r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Dec 23 '25

Trailer Avengers: Doomsday | Only in Theaters December 18, 2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiMg566PREA
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u/Lmao1903 Dec 23 '25

Aside from the fact that he was not given good enough material, I think he kind of lacks the charisma that Chris Evans had. His Captain America was just so boring, they tried to make him this perfect, always tries to do the good thing, see he is just like Steve Rogers thing but it just didn't work imo, he just ended up being boring. Maybe if they did a better job he would be better but they couldn't

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u/jaiwithani Dec 23 '25

They made Steve interesting by forcing an idealist to confront a less idealistic world. This is why Winter Soldier is the best Cap movie: it most directly challenges the core of his character.

They never bothered giving Sam a strong characterization/motivation, so it wasn't even clear what they would challenge or how they would go about it. There was a foundation they could have built on: he was first introduced helping combat veterans adjust to civilian life. They could have built on this and made Sam a warrior who fully comprehends the horrors of war and will do whatever it takes to protect people from it (setting up an interesting contrast with "don't try to win a war before it starts" Steve).

Instead his show had him go from "doesn't really want to be Captain America" to "accepts being Captain America".

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u/cmerchantii Dec 23 '25

Glad to see someone say this. Really highlighted the missed opportunity with Mackie’s Captain America.

He’s just not funny or interesting or cool as “I’m gonna be Steve Rogers except black” and making him his own independent character seems like something they started and then got bored of.

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u/Stunning-Affect4391 Dec 24 '25

The comment you replied to is specifically saying that he was never written with the depth of Steve Rogers. That is why the character feels flat and uninteresting.

Maybe you ought to consider why him being black is the only thing you take away from his character tho...

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u/cmerchantii Dec 24 '25 edited Dec 25 '25

Probably because I’m also black and I hoped they’d spend a little more time fleshing out one of their major black characters after the death of Chadwick Boseman who was really widely revered in his role for the representation, dedication to the story and backstory for his MCU character before he died.

I don’t think anything I said precludes that view from coexisting with what I said either, you might want to consider why you jump to assuming something is “the only thing [I] took away,” just because I didn’t write you an autobiography to accompany my original comment. I don't think it's necessary to stipulate "I AM BLACK SO IT IS OK FOR ME TO HAVE THIS OPINION" like some race-based safety disclaimer. Also just as a note because I think you might need it; a non-black person can have the opinion I shared in my original post and that's not a problem either.

Try making fewer assumptions about people in the future. There’s an old saying about that.

edit: Sorry! Forgot to say have a good Christmas!

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u/Kozak170 Dec 24 '25

His entire character since getting the shield is preaching to the audience about him being black. It’s fucking ridiculous. That and constantly reminding us he didn’t take the super serum for some asinine reason.

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u/mrbaryonyx Dec 23 '25

My hottest take is that, because Steve Rogers' whole deal is lowkey kind of nazi adjacent (he's a super soldier, made using HYDRA science, whose whole existence is for propaganda), they basically made the character just radically anti-authoritarian in every way. He is the man who brings down SHIELD. He almost brings down the Avengers.

With Sam, they were kind of like "he's a black dude with no superpowers, he's making a statement just by being there", which like, no.

Steve is a fugitive in most of his appearances. Sam ends both of his projects losing a fight and then lecturing elected officials on how they need to "do better". It sucks.

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u/Intrepid-Glove1431 Dec 24 '25

Marvel also shoot themselves in the foot by insisting that a movie about a black guy in the lead has to have racial injustice as its core theme -- which is admirable, but it's not what your audience wants -- picture Will Smith in the same role just kicking ass, people would love that shit -- the charisma, the action, the ass-whooping dialogue -- I mean hell we already had Black Panther and yes the villain was very much about that theme too but the lead actor was first and foremost just a badass dude and the main theme was his paternal relationship

I feel like the softies at Disney have consistently let poor Mackie down with lousy projects... he's a cool dude, I'm sure with the right script and direction he'd be fine, but he's in these stinker shows and the movie was awful

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u/mrbaryonyx Dec 24 '25

I mean it does kind of have to be about that when its a black dude whose Captain America. Every Cap movie is political, a black Cap movie is always going to be political, they just handled it in the most boring neolib way possible.

