The Falcon and the Winter Soldier may be over, but series star Anthony Mackie has inadvertently sparked a social media backlash today. During a new feature with Variety, Mackie was asked about the small, but vocal, subset of fandom asking for a romance between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. However, Mackie’s remarks may not have been as diplomatic as he had hoped.
“So many things are twisted and convoluted,” said Mackie. “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.”
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It should be noted that the Sam and Bucky are friends in the comics, and nothing more. Their relationship has been more antagonistic in the MCU. But The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finally brought them to a place where they could be friends. And as Mackie pointed out, that doesn’t necessarily translate to romance.
“So something that’s always been very important to me is showing a sensitive masculine figure,” said Mackie. “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.”
Regardless, the social media pushback was swift.
anthony mackie when he saw people shipping sam & bucky pic.twitter.com/3XxxEfOcTN
— ally (@gothamcitysircn) June 17, 2021
please stop asking about gay shipping in 2021 i would prefer to be blithely unaware that anthony mackie is so uncomfortable with queer readings of his character that he thinks he can’t hang out at a bar with his dude friends. https://t.co/qEhOfoOfVZ
— katsian andor (@dogunderwater) June 17, 2021
I couldn’t help myself when Anthony Mackie said something so stupid pic.twitter.com/xTCOy0d7S6
— jay ✦⁺ (@pineapplebreads) June 17, 2021
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Anthony Mackie waited until pride month to talk about how annoying it is for gay people with virtually no representation in the MCU to head cannon their faves as gay
— (@theSNYDERVERSE) June 17, 2021
I get the point Anthony Mackie was trying to make but he definitely should’ve worded it better. Its totally not wrong for gay people to wish to see representation on the big screen, in the world’s biggest franchise. Also idk why he compared being a Superhero to being masculine…
— advit² | Return era (@AdvitInHiding) June 17, 2021
What do you think about Anthony Mackie’s remarks and the social media response? Let us know in the comment section below!
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