During an extensive interview with Esquire, Captain America: Brave New World star Anthony Mackie was asked about reprising the role of Sam Wilson for his first big-screen outing wielding the iconic shield.
Mackie - who has seen the movie in full - addressed some of the negativity surrounding the fourth Captain America adventure that arose from reports of extensive reshoots and lukewarm/negative test-screenings.
“It’s literally the best movie it can be. It stays in the lines of Marvel. It stays in the lines of Captain America, and it’s fun and it’s big.”
“Every movie that Marvel has made, every movie that DC has made—Star Wars, Star Trek, Disney—has done reshoots,” he added."
The actor was also asked about the "inevitable" comparisons that will be drawn between President Ross/Red Hulk (Harrison Ford) and President Donald Trump.
“I hope, as a country, we’re tired of all the political jousting,” Mackie said. “Let’s just go to the movies and chill the f*ck out. We could’ve made this motherf*cker yellow and it would’ve been a problem.”
We haven't actually noticed anyone comparing Rulk to Trump, but perhaps Esquire knowns something about the character we don't!
Finally, Mackie shared his thoughts on the next big MCU event, Avengers: Doomsday.
“What you don’t want is Infinity War and Endgame 2.0,” he says. “The Russos, they’re so smart, and they have such a hold on this universe and the history and the comic books that I know they have an idea. I mean, they better have an idea. I don’t know how you put all those people onscreen together and make it work.”
Esquire also spoke to Doomsday co-director Anthony Russo about Sam Wilson's role in the next Avengers films and his MCU future in general.
“He represents a unique space in the Avengers spectrum. And that’s the greatest thing, because sooner or later the collective storytelling is going to be in that space he occupies.”
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.
Captain America: Brave New World also stars Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, with Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford. The film is directed by Julius Onah and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore. Louis D’Esposito and Charles Newirth serve as executive producers.
Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World opens in U.S. theaters on February 14, 2025.