Phase Four is a strange time for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in that the franchise is both expanding and rebuilding simultaneously. Avengers: Endgame drew a sprawling narrative that had run for over a decade to an epic close, reshuffling the board and writing out a couple of Phase One stalwarts, but the end of the Infinity Saga was only just the beginning.
There are countless fresh faces on their way to the MCU as either brand new heroes or replacements for long-tenured characters, and the influx of exciting additions is there to ensure that an aging roster doesn’t overstay its welcome. Looking at the slate of upcoming projects you’ve got Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, Don Cheadle and Jeremy Renner all in their 50s, while Pom Klementieff and Karen Gillan are the only Guardians of the Galaxy under 40.
To counter that, the likes of Tom Holland, Simu Liu, Brie Larson, Hailee Steinfeld, Elizabeth Olsen, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Dominique Thorne and others are all aged between 18 and 32, so there’s a solid mix of generations. However, Anthony Mackie could be planning to throw a spanner into the works if he gets his way, after admitting in a new interview that he’d love to play the MCU’s Captain America for at least another 20 years or so.
“So if I can be 65 and still doing this, I’m crushing it,” he said.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star reaches that milestone in November of 2043, and no offense to the actor, but we’ll probably be on our seventh or eighth different Captain America by then, provided the MCU is still around and going strong. It’s taken Mackie seven years to even inherit the star-spangled costume, though, so he’s well within his rights to have his eyes on holding onto the crown for as long as possible.
Published: May 19, 2021 12:02 pm