Anthony Mackie Talks ‘Captain America: Brave New World,’ His Favorite MCU Character, and Goofing Around With Chris Evans

Anthony Mackie shared why Sam Wilson will focus more on “brains over brawn” in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World and talked about the moment he found out he’d be taking on the role of the new Captain America.

The Twisted Metal star is leading Captain America: Brave New World, the first film in the series with him as the hero. Speaking at Disney’s APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, Mackie recalled learning the big news while watching a football game at Chris Evans’ house.

On that day, Evans handed him the last two pages of the Avengers: Endgame script, revealing the plan for Sam Wilson to take up the shield. “When I read it, we hugged and started jumping around in a circle,” Mackie said.

When asked how Sam will approach his role as Captain America in the movie, set to release on February 14, 2025, Mackie explained:

“Sam’s evolution is simple. He’s still a counselor, helping soldiers, but now he’s also a leader in his community and the country.”

He added that Sam’s Captain America is different, especially since he doesn’t have the Super Soldier Serum:

“Without the serum, you have to be smart and come up with new ways to win,” Mackie said. “Sam relies more on his brains than his strength, more on his wit than his fists. He’s more of a friend to people.”

Mackie admitted he wasn’t a comic book fan before joining the Marvel universe:

“I’ve never read comics, but I’ve watched every cartoon—from Tom and Jerry to Teen Titans. If you haven’t seen Teen Titans, it’s my favorite. Look up the ‘Booty Scooty’ episode. It’s amazing.”

After being cast as Falcon, he bought 50-60 Falcon comic books to catch up on the character’s history.

He also pointed out what makes Captain America films stand out in the Marvel universe: their grounded, “realistic” feel compared to other movies:

“If you look at these Marvel movies, they go with different genres. You have the fantasy world, you have the space world, you have the raccoon world. With the Captain America stories, it has always been the realistic, grounding world. This movie stays in the line with the original Captain America, of that thrill, of that espionage, of that grounded nature with storytelling and really investing the actual audience into the story.”

Mackie shared his thoughts on his new suit for Captain America: Brave New World.

“It’s a high-tech suit. I went to Wakanda, met with everybody in Wakanda, we had dinner. It was a great time. They threw me a welcome party. It was dope. But when I was leaving, they gave me a suit, right? I put it on. I can kick harder, I can fly faster, and it gives me the ability to be more agile in my skills, so it’s taking all my skills to a completely different level.”

Mackie also revealed his favorite superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—and it’s not Falcon or Captain America.

“My favorite character of all time is the Incredible Hulk. I’ve always been a Hulk fan. When I was a kid, I used to watch the TV shows. I just always loved the Hulk.”

However, he does have one question about what happens when the green-skinned hero transforms:

“‘I always wondered, ‘How come everything came off except the pants?’ Everything — his shirt, his shoes — came off, but his pants stayed. I always thought that was weird.”

Excited for Captain America: Brave New World? Do you think it will be able to match the first three Captain America movies? Let us know in the comments below.

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