The MCU has been criticised for its lack of representation since the very beginning. Anthony Mackie expresses his thoughts regarding it.
Anthony Mackie, who plays the role of Sam Wilson or Falcon in Marvel Cinematic Universe, has come down hard on the lack of people of colour in the cast and crew of MCU movies.
He said, “It really bothered me that I’ve done seven Marvel movies where every producer, every director, ever stunt person, every costume designer, every PA, every single person has been white.”
He took the example of Black Panther, an MCU movie that was widely praised for its all-black cast, strong female characters, and respectful depiction of African cultures, and said, “That’s more racist than anything else. Because if you only can hire the Black people for the Black movie, are you saying they’re not good enough when you have a mostly white cast?”
The MCU has been criticised for its lack of representation since the very beginning. Marvel Studios did not release a female-centric movie until Captain Marvel in 2019. And the only female superhero in the old guard of the Avengers — Black Widow — was more often than not sidelined in favour of male superheroes.
Black Panther’s release has sated those concerns somewhat, both in terms of inclusion of people of colour and strong female characters.
Mackie will reprise the role of the Falcon in the upcoming Disney+ TV series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It is scheduled to premiere in August 2020, though that might be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.