Anthony Mackie Says “You Don’t Know Who Captain America Is Going to Be” in Falcon and Winter Soldier

Marvel star Anthony Mackie says that “you don’t know” who will don the mantle and shield of Captain Americain The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the next Marvel Studios series after WandaVision. Spinning out of Avengers: Endgame, which ends with a 112-year-old Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) handing the star-spangled shield to Sam Wilson (Mackie), Falcon and Winter Soldier partners Wilson with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) in a world without a Captain America. As Falcon and Winter Soldier contend with the return of Civil War villain Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl), the U.S Government turns military man John Walker (Wyatt Russell) into a Cap-knockoff known as U.S. Agent.

With three potential inheritors to the Captain America mantle in Falcon and Winter Soldier, Mackie claims the identity of Steve Rogers’ successor is a mystery:

“It’s interesting knowing what happens in the show because a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, you’re Captain America.’ I’m like, ‘That’s not true,’” Mackie told the Lights Camera Barstool podcast. “If you look at the end of Endgame, Sam never accepts the shield. There’s no… out of all the Marvel movies that have been made, there’s always been a photograph of something leaked of the costume, where it’s like, ‘Here’s what he’s gonna look like!’ You didn’t see anything leaked about me.”

Mackie adds that “you just have to wait and be patient” for the next series out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe because “you don’t know who Captain America is gonna be, and that’s what’s so great about it.”

The interview, recorded before Evans on Thursday denied reports that he would be reprising the Captain America role in more Marvel movies, is the latest denial from Mackie that he’s assuming the Cap costume and identity like his comic book counterpart.

After telling Variety in 2019 that he will “always be the Falcon,” Mackie backtracked on comments about being fitted for a star-spangled super-suit before telling Deadline that it was “very emotional” for a Black actor to become the next Captain America.

“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,” Mackie said in the November 2019 interview. “It’s been extremely emotional. 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.”

UPDATE: Images of leaked merchandise that circulated on social media late on Thursday shows Mackie’s Sam Wilson sporting a new costume with the name “Captain America.”

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premieres Friday, March 19, only on Disney+.

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