Anthony Mackie wants to differentiate his take onCaptain Americafrom that of Chris Evans' Steve Rogers, and it looks like he’s already well on the way to fulfilling that goal. After Mackie’s Sam Wilson officially accepted the mantle of Captain America during the events ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, many were curious about not only how the character would handle being the hero, but how the actor himself would change things up.
Mackie is fully aware of how he’s basically required to make the role his own, and in a recent interview, he showed that he knows what that means. As a Black man, it’s clear thatbeing Captain America will mean many different thingsto Sam (and Mackie as well). While Steve Rogers' wholesome, everyman vibes appealed to a lot of people, there was still a disconnect with certain audiences, particularly due to his unnatural superhuman strength. That’s where Mackie can inspire an entirely new audience when he stars in the upcoming filmCaptain America: New World Order. But that doesn’t mean he’ll be restricted in his reach.
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“Mine will be different,” Mackie said when speaking withMen’s Journal. “What you have to realize about Sam—he’s a superhero who is not really a superhero. There’s no secret serum. There’s no this or that. I just have wings on my suit that I got from the military. So everything that I do, I do as a common man. When you see me, you might think, ‘Oh, I can be a superhero, too.’ Whereas if you look at Hulk or any of those guys, you’re able to’t compete.” Without powers,many superheroes tend to be seen as D-listers. But Sam Wilson’s Captain America has the “power” to buck that trend.
This isn’t to say that Mackie prefers heroes without powers. Far from it, in fact. When asked in the same interview who his favorite hero is, he didn’t even have to think about it. “Definitely Hulk,” he said. “Since I was a kid, I’d always wanted to be The Incredible Hulk.” There was a little more nuance to his answer, though. “But now, if I could play another superhero, it would be Panthro fromThunderCats—the blue dude. Yeah, I’m big onThunderCats—that’s my one superhero. If they ever make that movie and I’m not him, I’m shutting that sh*t down.” There’s no denying thatThunderCatshas had a rough go of things. So maybe he’s onto something here.
Mackie’s version of Captain America really does have some broad reach that Evans may not have been able to grasp. As much as audiences loved Evans in the role, it’s important to realize that he’s the sort of hero who should appeal to as many people as possible. When he’s both white and superpowered, that can hinder things a bit. But when the mantle is taken by a Black man who’s still a hero despite having no powers, then it can broaden that appeal almost exponentially. It’s clear that Mackie isn’t just taking this as another role in his already impressive resume.
Everyone deserves to see people like themselves represented in the media they consume. It’s easy to remember that this applies to things like skin color, sexuality, gender identity, etc. But people often forget that seeing those without powers still making a difference in a universewhere beings like Captain Marvel existcan have a surprisingly uplifting effect on audiences.
Captain America: New World Orderis set to release on May 3rd, 2024.
