Anthony Mackie clarifies views on Marvel’s lack of diversity: ‘It’s an unawareness problem’

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Anthony Mackie has clarified his comments after calling out Marvel for failing to hire more black crew members on any film other than Black Panther.

The actor, who has played the Falcon since 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Solider, initially said that only “[hiring] the black people for the black movie” could suggest that “they’re not good enough when you have a mostly white cast”.

Now, in a new interview with Fatherly, Mackie has explained that he believes – in Marvel’s case – this is ”an unawareness problem” as opposed to “a racism problem”.

“With Marvel, I really think with most companies, they feel like they’re doing what they should be doing. In no way, shape, or form, is it enough,” Mackie said.

“My big thing is, put your money where your mouth is. You can’t cast a black dude as one of your main superheroes and not expect him to have that conversation. It’s just in my DNA to have that conversation.”

Mackie continued: “It’s a huge opportunity for me to be part of the Marvel universe, so it’s my job to make sure the Marvel universe is as good as it can be.”