Anthony Mackie admits Marvel stifles actors’ creativity

Can you accept that Anthony Mackie did what he thought was right? Mackie – who has played Sam Wilson aka Falcon (aka Captain America) across six films and one series – has close ties to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having first played the character a decade ago, but even with his place in the MCU, he knows that pretty much any creativity he wants to bring to Wilson will most like be stifled.

Speaking with Radio Times, 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…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.”

Mackie is primarily comparing his experiences with Marvel to working on the Twisted Metal series, where he’s given more freedom in fleshing out his character, John Doe, who is thrust into the world of carnage and souped-up death machines.

Mackie’s comments about how the structure of Marvel movies and characters works calls to mind Quentin Tarantino’s own take on the studio and part of what makes it work. “Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is…you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters…But they’re not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star. I mean, I’m not the first person to say that. I think that’s been said a zillion times…but it’s like, you know, it’s these franchise characters that become a star.”

Regardless of how much his input is heard, Anthony Mackie will be reprising the character for Marvel’s Phase Five installment Captain America: Brave New World, although many are still hoping for a second season of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Do you agree with Anthony Mackie’s assertion on Marvel characters? Are the actors able to give it their all within those restrictions? Share your thoughts below!