Anthony Mackie Wants His Captain America to Be for Kids What Christopher Reeves’ Superman Was to Him

For Anthony Mackie’s cinematic journey as Captain America, it was important to take not just the mantle but also Sam Wilson’s experiences along with him. In an interview with BlackTreeTV, the actor looked back on what makes Wilson the natural choice to be this generation’s Cap.

“There are two words that kept coming up during the shoot of this movie between Julius [Onah] and I … empathy and compassion,” Mackie told the channel of his close collaboration with the film’s director. “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.”

As Marvel fans know, so much has led to where Wilson is in Captain America: Brave New World. That includes Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which solidified a fate years in the making since Wilson’s debut in the MCU. “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,” Mackie said. “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.”

And that fact is something that should be normalized despite the current political climate. “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,” Mackie said. “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.”

Mackie continued to describe how it’s important for kids to see what heroes represent no matter who holds the shield. “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.”

In approaching the role, Mackie took a cue from one of his own childhood heroes. “When I was a kid one of my favorite superheroes was Superman—like, I grew up wanting to be Christopher Reeves,” he said. “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.”

Captain America: Brave New World opens February 14.

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