Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo have responded to Anthony Mackie's critique of Marvel's diversity. Mackie, who plays Sam Wilson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, made headlines a couple of weeks ago when he criticized the studio for their lack of diversity behind the scenes. "It really bothered me that I've done seven Marvel movies where every producer, every director, ever stunt person, every costume designer, every PA, every single person has been white," Mackie said. He also claimed Black Panther, Marvel's first film centered on a Black hero, didn't do much to increase representation because "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?" Mackie will be the co-lead in Marvel's upcoming Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which will see Sam adjust to his new role as Captain America.

Marvel has indeed struggled over the years to diversify their projects, as much of their early efforts have been centered on white men. Black Panther was a big example of the MCU shifting gears to more inclusive stories, as was last year's female-led Captain Marvel. Phase 4 of the MCU looks to add even more diverse voices with projects like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Ms. Marvel.

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The Russos joined the conversation while appearing on a podcast with MovieMaker. Unsurprisingly, the directors stood with their star and agreed that more can always be done when it comes to diversity. "I think we can always all do better at diversity, constantly in this business, and in every facet of every industry — so he’s not wrong at all,"Joe said. "I think that we all have to work harder to keep endorsing and supporting diversity on both sides of the camera." Anthony added, "We have a ton of respect for Anthony Mackie. He is not only an amazing actor, but he’s an amazing person, and we’ve loved our collaboration with him." The Russos directed Mackie's first MCU film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as well as almost all of his additional franchise appearances.

Avengers Endgame Russo Brothers Commentary SR

The Russos received some criticism last year in regards to some moments where Endgame attempted to add more representation. While these issues pertained to LGBTQ and female representation, they are indicative of the larger problem found within Hollywood. As mentioned before, Marvel is taking strides to fix this issue, but in order to ensure they truly do so, they will need to heed Mackie's words and take a closer look at their behind the scenes talent.

There's been a larger conversation emerging in Hollywood these days about representation for people of color both behind and in front of the camera. For example, Mackie's fellow Marvel star Michael B. Jordan gave a speech encouraging studios and agencies to hire more talent of color. This is certainly a powerful moment in entertainment right now, and hopefully those in charge will listen to what people are saying in order to make some positive changes. It's nice to see the Russos support Mackie and agree that change needs to come, but it's more important that they (and others) actually follow through with what they say.

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Source: MovieMaker

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