Anthony Mackie is a veteran of the Marvel Cinematic Universe at this point, having appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War and the double-bill of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Despite being a part of the franchise for over half a decade, the closing scenes of Endgame saw the 40 year-old actor’s role in the MCU become more important than ever, as Steve Rogers handed over the shield and awarded him the mantle of Captain America.
Unsurprisingly, the pressure on Mackie’s shoulders has increased dramatically, something the actor is acutely aware of. In a recent interview, the former Falcon admitted to the pressure that comes with taking on such an iconic character but remains determined to put his own stamp on the role, saying:
“I love Chris. Chris is an amazing Cap. And I feel like, what he’s been able to do with that character, very few people have been able to do in any cinematic universe or span of films. Because he’s played Cap for a lot of movies. To take that over, to be a part of that, the legacy of that, is a huge challenge. It’s something where a lot of people are going to expect me to be Chris Evans in the same suit, but a black dude. And that’s definitely not going to happen.”
Mackie knows that the fans are going to be scrutinizing everything he does as the new Cap, given both how popular the character of Captain America is and how closely associated it’s become with Chris Evans.
While it hasn’t been officially confirmed, many are speculating that Mackie will officially take up the shield in the upcoming Disney Plus limited series starring his big screen character. Originally announced as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it stands to reason given the events of Avengers: Endgame that the actor will likely end up playing the role of Captain America instead. That remains to be seen, of course, but we should learn more about it next month at Comic-Con, so stay tuned.
