If Anthony Mackie Has His Way He’ll Play Captain America A Lot Longer Than Chris Evans

Anthony Mackie in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always growing, and Phase Four started off with bang thanks to shows on Disney+ like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. That series saw Anthony Mackie rise as the next Captain America, and it sounds like he’s hoping to wield the shield for even longer than Chris Evans.

Anthony Mackie has been playing The Falcon for years in the MCU, and clearly he’s not going to slow down anytime soon. Mackie will star in the next Captain America movie, and when recently asked about how long he might be playing the role, he responded:

I hope the next two decades, that’s what I’m hoping for. So if I can be 65 and still doing this, I’m crushing it.

Buckle up Marvel fans, because it looks like Sam Wilson is here to stay. While Anthony Mackie might be kidding about another 20 years with the shield, his transition from Falcon to Captain America seemingly has the actor psyched about what’s coming next.

Anthony Mackie’s comments to Variety came after The Falcon and The Winter Soldier managed to snap a few MTV Movie & TV Awards. His eventual role as Captain America was teased in the final moments of Avengers: Endgame, when an old Steve Rogers handed him the shield. The Disney+ series showed him finally coming into that new mantle, Mackie sounds psyched about his next appearance in the MCU.

Marvel fans can re-watch Anthony Mackie’s time in the MCU on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Chris Evans debuted as Steve Rogers in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, and played his signature role for a decade and seven blockbusters. Now it seems that Anthony Mackie wants to give his collaborator and friend a run for his money, playing Cap for as long as possible. After all, he did just get a major Marvel promotion.

Steve Rogers’ happy ending seemingly put the future of the Captain America franchise in jeopardy, as Chris Evans enjoys some time away from the MCU. But after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s season finale, Marvel announced that plans for Captain America 4 with Anthony Mackie were in motion. And just like that, he’ll be heading back to the big screen.

Given how Captain America typically led The Avengers, it should also be interesting to see how Sam's place in the overall MCU changes. He's obviously worthy of taking on the mantle, but will that mean he'll also be in charge of forming a new team? Only time will tell, but there will be even more heroes to choose from.

The next installment in the MCU is Black Widow on July 9th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

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.