The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw the shadow of Steve Rogers lurking in the background of every episode, and the pressure facing Sam Wilson is something that Anthony Mackie will understand fully. For almost a decade, Chris Evans was the beating heart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the best possible Captain America that fans of the franchise could have hoped for, so there’s a lot of pressure in both the real world and fictional mythology when it comes to following in those footsteps.
It’s nowhere near as simple as Steve simply handing the shield over in Avengers: Endgame and Sam instantly being embraced as the new Captain America, of course, with both the character and the actor who plays him having to earn the right and respect to wear the stars and stripes. It adds a neat meta twist onto the finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, especially when those rumors of an Evans return are constantly bubbling away in the background.
In a recent interview, Mackie reflected on his journey to get to the stage where he’s now established as the MCU’s new Captain America, and he explained the differences between Steve and Sam. Unsurprisingly, the 42 year-old is keen to lean into the humanity of the military veteran, which is massively important seeing as he doesn’t have any superpowers of his own, and talking could be a lot more useful to him than punching.
“It was more so about him talking them down and trying to communicate with them what they were doing was right, but they way they were doing it was wrong. Remember, he’s a counselor and he’s a regular guy who just happened to become an Avenger. There’s no superpowers, there’s no super-suit, there’s no super-serum. He’s just a guy. I love the idea of him moving through life as Captain America, as someone who brings peace and change instead of destruction and physical force.”
Of course, Sam Wilson is no slouch when it comes to hand-to-hand combat and he’s also got his trusty wings to rely on, but it looks as though his people skills could be as key to his Captain America as his fighting skills as he continues to grow into the role.