Anthony Mackie has opened up about how the story of MCU's new Captain America. Mackie will next appear in Marvel Studios' Captain America: Brave New World in February 2025, marking his theatrical debut as Captain America after becoming the Star-Spangled-Man in Phase 4.

Captain America: Brave New World's release is heavily featured in the February 2025 issue of Empire Magazine, in which Anthony Mackie explains more about the movie's storyline. Mackie explains the difference between Brave New World and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, noting that while themes of race are still "subtext" in the former, "it's not the focus." Mackie, executive producer Nate Moore and Marvel Studios writer Malcolm Spellman all wanted to avoid repeating The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Mackie's new comments prove they have.

What [Captain America: Brave New World] is not, is The Falcon and the Winter Soldier 2.5. Being a Black man in America, that's something that you can't overlook because every day you walk out the house, you have to deal with it. It'll always be subtext, but it's not the focus. I think what we deal with in the show was specifically for the show.

What Anthony Mackie's Captain America 4 Story Comments Mean

Captain America: Brave New World Won't Make Sam Wilson's Race Such A Big Deal

Transitioning the Captain America mantle from Chris Evans' Steve Rogers to Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson was a pretty huge change for the MCU. Sam Wilson became one of the franchise's first legacy heroes and one of the first to adopt the same title as their predecessor, and it was hard to ignore the relevance of Sam Wilson's race during a time of monumental real-world turmoil for many. The fact that Sam Wilson is Black provided a hugely poignant and powerful narrative in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but this is hard to pull off effectively twice.

It makes sense that Marvel Studios would want to avoid repeating the same storyline from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in Captain America: Brave New World. Instead of focusing so much on Sam Wilson's race, it seems Brave New World will simply establish this evolution for the Captain America mantle as completely normal. Captain America is now Black, and accepting that frees up the movie to explore an honest-to-goodness Captain America story, pitting Sam Wilson against the likes of the Leader, Sidewinder and the Red Hulk instead of an unnecessary racially-motivated villain.

Our Take On Anthony Mackie's Captain America 4 Story Comments

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier Offered A More Personal Storyline

Told over six episodes in 2021, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was the perfect place to examine Sam Wilson on a deeper level and explore themes of racial injustice. While this will surely still play a role in Captain America: Brave New World, it's good that this won't be the key focus, as this would run the risk of simply re-doing the Phase 4 series' narrative. Sam Wilson is set to embark on a bigger and more action-packed adventure in 2025, which will cement him as the MCU's Captain America and truly see him fill Steve Rogers' shoes.

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Source: Empire Magazine