Anthony Mackie Reacts to Fan Response of Being the Next Captain America

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to kick off a new era after Avengers: Endgame as the legacy of Captain Americawill now be carried on by Sam Wilson AKA the Falcon, with actor Anthony Mackie set to take on a larger role in the franchise. And while the actor has some rather large shoes to fill, he’s not shying away from the opportunity to put Marvel Studios on his shoulders. Mackie will return later this year in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which will see him team with Sebastian Stan once again.

Mackie spoke with The Daily Beast about the reaction to the reveal from Avengers: Endgame that he’s the next Captain America.

“The response has been really overwhelming. I feel like it’s calmed down some now, but the movie still has this iconic place in our generation, because people were so affected by it,” Mackie explained. “I was in Vancouver shooting Altered Carbon when Endgame came out. My stuntman, whom I’ve worked with forever and who did Endgame and was also doing Altered Carbon, got us Thursday night tickets to the first screening.”

Mackie continued, “We go to the screening, and it’s midnight, and everyone’s tired and quiet. Then Tony Stark dies and you just hear people openly weeping in the theater. You never expect to have that effect on people. But you have adults openly affected by these characters. I think it says a lot about what Joe and Anthony [Russo] were able to do as directors, and what Robert Downey Jr. has been able to do as an actor for the past 15 years.”

The actor teased the intense shooting process for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, teasing that it will be a massive affair worthy of the Marvel Studios banner.

“I feel like, if we’re going to fail, we should fail 100 percent. Don’t fail halfway,” Mackie said with a laugh. “But it’s been fun, man. There’s so much stuff going on in the Marvel Universe since Disney has gotten involved, and we have a really supportive team. It’s Victoria [Alonso] and Louis [D’Esposito] and Kevin [Feige] and all the other guys over there—we always have people we can talk to if we feel like stuff isn’t going right. So it’s been great. We’ve definitely stumbled a few times, but we’re running full steam ahead to get these shows done.”

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in August.