Marvel Fans Declare America’s Ass Belongs to Anthony Mackie After The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Trailer

Following Captain America's (Chris Evans) retirement in Avengers: Endgame, Marvel fans declare America's ass now belongs to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) following a first look at The Falcon and the Winter Soldier aired during the Super Bowl. The premiere teaser — also incorporating footage from coming Disney+ series WandaVision and Loki — shows Sam, a.k.a. the high-flying Falcon, flinging the star-spangled shield he inherited from Steve Rogers in Endgame. During his windup to launch the shield at a nearby tree, Sam's backside can be seen — and parroting the gag from Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) in Endgame, Marvel fans are saluting America's most patriotic posterior.

When promoting the six-episode series at Disney's D23 Expo in August, Mackie refuted claims he would become the next Captain America despite the passing of the shield from Steve to Sam. As he told Variety, "I am the Falcon. I will always be the Falcon. The moniker will stay the same." In the Marvel comic books, Sam Wilson has operated as Captain America while sporting a winged, red-and-blue uniform complemented by the famed shield.

Months later, Mackie was more open to the Captain America moniker when he told Deadline it's "very emotional" to wield the shield and don the mantle:

"I've been in the business for 20 years and I've been fortunate to do some amazing stuff and work with amazing people. For me, to be a Black man in 2019 and be given the helm of Captain America with the history of Black men in this country is a monumental step, not only in entertainment, but also in my life. It's been extremely emotional," he said. "Look, my grandfather was a sharecropper, you know what I mean? There's a lot of history and pain and triumph and joy that comes along with me being Captain America."