Outside the Wire, Netflix’s new sci-fi military thriller led by Anthony Mackie, is out and garnering comparisons to another Mackie character – Falcon from the MCU. While Falcon is physically enhanced via his winged Exo-suit, he doesn’t actually possess any inherent superpowers of his own. With both characters played by the same star and sharing a number of other characteristics, Outside the Wire’s Leo gives fans a kind of glimpse into what it would have been like if Falcon were a super-soldier.
In Outside the Wire, Leo is a "fourth-generation biotech" – an android with superior physical and mental abilities. He carries out special operations for the US military, but ultimately loses faith in the men who made him, leading to rogue efforts to break free of his controllers and right the wrongs he believes he's perpetuated. He doesn't do anything reminiscent of classic super soldier antics in the movie - like fly or pick up cars with one hand - but his capabilities as a strategist and a fighter are clearly beyond those of normal humans.
Related: Outside The Wire: Biggest Unanswered Questions
The similarities between Leo and Falcon are readily apparent. Both use (or in Leo’s case, are) classified technology for secret military operations. Both are trained soldiers living and fighting in sci-fi versions of the real modern world. And both are played with devilish suave by Anthony Mackie, in two performances that are pretty comparable in his balance of soldier-focus and sarcastic sense of humor. That’s where the big similarities end, however. The main difference between the two, obviously, is Leo’s status as an android with enhanced abilities like speed, strength, intelligence, and durability. However, the differences don’t end there. Leo is a much colder and more calculated character than Falcon, as becomes clear as Outside the Wire enters its third act. He doesn’t hesitate to kill, he accepts collateral damage, and he operates with understandably robotic efficiency.
If Falcon were to have the heightened abilities of Leo, it's possible he could be more liable to go rogue himself. Falcon isn't exactly one of the MCU's strongest heroes, which means he usually isn't the one making big independent calls. However, Marvel has shown what a super soldier like Captain America is capable of when he disagrees with the groups controlling him (Winter Soldier, Civil War), and Outside the Wire shows how Falcon might behave if possessed of the same abilities. In many ways though, Leo is more similar to the Winter Soldier than he is to Falcon, as both are powerful cyborgs. He even has a little bit of Ultron in him, with occasional philosophizing about human destruction and necessary sacrifices for the greater good. Like Ultron, Leo ends up making some questionable decisions that he deems necessary for the bigger picture. And like Ultron, he executes that goal with questionable methods and effectiveness.
With The Falcon and Winter Soldier coming soon to Disney+, it’s at least fun for fans to see Mackie play a character who largely functions as a warped version of his MCU self. Mackie’s performance as Leo is the high point of Outside the Wire, but it lacks the heart, humor and, as expected, the humanity of Falcon. Still, seeing Mackie play a super-soldier with a dark edge is interesting, given that his MCU show may open up some more serious dimensions for the character. Outside the Wire is far from the quality of a Marvel Studios film, but Mackie’s performance is a definite highlight.