Anthony Mackie shared his expected timeline as Captain America before he returns to the MCU in Captain America: Brave New World. Mackie is one of the longest-tenured actors remaining in the MCU. He debuted in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier as Sam Wilson, an Air Force veteran who befriends Steve Rogers and becomes the Falcon. After Steve retired in Avengers: Endgame’s ending, he pᴀssed down the shield to Sam, giving him the tremendous duty of representing all that Captain America symbolizes.
Sam initially was reluctant to follow Steve’s legacy, but he finally accepted the role in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s ending. Brave New World marks his first solo project as Captain America, and he will likely hold the mantle in future projects. However, Mackie is aware that this role can’t last forever. In an interview with Esquire, Mackie said he only expects to play Cap for a “solid 10 years” as he doesn’t want to play the role when he gets too old.
I give it a solid ten years. You have the two Avengers movies, you have hopefully another Captain America, and then random plug-and-plays: Oh, Spider-Man! Oh, Fantastic Four! What are you doing here? But you never know. I mean, I don’t want to be a sixty-year-old Captain America.
What Anthony Mackie’s Captain America MCU Future Comments Mean
Mackie’s comments do confirm a few things. First, Mackie will portray Captain America in the next two Avengers films: Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. This isn’t surprising, considering how important Cap is as a leader for the Avengers, and it should be interesting to see how Sam fits Steve’s role within the team. Mackie also admits there isn’t an official plan for Captain America beyond these films. Marvel could wait to see how Brave New World performs at the box office before committing to sequel plans.
If there aren’t more Captain America movies, Mackie could appear in cameos or supporting roles in other Marvel projects, as he suggests. He also acknowledges he will age out of the role at some point and his 10-year timeline suggests he knows when it will be time to walk away from the role. Nothing is impossible, as 56-year-old Hugh Jackman just played Wolverine again in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, but that might not be what Mackie wants to do at that stage in his career.
Our Take On Anthony Mackie’s Captain America MCU Future Comments
Captain America is more of a symbol than it is a person. Once Mackie is done with the role, he could pᴀss it down to the next person in line, such as Danny Ramirez, who plays Joaquin Torres aka Falcon in the cast of Captain America: Brave New World. However, Captain America may no longer be an important part of the MCU 10 years from now, or the universe will have rebooted. The MCU is headed toward mutants, which could be the universe’s priority in 2035.
Regarding his timeline, 10 years seems about right before Mackie retires from the role. It’s impossible to know what the MCU will look like 10 years from now, but Mackie will be 56. Chris Evans played the role for 12 years but started at 31. Mackie is 46 and three years older than Evans, so his duration as Cap could be shorter than Evans’. Still, Mackie is an excellent actor who keeps himself in shape, so he should be able to play Captain America for the foreseeable future after Captain America: Brave New World.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Captain America: Brave New World
- Release Date
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February 14, 2025
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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Spider-Man Homecoming 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027
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