Avengers: Endgame directors have responded to Anthony Mackie, who criticized the MCU for its lack of diversity. Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo have responded to Mackie’s comments in an interview with the MovieMaker podcast.
Mackie had told Variety last month that he’s frustrated with the lack of diversity behind the camera in MCU films. He went on to add that the one exception to this was 2018’s Black Panther. “That’s more racist than anything else,” he said.
During an interview, Joe Russo agreed, saying, “he’s not wrong.”
“I think we can always all do better at diversity constantly in this business in every facet of every industry, so he’s not wrong at all,” Joe said. “So I think that we all have to work harder to keep endorsing and supporting diversity on both sides of the camera.”
“We have a ton of respect for Anthony Mackie,” Anthony Russo added. “He’s not only an amazing actor, but he’s an amazing person, and we’ve loved our collaboration with him. He’s a very smart guy.”
Anthony Mackie has worked with the Russo brothers in multiple films since 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. “It really bothered me that I’ve done seven Marvel movies where every producer, every director, every stunt person, every costume designer, every PA, every single person has been white,” Mackie told Variety.
The actor also shared his misgivings about Black Panther’s diverse team. “If you only can hire the Black people for the Black movie, are you saying they’re not good enough when you have a mostly white cast?” he said.