The actor, who plays Sam Wilson/Captain America in the upcoming film "Captain America: Brave New World" film, took to Instagram on Tuesday with a statement he shared in a story about what the role means to him and expressing his appreciation for those who serve and have served the country.

Anthony Mackie shared a statement on Instagram in response to those who criticized recent comments he made about the Captain America character in which he said, "Let me be clear about this, I'm a proud American and taking on the shield of a hero like CAP is the honor of a lifetime.

Anthony Mackie caught backlash after downplaying the "America" aspect of his character, Captain America.

Evans returned to the MCU briefly in Deadpool and Wolverine, but as Johnny Storm, AKA the Human Torch. He hasn't played Captain America since giving up his shield in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson took over, embracing the mantle in 2021's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Chris Evans is denying the reports claiming that he'll appear in Marvel Studios' Avengers: Doomsday. Evans has played Captain America/Steve Rogers in a number of MCU projects. His final outing as the character was seemingly in 2019's Avengers: Endgame;

The interview with Mackie occurred on the same day as Deadline’s report about Evans returning to Marvel for Avengers: Doomsday. Mackie, who will play the new Captain America as Sam Wilson, had no prior knowledge of Evans’ involvement with the next Avengers movie.