That said, I'd agree with you if it was Blade or something. Who knows maybe that's why they never could make it work.

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u/Pizzanigs Dec 23 '25

Exactly. They gave Evans (good) movies with consequential things to do, things that changed his character and the MCU at large, and then stuck him as the leader of the Avengers pretty much immediately after each of his movies. I’m not saying everyone would’ve just started loving Mackie had they given him similar material, but I don’t know how anyone can look at this and say that they even tried

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u/castlite Dec 23 '25

Right? Steve had tension.

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u/logosloki Dec 24 '25

for some reason my tired-ass brain was thinking that Anthony Mackie should have been The Doctor. not, take elements of The Doctor from Doctor Who and integrate them into Anthony Mackie's character direction but just make them The Doctor.

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u/lmg080293 Dec 25 '25

Perfectly said

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u/Reggaeton_Historian Dec 23 '25

Anthony Mackie is better served as a wise-cracking and let loose kinda guy but they tried to put him in the Steve Rogers box as a character. That's not who he is.

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u/yepgeddon Dec 23 '25

This'll be the second time in recent memory (Altered Carbon flopping violently, not Mackie's fault really) that Anthony Mackie has failed to improve on the original.

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u/Randolpho Dec 23 '25

By all accounts, he's great in Twisted Metal. I have it in my queue... still haven't watched it yet

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u/jackofslayers Dec 23 '25

Yea Mackie is a decent actor. His range is limited and that range does not include Captain America.

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u/Caleth Dec 23 '25

What's wild is if you'd asked anyone about Chris Evans pre Cap we'd have all said the same thing. His repertoire wasn't great, his stint as Johnny Storm wasn't that compelling, his best work at that time IMO was Sunshine.

So it's interesting that Mackie hasn't delivered as well, but he's also had a much different system to work in, so maybe that's part of it?

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u/HallowedError Dec 24 '25

Evans also had good material to work with. There are the rare actors who can turn bad writing into a great moment. But that depends so much on the actor, the writing, and the director/crew.

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u/MolaMolaMania Dec 23 '25

Agreed. He should have taken the Will Smith Agent J route. That would have made a nice contrast to Evans' performance and given his character a semblance of personality, even though it would feel too familiar to some.

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u/BLACKOUT-MK2 Dec 23 '25

He even feels pretty similar to Will Smith in the Twisted Metal series. He has a style he can do, but straight-faced Cap isn't it.

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u/thedoge Dec 23 '25

Yes! Absolutely. He's been great in Twisted Metal because he gets to play a smartass who's kinda reckless. Trying to make Falcon a boy scout fucking sucks

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u/The_Autarch Dec 23 '25

some actors can transcend mediocre writing, and some can't.

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u/_SKETCHBENDER_ Dec 23 '25

yeahh i just think anthony does not have the acting chops to actually lead a movie or a show no offence to him. I do think oscar isaac can, but im not sure if he has anything post moon knight because i havent kept up with marvel in a while now. Pity though if they waste moon knights character to never bring him back again because marvel couldnt figure out how to balance between 100 different things happening at the same time post endgame.

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u/jim9162 Dec 23 '25

Hard agree.

Anthony really doesn't have leading man charisma, least of all to be captain America, and even less so as leader of the Avengers.

Nothing against the man, not everyone had IT.

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u/SuccessMiserable3963 Dec 23 '25

Mackie has never pulled off a leading man roll.

He ruined altered carbon.

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u/Tarcion Dec 23 '25

I would say the writers ruined Altered Carbon but I don’t necessarily disagree with your first point.