Anthony Mackie Reacts to Almost Being in Spider-Man: Far From Home as Captain America

Yesterday, ComicBook.com reported that Anthony Mackie‘s debut as Captain America almost occurred in Spider-Man: Far From Home. However, the creators decided it was Spider-Man’s journey, and important that the other Avengers were unavailable to step in and help Nick Fury and co. Clearly, the idea of a Mackie cameo didn’t make it far into the production process, because the actor didn’t seem to know about it until he glimpsed the article. Unsurprisingly, his response was hilarious!

“Shit. REALLY?! Way to go @TomHolland1996 to mess that one up! 🙄,” he replied.

Many fans had great reactions to the story and Mackie’s response:

“WOW THATS JUST RUDE WE COULD HAVE REALLY GOT SAM WILSON AS CAPTAIN AMERICA ALREADY RUDE,” @itsalwayzyou wrote.

“Dammit Tom! You hear that bouncing? That’s you dropping the ball,” @Nicks4thWall joked.

One fan even guessed what the moment could have been, and now we’re bummed we won’t get to see it happen on the big screen:

Here are the official quotes from Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, and creative executive, Eric Carroll:

“We briefly talked about bringing in Falcon as Captain America at the end, like maybe once Peter’s arced, and he’s sort of like leading the team, like maybe he calls in a favor,” Carroll explained. “But we also thought it was really important to the arc of this movie that there not be other Avengers available to Nick Fury or Peter, so he’d have to step up and do it himself.”

“Ultimately, Spider-Man: Far From Home is Spider-Man’s journey, whether any other heroes appear in it or not. It’s all about Peter stepping up,” Feige added, “And Peter getting out of the shadow, not just of Tony but of the Avengers in general. Because by the way, he’s Spider-Man. He doesn’t need to be in the shadow of the Avengers. So other than Maria, and Nick, and Happy, and the emotional presence of Tony… You hear, he asks about Thor. He asks about Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel.”

Mackie may not be in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but he will be starring in The Falcon and The Winter Solider, the upcoming Disney+ series that will also star Sebastian Stan.

Spider-Man Far From Home lands in theaters on July 2nd. Other MCU films include Avengers: Endgame, which will be re-released in theaters on June 28th, and Captain Marvel, which is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.