Waving the Flag: Captain America and Patriotism in the MCU
Everyone has heard Anthony Mackie’s recent statement about Captain America having nothing to do with America and his clarification in which he basically said the same thing again. In my piece about that, I referenced a quote from Joe Johnston, the director of Captain America: The First Avenger, in which he said that the Cap of the movies “is not a flag-waver,” suggesting he was not the patriot his name implies. That sentiment is a mistake; taking the patriotism out of Captain America makes him something other than Captain America (which makes sense in Sam Wilson’s case, but that’s another issue). I recall dreading seeing the movie version of the character back then, and when Avengers: Endgame rolled around, and people were guessing who would die, I was convinced Hollywood wouldn’t pass up a chance to kill a character named Captain America.
What’s amusing (and, at the time, refreshing) is that the Captain America of the MCU is quite patriotic. It’s subtle, of course – God forbid they have a hero love America too openly – but there is a consistent theme of how Steve Rogers represents the best of America and what that means to the world throughout all of his MCU appearances. I’ve written about this before, but Cap starts by opposing not just fascism and authoritarianism but globalism, represented by Hydra and the Red Skull, emerging from Naziism and looking to a future where “there are no flags.” And when Red Skull says this, Captain America proudly declares that the elimination of nationalistic flags is “not in [his] future.” When he awakens in the modern era, Cap laments a country that lost its way and doubts his place in it, wondering if the Stars and Stripes are “a little old-fashioned,” but ultimately realizes how necessary that symbol is, that a lost world is what needs the soul of America the most. Then, he faces down the forces of fascism that hope to take hold of his country, wresting it back from the Hydra holdovers that have infested and secretly run the government (a sort of Deep State, if you will) and handing it back to the people. He understands the zeal of Avengers enemies Wanda and Pietro Maximoff because he, too, subjected himself to scientific experiments “to protect [his] country.” During the Avengers schism in Civil War, Cap is all about individual liberties, defending them to the death from yet another fascistic force rising in the government. Then, he comes up against Thanos, the ultimate authoritarian who will force his will on the universe because he’s convinced he knows better than everyone else. Cap ends up being the only one who eventually knocks Thanos on his ass because he’s the only human who can pick up Mjolnir… the embodiment of America is worthy of the gods, and by extension, so is the country he represents.
Throughout the films, we also see how others look up to Captain America. He becomes a symbol during World War II, but he doesn’t embody that symbol until he puts himself on the frontlines to rescue his fellow soldiers, and they turn from mocking the guy in the funny costume to cheering for Captain America. The Avengers unite behind him because, one by one, they see the qualities in him that they lack, all while he’s learning the importance of the American Flag as a symbol to inspire good in the world around him. His plea for the patriotic SHIELD agents who haven’t been consumed by Hydra to stand up to the monsters in their midst and fight for freedom brings out the best in the lowliest of tech nerds and leads to a revolution against big government fascism. His refusal to submit to overreaching government forces wins over fellow Avenger Black Widow and former opponent Black Panther, another man who gets the importance of a national symbol. And there are small instances of this, like the little boy who recognizes him in the museum in Winter Soldier or the waitress in The Avengers who tells the news cameras, “Captain America saved my life.” But perhaps my favorite is Scott Lang’s deep admiration for Captain America and all he stands for. From the moment they meet in Civil War, Scott is in absolute awe of Steve Rogers, never able to call him “Cap” unless he’s trying to show off for Hope Van Dyne (who sees right through him). Scott is the average American in those moments, a guy who’s made plenty of mistakes but wants to be his best, and he sees that goal in Captain America. When he’s nervous about testing the time machine in Endgame, Cap tells him, “You got this,” and a suddenly confident Scott says, “ You’re right; I do, Captain America.” This is what Captain America means to people, or rather, what America means, embodied by Cap.
And, considering Anthony Mackie’s comments and the probable direction of the next film, what about Sam Wilson? Sam is another character who reveres Captain America; in fact, he’s spurred on by Cap to be a hero. When they meet, Sam knows that Steve Rogers is Captain America, as does the rest of the world, and he amusingly gets outrun by him when they jog together. But when Cap starts talking to him about his service, Sam stops seeing the symbol and sees the man, and this is what really makes him believe, just like those soldiers in World War II. He gets Captain America because he gets the man who holds the shield, and the symbol comes to life for him. Sam, you see, is a patriot, a man who fought and bled for his country, and seeing that in Captain America means something to him. When he offers to join Steve and Natasha on their mission against Hydra/SHIELD, Cap tells him he can’t ask him to do it, that he’d come home from his war and had no reason to give anything else for his country, and Sam says, simply, “Captain America needs my help; there’s no better reason to get back in.” Sam knows his country needs him again because Captain America needs him; it’s the same to him, like it is to everyone. The very character Anthony Mackie plays (and he played him very well before Marvel started sucking) understands that Captain America represents his country and soldiers like him, and that’s why he follows the man.
Sam Wilson was drastically changed in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to the point where he’s basically an entirely different character. It seems Anthony Mackie is more in tune with this Sam than the previous one, or at least is selling this one because he’s what we’ve got now. That’s a real shame, and despite reports of a Marvel sea change from Chris Gore, I don’t expect much patriotism from Captain America in the future, whoever he may be. But once upon a time, Marvel – despite their declarations to the contrary in the press – understood this character, and we had a real Captain America on the screen.
Let us know what you think of the MCU’s Captain America in the comments!
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