The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s Anthony Mackie Thinks the Avengers Should Unionize — Watch Video
Much like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is getting real about the problems that superheroes face outside of battling intergalactic villains.
Disney+’s Marvel series, which debuted last Friday, explores major themes like what it means to be a Black hero in a post-Thanos world, as well as day-to-day issues such as PTSD (through Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes) and the financial fallout from the Blip.
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In the premiere episode, Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) was rejected for a bank loan that would have helped his family’s business stay afloat because he had no income for the last five years — he was Blipped, after all. Not even his superhero status after helping save the galaxy from Thanos (the banker even takes a selfie), his affiliation with billionaire Tony Stark or his current government contracts could protect the Avenger from struggling financially. The scene raised important questions about how superheroes get by for a living — public goodwill can only go so far — and whether or not they should be paid for their efforts.
In an interview with TVLine, Mackie shares his thoughts on the compensation debate and whether or not the Avengers should unionize for benefits.
“We definitely should,” he jokes. “It’s interesting… I always ask the question: When the Avengers show up, they destroy whole cities and crush people, and what do they do for a living? Where does their money come from? I always believed it was Tony Stark because, obviously, he owns an Audi dealership somewhere.”
Mackie adds that making a living at what they do is not the important thing for the Avengers. “I think they do it for the betterment of the world, for saving people’s lives,” he explains. “They have their ins and outs, their odd jobs to make sure that they’re taken care of — government sponsorship, funding, government housing.”
Do you think the Avengers should unionize? Watch the full clip below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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