In a recent interview, Captain America star Anthony Mackie has opened up about the difficulty of working in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when it comes to creativity.
One of the most popular heroes in Marvel Comics, Captain America is responsible for some of the most beloved films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), and Captain America: Civil War (2016).
Now, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) has passed on the patriotic mantle to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). After first donning the red-white-and-blue in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Mackie is set to lead his first MCU film with Captain America: Brave New World (2025). However, a recent interview shows that working with Marvel Studios isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Anthony Mackie Reflects on Challenges With the MCU
In the UK release of Mackie’s hit show Twisted Metal, the Avengers: Endgame (2019) actor opened up about the differences between working on a video game movie and working in the MCU, specifically when it comes to creative liberties.
“I would say the Marvel thing is completely different, just because it’s such a space of controlled entertainment. Like, there’s only so much you can do. There’s only so much creativity you can bring to the table, because Stan Lee gave us so much content. Whereas with this [Twisted Metal], it was like, ‘There’s a guy and a girl… go!’ So we were really able to build the world around it.”
While it can undoubtedly be frustrating that there isn’t as much room to take risks, that doesn’t mean the process isn’t satisfying. It just requires working different muscles.
“And that’s the hard thing about the Marvel universe. It’s like, you can’t really go outside of the lines of those comic books… You know, when we introduced the Falcon, and the growth of the Falcon to Captain America, all of that had to coincide with what Stan Lee had already gave us. So it’s an interesting juggle to be a part of that world. And this was more like, ‘Let’s just have fun and figure it out as we go.’”
‘Captain America: Brave New World’ is an Important Point For Marvel
With Marvel Studios in full recovery mode, Captain America: Brave New World needs to succeed more than ever. Currently, the film is undergoing reshoots, going so far as to bring in a new writer.
Fortunately, the film has an incredible cast, including Mackie, Danny Ramirez as the new Falcon, Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, and Shira Haas as Sabra. On top of this, multiple characters from The Incredible Hulk (2008) are returning, including Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), and Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford).