Anthony Mackie pushes back against idea of a Sam-Bucky romance

Anthony Mackie is officially the new Captain America, something he never thought would happen. “The idea of being Captain America was something that I never fathom, or because it was so so so far fetched,” the actor said on Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast. “I wanted to be in comic book movies so I could be the guy in ‘Spider-Man’ that goes, ‘It’s Spider Man!’ That was as far as my ambition could take me in that universe.”

"The fear of representing a country who doesn’t represent you, you know, was something that’s not only unfathomable, but hard to overcome. My dad always used to say greatness is as far as you can see it… There are limitations that we place on ourselves because of our surroundings. And, you know, I did that to myself, and that’s definitely what Sam Wilson goes through…Having if not one of my bucket lists, the bucket list moment happen, is not so much about becoming Captain America — it’s about having my dreams realized. It’s very humbling when, you know, you get the opportunity that you’ve always dreamed of."

Mackie’s Marvel character, Sam Wilson, became Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the second of three Marvel series to air so far on Disney+. And with that new notoriety comes new attention from fans, including some who have read an attraction between Sam and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).

This is a complicated topic. There’s a long history of fans imagining romantic attachments between characters — often of the same sex — where none was intended. Sometimes TV and movie studios will deliberately drop hints that characters are attracted to each other even though they never intend to follow through, in order to secure a queer audience — that’s called “queerbaiting.” Although I don’t think that was happening in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Mackie agrees: “Sam and Steve had a relationship where they admired, appreciated and loved each other,” he said. “Bucky and Sam have a relationship where they learn how to accept, appreciate and love each other. You’d call it a bromance, but it’s literally just two guys who have each other’s backs.”

Anthony Mackie thinks some Marvel fans are “exploit[ing]…homosexuality”

Nonetheless, some fans have taken to the idea of Sam and Bucky being a couple, as evidenced by the literally thousands of pieces of fan-fiction about the idea. Again, there’s a long history of queer fans taking popular narratives into their own hands in the absence of actual queer representation onscreen, which I get. I also get why Mackie would want to confirm that, at least as intended by the producers, Sam and Bucky are just friends. I’m less sure of him saying stuff like this:

"So many things are twisted and convoluted. There’s so many things that people latch on to with their own devices to make themselves relevant and rational. The idea of two guys being friends and loving each other in 2021 is a problem because of the exploitation of homosexuality. It used to be guys can be friends, we can hang out, and it was cool. You would always meet your friends at the bar, you know. You can’t do that anymore, because something as pure and beautiful as homosexuality has been exploited by people who are trying to rationalize themselves."

Now, it’s not clear who exactly Wilson is talking about here, but it seems to be the Marvel fans who are apt to read romance into the relationships between Sam and Bucky, Bucky and Steve Rogers, etc. I can understand how it might be strange to see fans take your work and interpret it in a way that doesn’t jive with how you understand it, but given the dearth of queer relationships in film and TV and how harmless it all is, I don’t think it’s worth it to around phrases like “the exploitation of homosexuality.” Nor do I know what he’s talking about when he says you can’t meet your friends at a bar anymore. Uh…yes you can?

Ultimately, I’m inclined to give Mackie the benefit of the doubt that he’s trying to make sense of a long-standing fan phenomenon that can seem strange if you’re not familiar with it, and that his heart is in the right place. “[S]omething that’s always been very important to me is showing a sensitive masculine figure,” he continued. “There’s nothing more masculine than being a superhero and flying around and beating people up. But there’s nothing more sensitive than having emotional conversations and a kindred spirit friendship with someone that you care about and love.”

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