Following the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (which can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription), Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson is now officially the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s new Captain America. As such, the stage is set for him to lead Captain America 4, a.k.a. Captain America: New World Order, which is part of the MCU’s official Phase 5 slate. This lineup also includes Thunderbolts, which sees Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes standing in the spotlight, and Mackie has shared his funny thoughts about whether Sam and Bucky could re-team for that project.
A Thunderbolts movie was confirmed to be in development at San Diego Comic-Con in July, and at D23 earlier this month, it was revealed that Bucky, once known as The Winter Soldier, will be joined on the team by Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost, Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, David Harbour’s Red Guardian and Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster. That’s already a lot of protagonists to keep track of, but when asked by Variety if he’ll appear in Thunderbolts, Anthony Mackie amusingly responded:
I have no idea. You know how it works. They call you the week before and are like, ‘We own your ass. Come get in the movie.’
Given that the MCU’s Thunderbolts roster is decently sized and chiefly comprised of characters who fit more into the anti-hero mold, as well as the fact that Captain America: New World Order comes out just a few months beforehand, I wouldn’t bet on Anthony Mackie having a major role in the Phase 5 capper. That said, there have been plenty of instances where major Marvel characters cameo in movies or TV shows not about them, so I could easily see Sam Wilson popping into Thunderbolts briefly for some catch-up time with Bucky Barnes. Conversely, it’s easy enough to imagine Bucky popping into New World Order, particularly since Sebastian Stan appeared in all three prior Captain America movies.
Basically, Anthony Mackie hasn’t heard anything about appearing in Thunderbolts, but he’s ready for the chance that Marvel Studios will call just a short amount of time before he’s expected to be on set. For now though, the actor is focused on getting ready for Captain America: New World Order, which is being directed by The Cloverfield Paradox’s Julius Onah and being written by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier alums Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson. Mackie will be joined by Tim Blake Nelson, Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly and Shira Haas. As for Thunderbolts, that’s being directed by Paper Towns’ Jacob Schreier and written by Black Widow’s Eric Pearson.
Captain America: New World Order hits theaters on May 3, 2024, and Thunderbolts will follow on July 26 of the same year. Learn what else the MCU has coming up with our guides of upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows.
