With a world as expansive as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, incoming talent rarely land either their first or the studio’s first choice of characters. Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch was once courted to play Thor: The Dark World villain Malekith but he ultimately declined in favor of waiting out for something better. Sebastian Stan auditioned for Captain America before being selected to play Bucky Barnes instead. Donald Glover wanted to play Miles Morales for years but aged out of the role by the time it got to the big screen, but Marvel still found a part for him in the form of Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Miles’s uncle.
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This recurring theme can be applied to Anthony Mackie as well. Mackie made his MCU debut in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, suiting up as the Falcon. While that role proved to be wildly successful for the 8 Mile star, Mackie originally had a different hero in mind.
“I had been contacting Marvel a lot about Black Panther,” Mackie told Inverse. “I had written them letters [in the early 2010s]. I was trying to find a way to make them make Black Panther. And I wanted to be Black Panther because growing up I f–king loved Black Panther.”
Mackie’s desire to play T’Challa came early, as a Black Panther movie wouldn’t get the green light until Fall 2014. Chadwick Boseman was tapped to portray the character and debuted the role in May 2016’s Captain America: Civil War ahead of his February 2018 solo movie.
Despite the Black Panther hopes falling through, Mackie was approached by the Russo Brothers in Summer 2012 about a then-top secret part in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
“I’ll never forget, Joe Russo said, ‘Listen, so we’re doing this movie. We want you to be in it. We can’t say what character you’re playing or who else is going to be in it. Would you do it?’ And that was it.” Mackie recalled. “I was like, ‘You know what, I like y’all dudes. I’ll do it. I’ll go on this ride with you.’”
That ride is still continuing to this day. Mackie has suited up as Falcon in six MCU movies and starred opposite Stan in his own self-titled Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Mackie returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe next summer in Captain America: Brave New World, slated to hit theaters on July 26th, 2024.
