Captain America The Winter Soldier: Anthony Mackie Talks Monumental Importance Of Falcon

On last night's episode of Arsenio, host Arsenio Hall spoke with actor Anthony Mackie about the importance of Mackie's character from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson a.k.a. The Falcon. Mackie said the Falcon's importance is "monumental." "The Falcon is monumental for many different reasons," said Mackie. "For me, the most important thing is he, literally, is the eyes and ears of the evolution of African Americans in this country." The Falcon was the first African American superhero to star in a mainstream American comic book, co-starring with Captain America during Mike Gruenwald's run on the series, which was cover billed as Captain America and The Falcon. Mackie recounted the history of the character, starting as a hustler in Harlem, then becoming a pimp and drug-dealer during the Blaxploitation era, then being reintroduced as a military-tactical expert and ally to Captain America. He notes how Stan Lee must have recognized the importance of the character for Marvel to have continually reinvented him rather than simply abandoning the concept. Anthony Mackie plays The Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, now playing in theaters.