What Is Anthony Mackie Trying To Say About Sam And Bucky’s Relationship?

Anthony Mackie shoulders a pretty substantial burden in the MCU going forward. He’s embodying Sam Wilson/Falcon, who finally got his day in Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Solder season finale. The show really made the MCU earn Sam’s position as a Black man holding Captain America’s shield, and it was no easy feat for Sam to show that the government wanted to put almost anyone else (who was white) in the position, but it worked out in the end. The show deftly handled the issue of systemic racism in America. As far as some of the other issues go, well, that did not go as smoothly.

[Deep breath.] In a nutshell, it’s safe to say that the writers of the show went for a buddy-comedy vibe but also paid lip service to fan fiction by suggesting, ever so playfully, that Sam and Bucky Barnes could be a romantic item. This was heavily implied in places, with the two formally being made to endure couple’s therapy while bickering as if they were truly married. And when they fell off a train, the writers had them rolling around in a field together. And then the writers went and made Bucky sweet on Sam’s sister, rather than Sam, and it would be understandable if some fans felt that the rug had been yanked out from underneath them.

So, that’s why it’s difficult to process what Mackie said (during a Variety podcast) on the subject of Sam and Bucky’s relationship. Variety tweeted out a partial quote with Mackie stating, “It used to be guys can be friends, we can hang out, and it was cool.” He added, “You can’t do that anymore, because something as pure and beautiful as homosexuality has been exploited by people who are trying to rationalize themselves.”

— Variety (@Variety) June 17, 2021

This didn’t make much sense, and this led to people wondering what on earth Mackie was saying. Was this like the Sirius XM interview where Mackie admitted to being confused about Easter eggs and kind-of suggesting that he’d really rather just focus on the script and not worry too much about the outside noise Stick with me here for some more digging, but first, here’s how the Variety tweet led to a lot of “huh” reactions.

— audrey (@audz_2) June 17, 2021

huh pic.twitter.com/B5qVykl3yS

— morgan ४ loki era (@nationalperrie) June 17, 2021