Marvel has produced some of the highest-earning franchises in history. The films and shows produced by the studio are among the best in the genre. However, producing such content requires discipline and commitment to the source material. Marvel’s creative freedom is limited due to the vast amount of material in the comic books, making it a challenging environment for producing great content. Captain America: Brave New World star Anthony Mackie has revealed what makes acting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe different from his work on the Peacock series Twisted Metal.
Anthony Mackie Talks About Lack of Creative Freedom in the MCU
Anthony Mackie in Twisted Metal (2023). Image Credit: Peacock
In a recent interview with Radio Times, Anthony Mackie, who will soon helm Captain America was asked about whether his long-standing role in the MCU prepared him for adapting a beloved brand such as Twisted Metal, which is based on the Sony PlayStation game of the same name.
Mackie said,
“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.”
When asked whether Mackie and his fellow producers had the freedom to introduce characters or unexpectedly kill people, Mackie replied,
“Exactly. 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 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.'”
Fans took to Twitter to show support to the MCU star. Here are some of the fans tweets.
Yeah we can tell by the quality of their product
— Vinny Talks' ERA (@vinnytalks_) March 27, 2024
Mackie is spilling the tea pic.twitter.com/EDcUpyxYpC
— Geek Vibes Nation (@GeekVibesNation) March 27, 2024
I don’t love Mackie’s performances, but his opinions about modern movies are spot on.
— BurgessBoston (@BurgessBoston) March 27, 2024
In Marvel Creative freedom is only allowed while converting normal things into woke
— Mod (@LFC_Modd) March 27, 2024
Has any Marvel actor say anything good about working with Disney / Mcu? Hahahahah
— Kyle Fletcher (@KFLETCH___) March 27, 2024
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Not Getting Season 2, Disappointed Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). Image Credit: Marvel Entertainment
Anthony Mackie expressed disappointment that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a 2021 Disney Plus streaming series, did not receive a second season. Mackie’s character, Sam Wilson, took on the role of Captain America after the timeline-tinkering of Avengers: Endgame. The show was one of the MCU’s first forays into streaming television.
The show also starred Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes and Daniel Brühl as the villainous Helmut Zemo. You might remember the meme-worthy moment when Zemo was dancing in a nightclub.
Looking back on it now, Mackie said,
“The Falcon and [the] Winter Soldier, I really enjoyed doing that show. I was actually excited to do a second season, just so me and Sebastian [Stan] can get paid to hang out. Because it’s like me, him and Daniel Brühl. It’s kind of like the perfect storm of happiness. When they decided to go back to the movies, it is what it is, but I don’t have my friends anymore, so it kind of dampens it a little bit.” (Via RadioTimes)
Making it clear that he’ll miss the TV show’s cast, Mackie added, “Anything I can do to hang out with Daniel, a dancing Daniel Brühl, makes me very happy.”
Fans also seemed to enjoy that combo of characters in the show, however instead of returning for a second season, the MCU bosses have sent Mackie’s Sam Wilson back to the big screen for 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World movie.
