Anthony Mackie Wants His Captain America to Inspire Kids Like Christopher Reeve’s Superman Inspired Him

Anthony Mackie talks about stepping into the role of Captain America in Captain America: Brave New World, and what he wants his version of the superhero to be for kids, and the heart behind the character.

In a recent interview with BlackTreeTV, Mackie reflected on what makes Sam Wilson the right person to take up the mantle, emphasizing the values that define him.

He said: “There are two words that kept coming up during the shoot of this movie between Julius [Onah] and I … empathy and compassion.

“I never put together just how compassionate [the character] was and how empathetic he was to the situation of all the people around him. And that was something that I really focused on with this movie and this incarnation of Sam, because I want people to see him grow in every single movie.”

This journey of growth has been years in the making. Since his debut in the MCU, Sam Wilson has evolved from a veteran counselor supporting soldiers to the man Steve Rogers chose to wield the shield.

Mackie went on tho say: “When we first saw Sam Wilson, he was a counselor. He was a veteran. He was a facilitator, a supporter of soldiers and that was something that was very important for me.”

“Keeping that all the way through the storyline up until this movie there were certain aspects of his being certain ways, of him interacting with people, that I wanted to hone in on in this movie because we now get to see Sam Wilson fully accept and fully take the shield. There’s no more question, he is Captain America.”

Mackie also knows representation matters, and he’s aware of what it means for audiences, especially the kids, and he explains:

“I think the idea of representation is is important because of the fact it gives you the opportunity to see people in a different light than what you might think.

“You know what I mean? Like it’s important for my sons to watch the Wonder Woman movie. It’s important for my son’s friends to see a Black dude as Captain America.”

He also says that it’s about the universal values superheroes embody, saying: “It changes your perspective. It changes your insight. That’s why I say, ‘You know, Captain America is just the moniker.’ He represents everything that’s good inside of us.”

That’s what Mackie connected with as a kid when watching Christopher Reeve as Superman. He added:

“When I was a kid one of my favorite superheroes was Superman—like, I grew up wanting to be Christopher Reeves. Yeah, I didn’t care he was a white dude. I didn’t care he’s from another planet.

“It was the humanity of the character that I connected with. Sam Wilson is the best part of all of us. And that’s what people gravitate to and that’s what people connect with.”

Wilson officially took on the mantle of Captain America in the finale of Marvel’s The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. In the film, “After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident.

“He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.”

The film is directed by Julius Onah and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore.

Captain America: Brave New World opens in U.S. theaters on February 14, 2025.