Anthony Mackie Clarifies Remarks About Captain America Not Representing 'the Term America': 'I'm a Proud American'

Anthony Mackie is speaking out after going viral over comments he made about Captain America at a recent event for Captain America: Brave New World.

On Tuesday, Jan. 28, Mackie, 46, shared a statement on his Instagram Stories that read, "Let me be clear about this, I'm a proud American and taking on the shield of a hero like CAP is the honor of a lifetime. I have the utmost respect for those who serve and have served our country."

Multiple outlets have recapped Mackie's recent comments at an event to promote Brave New World, the fourth Captain America solo film, held in Rome. Some social media users appeared to take issue with Mackie for stating: "For me, Captain America represents a lot of different things, and I don't think the term 'America' should be one of those representations," in a clip that has circulated on X.

"CAP has universal characteristics that people all over the world can relate to," Mackie elaborated in his Instagram Stories on Jan. 28.

The actor previously starred across Chris Evans' Steve Rogers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before his character Sam Wilson took on the Captain America title.

At the Rome event, Mackie said he believes the character's stories are "about a man who keeps his word, who has honor, dignity and integrity, someone who is trustworthy and dependable."

Related: Anthony Mackie Was Surprised How 'Normal' Harrison Ford Is: He'd 'Chill with Us Like a Regular Person'

"It's kind of like an aspect of a dream coming true, when I was a kid — all of us as actors, I believe, want to get back to that day before someone told you, 'No,' " Mackie said at the time. "When you look out your door and you see a 5-year-old kid with a stick and he's slaying dragons to save the princess in a tower, that kid really believes there's dragons out there, that stick is really a sword and he's really trying to save that princess. And then one day, somebody told him, 'No. There's no dragons, that's not a sword and that princess is not there.' "

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"And all of his little dreams were dashed," he added. "As an actor, I feel like our job is to get back to the day where we see that dragon and we slay that dragon to save that princess, and that's kind of what this movie was for me."

Related: Sebastian Stan Says He Misses Anthony Mackie ‘Daily’ and Teases Whether He Will Appear in Captain America 4

The Captain America character is frequently depicted at odds with the U.S. government, including in Mackie and Evans' entries The Winter Soldier, Civil War and throughout the most recent two Avengers films.

In the upcoming Brave New World, Mackie's character Sam attempts to repair his relationship with Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) after Ross is elected U.S. president. Ford, 82, inherits that role from William Hurt, who died in 2022.

Captain America: Brave New World releases in theaters Feb. 14.

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