Anthony Mackie Calls His Marvel Future ‘A Huge Challenge'

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Falcon in Ant-Man

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a fascinating place right now. Avengers: Endgame shattered expectations when it arrived in theaters two months ago, with a story deeply connected to the previous 21 installments of the franchise. It was a movie full of endings and beginnings, including a major twist when it came to the mantle of Captain America.

After Steve Rogers returned the Infinity Stones and Mjolnir to their homes within the timeline, he decided to live out his life with Peggy Carter in the past. In an instant Cap was an old man, and passed on the shield to Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson/ Falcon. Mackie recently spoke to this exciting change for his signature character, 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 gonna happen.

Well, this is super exciting. Anthony Mackie understands the responsibility of playing Captain America, but is also determined not to simply do an impression of his predecessor. Sam Wilson isn't the same man as Steve Rogers, so his new mantle of Cap should affect them differently.

Anthony Mackie's comments come from his recent appearance at Celebrity Fan Fest, as captured by a fan video from the audience. Mackie fielded a number of questions from the audience during his appearance, and was able to discuss Falcon's character arc now that Endgame has been out and the spoiler ban has long passed.

Related: How Anthony Mackie Learned About Avengers: Endgame's Captain America Twist

While Sam Wilson spent the majority of Endgame as nothing but dust in the wind, he was teleported via portals to the epic final battle once Hulk snapped everyone back into existence. His "on your left" line was an epic start to that final sequence, as he was one of the first Avenger seen after returning to the world of the living.

If that wasn't enough, he was there for Captain America's grand finale. He was able to meet Steve Rogers as an old man, where Chris Evans' character handed Sam his vibranium shield and told him to try it on. The world got a new Cap, and it should be interesting to see how his tenure as Falcon influence the way he carries on the mantle of his friend.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now, and getting an extended cut coming to theaters. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.