Captain America star Anthony Mackie seems like a good guy. He comes across really well in interviews. In contrast to many stars who seem to grow weary of their career-defining roles, Mackie always looks like he is truly thankful for his break and revels in his opportunity. He’s also realistic, memorably pointing out in one interview that he fully understands that the actors aren’t the stars in Marvel movies, the characters are.
So it is a bit of a shame to see an online storm developing around some comments he made.
A couple of days ago, in Rome, Mackie was doing some promotional work for the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World and he was asked Captain America means to him. He said:
“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.”
When a clip of this appeared online it didn’t take long for accusations to swirl that he was downplaying America. It got worse when Marvel’s Italian account posted more clips of the actors interview but cut out the sentence in question. Cue online outrage from certain quarters.
The online kerfuffle has intensified, probably to “literally shaking” and “can’t even” levels. It got to the point that Mackie has taken to Instagram to clarify his remarks:
“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.”
Captain America: Brave New World is set to open in cinemas on February 14th.