Long before he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Sam Wilson a.k.a. the Falcon, Anthony Mackie campaigned to play Black Panther.
According to the actor, as Marvel continued to create the MCU, he figured that the only prominent Black superhero the studio might develop.
Image Credit: Getty Images
“I had been contacting Marvel a lot about Black Panther,” Mackie said. “I had written them letters. I was trying to find a way to make them make Black Panther. And I wanted to be Black Panther because growing up I [freaking] loved Black Panther.”
Meeting With The Marvel Brass
Mackie ended up landing a meeting with Marvel producer Nate Moore and directors Joe and Anthony Russo when the team was developing Captain America: The Winder Soldier. Since no one told Mackie what character he would be playing, he just assumed it was Black Panther.
Image Credit: AP Images/Invision
“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 remembered. “I was like, ‘You know what, I like y’all dudes. I’ll do it. I’ll go on this ride with you.’”
Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney
Becoming Sam Wilson
When the offer finally came from Mavel, Mackie was shocked that it was for the role of Falcon and not Black Panther.
“What other major comic book figure has enough of a presence to have his own movie?” Mackie said. “So when they hit me up and they were like, ‘Yo, so it’s Sam Wilson,’ I’m like, ‘Really?’”
Marvel would eventually make its own Black Panther movie with the late Chadwick Boseman playing the titular role. Mackie, for his part, would reprise his role as Sam Wilson in Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. He then got his own Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which sets Sam up to be the next Captain America.
Assuming The Role of Captain America
With Mackie set to take on the mantle in Captain America: Brave New World, the veteran actor admits that he feels the pressure.
“There’s a huge amount of pressure,” Mackie told Inverse. But at the same time, it’s all in the state of mind. I’ve been given a great cast. I’ve been given a great group of people who I’ve worked with before.”
Falcon/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in Marvel Studios’ THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
While Mackie may be feeling the pressure to assume the role of Captain America, Chris Evans, who previously held the shield, knows Mackie is up for the challenge.
“His energy and his versatility. Both as a person and as an actor,” Evans said. “I’ve never seen him tired, and there’s nothing he can’t do. He’s a true Renaissance man.”
Photo: Also Collider
Captain America: Brave New World will hit theaters on May 3, 2024.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon! Also, thanks for reading!
