Someone Tried To Fact-Check Anthony Mackie About His Family Upbringing, And It Didn’t End Well In The Comments
As Anthony Mackie reflected on his journey to becoming Captain America, some people questioned the details in his story.
On Feb. 6, Anthony attended the Captain America: Brave New World Atlanta tour stop at Morehouse College to discuss the highly-anticipated release of his new film.
He’s set to reprise his role as Sam Wilson in the latest installment. After officially stepping in as Captain America, he’s called into action when an international incident strikes.
While speaking with moderator and host Fly Guy DC, the MCU star shared a revelation about his father that showed just how proud Anthony was of his career trajectory thus far.
“My father was told he had to drop out of school in eighth grade to pick cotton with my grandfather,” Anthony said in a viral clip. “And I’m Captain America.”
“So, when you look at it that way, it hits different,” he added
He recalled going to Morehouse College on multiple occasions to visit his older brother Calvin. He became so close with his brother’s friends that they eventually became like mentors to Anthony.
Fans were drawn to his story, but some people couldn’t get over the statement about his father picking cotton. So much so, that they even tried to call him out and “catch him in a lie” as they pulled up screenshots of his Wikipedia page:
Many questioned the validity of his father picking cotton, despite it being the 1960s, according to their math. But what they might not realize is people were still picking cotton during that time, up until the mid-to-late ’60s, to be exact. Although mechanical cotton pickers began to take over in the 1940s and 1950s, there were still parts of the US that benefited from hand-picked cotton.
The image below is from 1960, and it captured a man picking cotton on a plantation in Georgia. Not all sharecroppers had access to the machines, which is another reason labor workers and slaves were used to pick the fields.
Still, there were still commenters who thought Anthony was “playing the victim” due to how his life turned out and the entrepreneurial business his father was able to create:
While others just viewed it as him sharing his humble beginnings. Many chimed in to support Anthony and help debunk all the naysayers:
Whew, this was a lot to take in! What do you think about Anthony’s statement and the reactions? Let me know in the comments!
Anthony Mackie reflects on his family’s past when playing Captain America:
“My father was told he had to drop out of school in eight grade to pick cotton with my grandfather, and I’m Captain America. When you look at it that way, it hits different”
(Source: theauccentralllc/IG) pic.twitter.com/sELf1ptWym
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 7, 2025
AUC / Eli Ade / © Marvel / © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection / Twitter: @DiscussingFilm
