New Captain America says hero 'represents a lot of different things' but not America

Actor Anthony Mackie, who portrays Marvel's Captain America in the new installation “Captain America: Brave New World,” said in an interview recently that he believes the character does not represent America.

“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,” he added.

“This is kind of an aspect of a dream coming true. All of us as actors, I believe, want to get back to that day before someone told you, ‘No.’ When you look out your door and you see a 5-year-old kid with a stick and he’s slaying dragons to save the princess in a tower, that kid really believes there’s dragons out there. That stick is really a sword, and he’s really trying to save that princess. And then one day somebody told him, ‘No. There are no dragons. That’s not a sword. And that princess is not there.’ And all of his little dreams were dashed.”

“So as an actor, I feel like our job is to get back to the day where we see that dragon and we slay that dragon to save that princess. And that’s kind of what this movie was for me,” he concluded.

In June 2021, while discussing putting on the Captain America costume for the first time on the set of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, he told Variety, “The fear of representing a country who doesn’t represent you, you know, was something that’s not only unfathomable, but hard to overcome.”

“My dad always used to say greatness is as far as you can see it… There are limitations that we place on ourselves because of our surroundings,” he said. “And, you know, I did that to myself, and that’s definitely what Sam Wilson goes through.”

Mackie’s comments are not likely to boost the film’s struggling box office performance, which has already seen its projections scaled back. Shawn Robbins of Box Office Theory initially estimated the film’s domestic opening weekend earnings would land between $81 million and $107 million, with a specific forecast of $96 million. However, Robbins has since revised his predictions downward, now projecting a range of $81 million to $98 million, with $90 million as the most likely outcome.

Adding to this, The Hollywood Reporter suggested the film is expected to gross just over $90 million during the extended Valentine’s Day/President’s Day weekend. Their analysis appears to account for the full four-day holiday period, contrasting Robbins’ original estimates, which focus on the standard three-day weekend. For comparison, Robbins clarified that his four-day projection stands at $102 million.