Though Marvel’s “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” had enough social justice sermonizing to fill a diversity seminar, actor Anthony Mackie wanted to reference “Make America Great Again.”
Speaking via Zoom at a drive-in event at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Saturday night, Mackie said that he wanted his character to reference “Make America Great Again” during his final speech in the finale episode, according to Variety.
“With all of the protests and everything that went on in 2020, there were just as many brown people as black people as white people, as Asian people. Everyone, everyone in this country at this time wants to see a change, and that monologue sums that up a beautiful way,” said Mackie. “One thing I wanted to put at the end of the monologue — and it got shot down — was if we’re going to ‘make America great again,’ it has to be done by Americans. And no matter what your race, creed, color or sexuality is, you’re an American. And that’s what I think the new Captain America captures.”
As The Daily Wire highlighted, “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” went to great lengths to push a woke message by questioning whether it was appropriate for a black man to become Captain America:
Marvel didn’t always see such a conflict of interest between black heroes and the U.S. (a point we’ll return to in a minute), but there’s no question the latest version of Sam is decidedly woke. From a bank denying him a loan, to his sister saying her world “doesn’t matter to America,” to a subplot about a former black super-soldier who now hates his country,” the series is chock-full of suggestions little has changed since segregation. When an antagonist calls Cap’s red, white and blue shield a “monument to a bygone era, a reminder of all the people history left out,” Sam’s expression makes it clear he sympathizes with her views.
There’s some evidence fans aren’t thrilled with the MCU’s new direction. According to a report from popular YouTube personality and independent entertainment journalist Overlord DVD, viewers tuned out of FATWS “in droves” during one very particular moment — in the second episode when it becomes clear the story will hinge on BLM’s outlook on America.
In June of last year, Anthony Mackie scolded the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for essentially segregating the movie “Black Panther” to be the only movie with a primarily black crew.
“When ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ comes out, I’m the lead,” Mackie said. “When ‘Snowpiercer’ came out, you’re the lead. We have the power and the ability to ask those questions. It really bothered me that I’ve done seven Marvel movies where every producer, every director, every stunt person, every costume designer, every PA, every single person has been white.”
“We’ve had one black producer; his name was Nate Moore,” Mackie continued. “He produced ‘Black Panther.’ But then when you do ‘Black Panther,’ you have a black director, black producer, a black costume designer, a black stunt choreographer. And I’m like, that’s more racist than anything else. Because if you only can hire the black people for the black movie, are you saying they’re not good enough when you have a mostly white cast?”
Related: New Captain America Says to Expect More Social Justice from Marvel