Captain America: Brave New World just became much more meaningful after Anthony Mackie’s recent reveal. The MCU actor will be making his official debut as Captain America this year after getting pᴀssed the shield in Avengers: Endgame. When Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers retired from the role in the 2019 film, he entrusted his shield to his good friend Sam Wilson. Since then, Sam has been preparing to fully step into his newfound role as Captain America as seen in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier.
The MCU is unpredictable and no character is ever truly safe. Endgame killed off two major characters in Iron Man and Black Widow, proving that Marvel isn’t afraid to take big risks. According to Mackie in a recent reveal, that’s exactly what he thought would happen to his character in Endgame. Of course, fans now know that Marvel had much more planned for Sam’s MCU future than death, but Mackie’s experience with the role makes the upcoming film feel even more special.
Anthony Mackie’s Comments About Reading The Avengers: Endgame Script Make Sam Wilson Becoming Captain America In The MCU Even More Special
In a recent interview alongside Danny Ramirez and Brave New World director Julius Onah, Mackie revealed the story of how he found out about Sam’s MCU future. During shooting for Avengers: Endgame in Atlanta, the cast was gathered at Chris Evans’ house when Evans pulled Mackie aside. Handing him the script that outlined the end of Endgame, Mackie figured that his character was going to get killed off. However, it happened to be quite the opposite fate. Read Mackie’s full story below:
“It was a bunch of us at his house–he had this crazy house–sitting there watching a game, shooting the sh*t. […] So he goes, ‘have you read the new script?’ I said, ‘ nah.’ […] And he was like ‘you don’t know?’ And you know, being black, I’m like ‘I’mma die, damn. They’re getting rid of me, man. I don’t even cause no trouble. I stand in the back, like I don’t bother nobody.’ So he’s like ‘c’mon, c’mon.’ […] In his house, he had like a trap door that went to a basement that was like the man cave of all man caves. He has all of his Marvel stuff laid out, his new script and all this stuff. And I’m like ‘oh, this is your prep room.'”
“He gets the new script. He goes to like the last 10 pages, and he goes ‘read it!’ So me thinking they killed me off […] I get to the part and it’s like, you know, I’m reading the scene between us, and it goes ‘he hands him the shield.’ I’m like, ‘so why did you give me the shield? He’s like, ‘because you’re f**king Captain America.’ […] We hug, we jump up and down… It was hilarious.”
Mackie’s story is telling of how unpredictable the MCU is, even among the actors themselves. The fact that his first instinct when Evans hinted at big news was that Sam was killed off means that the Captain America reveal was a genuine surprise for him. Of course, it will be extremely special for a black Captain America to make it on the big screen. It will be amazing to see him as the face of a major superhero franchise with everything that the hero represents, especially considering that a deserving actor like Mackie had no clue it was coming.
Sam Wilson’s Movie Debut As Captain America Is Even Better Knowing The Behind The Scenes Story Behind The Character Getting The Hero Mantle
Steve pᴀssed his shield to Sam at the end of Avengers: Endgame, so it feels fitting that Evans was also the one to deliver the news to Mackie off-screen. Evans portrayed Steve Rogers for nearly a decade, cementing him as a Marvel legend. Whoever was going to step into the Captain America mantle after him definitely had to have his seal of approval, and Mackie surely would’ve been very high up on his list of candidates considering how closely they’ve worked together.
There was truly no one better than Evans to break the news to Mackie. Getting the news from the legendary Marvel actor made Mackie confident that he could handle the role. It’ll make watching Captain America: Brave New World feel so much more meaningful knowing about how the mantle was pᴀssed on behind the scenes. Hearing about Evans’ genuine joy when sharing the news proves that the hero is in the right new hands, and Mackie’s excitement and pᴀssion for the role will undoubtedly translate in his iteration of Captain America.
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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