Avengers: Endgame pretty much decimated the former status quo of the MCU and established a new one. Iron Man’s dead, Black Widow, too, and the timeline’s now been moved five years later. Last but not least, Steve Rogers isn’t Captain America anymore. After going back in time and growing old, Cap passes the mantle and his shield onto his best pal Sam Wilson/Falcon.
This is a huge deal and more than a little surprising, as most of the speculation had pointed to Bucky Barnes taking over from Steve instead. But if fans were shocked, think how actor Anthony Mackie must feel. While speaking to IMDb, he touched on how much it means to him to be the current custodian of this legendary character. In particular, he’s very proud to be an African-American superhero for his children.
“It means a lot for my sons to be able to see Captain America as a black dude. That means a lot, to me. And to be that dude for my sons. So that thank you, that moment, wasn’t just about ‘Hey, we’re acting’. It’s like a lot of things have gone right twenty years in this business and for that to happen.”
The Russo brothers have explained that Rogers chose Sam over Bucky because of Wilson’s similar sense of values and incorruptible spirit. Fans have certainly got on board with “Sam Cap,” too, with some awesome art already imagining how Mackie will fill out the suit (see above).
Speaking of which, the star also teased the upcoming Falcon and Winter Soldier TV series, which surely must follow on from Endgame and explore Falcon becoming Captain America. That’s all up in the air right now, though, as Mackie revealed that he hasn’t seen any scripts or costumes from the production just yet but anticipates a fun, adventure-filled ride.
“I haven’t read anything, I haven’t seen a new suit, I haven’t seen anything. What I’m guessing…Bucky and I go off on a whirlwind adventure to save the world and find life after Captain America.”
The sky’s the limit for Sam Wilson now that he’s the new Captain America – literally, what with his wings – so we hope to see a lot more of Anthony Mackie in the post-Avengers: Endgame MCU.
