We’re now only a few weeks away from the release of Captain America: Brave New World, and Marvel fans everywhere are waiting on pins and needles to see Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson make his feature film debut as Captain America after taking over the mantle from Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers. Mackie first took on the mantle at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but now it’s his time to shine on the big screen. Promotion for the next MCU film is in full swing, and Mackie recently spoke at an event that was recorded and posted by redheddiaries on Instagram where he talked about what playing Captain America means to him, and what kind of mindset he tapped into to portray the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan.
Mackie explained that, “For me, 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.” He went on to say:

“Someone who is trustworthy and dependable. It’s kind of like an aspect of a dream come true. All of us as actors want to get back to that day before someone told you ‘no.’ When you look out your window, and you see a five-year-old kid with a stick, and he’s slaying dragons to save the princess in the tower, the kid really believes there are dragons out there, the kid really believes the stick is a sword, and he’s really trying to save that princess. And then one day, someone 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 think our job is to get back to that day where we see that dragon, and we slay that dragon to save that princess and that’s kind of what that movie was for me.”

There has been a push back on social media about Mackie’s comments here, but if you watch this video with an open heart, this is exactly what it means to be Captain America. The mantle of Captain America was created in the MCU when Dr. Erskine (Stanley Tucci) gave the super soldier serum to Steve Rogers all those years ago in Captain America: The First Avenger, not becasue he was strong like Hodge (Lex Shrapnel), but because he was a good man. After being Captain America for so long and spending the lion’s share of his life standing up for the little guy, Steve chose Sam to be the one to follow in his footsteps because he shares those same qualities, and Anthony Mackie knows exactly what it means to embody all the best parts of the hero himself, not the country painted on his shield.
Who Else Stars in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’?

Captain America: Brave New World will feature the MCU debut of two major stars: Harrison Ford and Giancarlo Esposito. The former will take over the role of Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross from the late William Hurt, and the latter will play the Marvel Comics villain known as Sidewinder. Brave New World will also feature the return of Incredible Hulk stars Liv Tyler and Tim Blake Nelson, who are back in the MCU for the first time since the 2008 film. Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torrres is also poised to take over the role of Falcon from Sam Wilson in the 2025 debut MCU film.
Captain America: Brave New World flies into theaters on February 14. Stay tuned to Collider for future MCU updates and find tickets below for a showtime of Brave New World near you.