While it was a coincidence, as the film would have been written and filmed when the information came out, it spoke to a moment in the American zeitgeist.
Thinking for Yourself
Captain America: Civil Warfirmly establishes Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, the two MCU Captain Americas, going against the Sokovia Accords, a United Nations-backed bill that would control when and where the Avengers could operate. Despite Captain America being seen as the MCU Boy Scout, it showshe doesn’t just follow orders, but follows his moral code of what is right and wrong and later becomes a fugitive. While some fans think Marvel only recently got political with their films, it was nearly impossible to be apolitical with Captain America, and seemingly, the MCU had been “woke” long before people started complaining about it because it had more women and people of color in the hero roles.
What It Means to Be “All American”
Sam Wilson’s tenure as Captain America is eerily similar to the comics he was introduced in from the late 1960s and early 1970s. He sees his stories tackling racism and corrupted American leadership because, sadly, for as much as things change, they also often stay the same.The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’scentral thematic conflictis about Sam Wilson and John Walker fighting for the mantle of Captain America, and by extension, who is seen as the face of America as an idea. The series notably brings in Isiah Bradley, and he tells Sam Wilson, “They will never let a Black man be Captain America.” This is backed up by the United States government employing their own Captain America in the form of John Walker after Sam Wilson donates the hero’s shield to the Smithsonian.
Walker is coded as the ultimate “All American,“a star athlete with a high school sweetheart who served in the military and is chosen by the government to be Captain America.Notably, this is one they can control, and he acts as an extension of them, putting the interests of the United States before the world, and the series acknowledges this as bad.The series' most shocking shotis the image of John Walker using Captain America’s shield, a symbol of protection, being used for crushing a man’s chest in cold blood while blood drips down it. The ultimate symbol of heroism in the Marvel Universe is now tarnished, draped in blood and violence.
Black Lives Matter
The Falcon and the Winter Soldierdebuted ten monthsafter the murder of George Floyd, and the Black Lives Matter discourse ramped up during the COVID-19 pandemic.The scene of two white police officers getting hostile towards Sam Wilson for yelling at Bucky only to let up when they realize he is a superhero hit hard. While there was no way for Marvel to plan this, the fact that the series was so relevant despite being made before that cultural moment showed how persistent these issues are in America.
Corrupt Presidents
In 2025, Sam Wilson’s Captain America seems to be again touching on topicality. The trailers forCaptain America: Brave New Worldhave shown that not only willCaptain America face off against the President of the United States, Thaddeus Ross / The Red Hulk, but an early conflict in the series sees Sam Wilson clash with Ross' desire to make Captain America an official government position, something that clashes with the idea of Captain America as someone who fights for the good of all people in the world, not just one group.
All of this is to say that Anthony Mackie’s statements about who or what Captain America represents should not have been considered controversial. He not only didn’t disrespect anyone, but what he said showed that he had a fundamental knowledge of the character’s history in both the comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was more informed than those who were upset by his comments, who also reacted far harsher to Mackie than to Chris Evans, director John Johnston, or many writers and artists at Marvel Comics over the years.
