Anthony Mackie Only Really Wants to Play Captain America for 6-8 Years

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Anthony Mackie says that he has less than a decade left to play Captain America before aging out of the role. Mackie’s character, Sam Wilson, first joined the MCU in the 2014 film Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In the critically-acclaimed sequel, Wilson, a former United States Air Force pararescueman, quickly befriends Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and helps him defeat the villainous HYDRA. At the end of the 2019 blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, Rogers hands his Captain America shield to Wilson, effectively transferring the heroic title to his best friend and colleague. In the upcoming Captain America 4, Wilson will return as the new Captain America.

Recently, the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, featuring both Mackie and Sebastian Stan, premiered to positive reviews from critics and fans. The show explores the political and psychological aftermath of the events that took place in Endgame. It particularly focuses on an uneasy alliance between Wilson and Bucky Barnes, who both struggle with a new set of responsibilities that they attempt to confront and unravel. While Barnes must come to terms with the violence he inflicted while brainwashed by HYDRA, Wilson grapples with the sociocultural weight of donning Captain America’s mantle as a Black superhero. Although they initially regard each other as adversaries, they eventually bond over their shared experiences and end the series as friends.

In an exclusive interview with Variety, Mackie shared his thoughts on his evolving role as Captain America with General Charles Q. Brown Jr., Chief of Staff of the Air Force. In regards to how long he would continue to play the role, he revealed that he did not believe he would reprise the part for too long:

“I definitely don’t want to be a 55-year-old Captain America, so I’ve got a solid six to eight [years] in me.”

Steve Rogers gives Sam Wilson the Captain America shield in Avengers: Endgame

While Mackie appeared to emphasize that the role had an inherent ending point, his response differed from one he gave only a few weeks ago. At the MTV Movie & TV Awards, a journalist approached Mackie and asked him about the length of his contract with Marvel Studios. Mackie answered that he hoped to be Captain America for 20 years, saying he would even be up for playing the role when he is 65. Even though Mackie initially claimed he would play Cap for another two decades, his newest comment seems a bit more realistic. After all, Evans only played the character for 8 years, first appearing in the MCU in 2011.

When taking Mackie’s contradicting statements into account, it remains unclear how long Wilson’s Captain America will grace the screens of Marvel after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Hopefully, the reality aligns more with Mackie’s initial desire to continue playing the character for the next twenty years. Mackie’s powerful and multifaceted portrayal of Wilson, including his efforts to imbue the superhero with a nuanced realism, has added greater depth to the overall Marvel universe. Sam Wilson is a superhero who knows what it means to fight for a better world predicated on true systemic change and racial equality. At the end of the day, he is the Captain America that the world needs.

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Source: Variety