Hollywood star Anthony Mackie wants fans to leave their politics at the door when they go to the movies, especially when it comes to the “Red Hulk” character in his upcoming Disney Marvel movie Captain America: Brave New World.
Fans are comparing Red Hulk — the alter-ego of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, played by Harrison Ford — to President Donald Trump in the online chatter leading up to the movie’s release in February.
“I hope, as a country, we’re tired of all the political jousting,” Mackie told Esquire when asked about the comparisons. “Let’s just go to the movies and chill the fuck out. We could’ve made this motherfucker yellow and it would’ve been a problem.”
This is not the first time Marvel has tried to distance the upcoming film from real-world politics. In July 2024, a Brave New World trailer was re-edited to remove footage of an assassination attempt on Ford’s character in the aftermath of the Butler, PA, attack where then-candidate Trump was shot in the ear and supporter Corey Comperatore was murdered.
Mackie’s press tour for the latest Captain America movie has hit some rough patches.
The actor recently appeared to trash the United States in a recent interview.
“Captain America represents a lot of different things and I don’t think the term ‘America’ should be one of those representations,” he said. “It’s about a man who keeps his word, who has honor, dignity, and integrity, someone who is trustworthy and dependable.”
Mackie later walked back the comment, saying “I’m a proud American.”
Captain America: Brave New World represents Mackie’s first cinematic turn as the title character following Chris Evans. Mackie has previously played Captain America in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
