Anthony Mackie explained why Sam Wilson’s upcoming ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ will emphasize “brains over brawn” and shared how he felt upon learning he would take on the role of the super soldier. Mackie stars in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’, marking the first ‘Captain America’ Marvel movie with him in the lead role.
Speaking at the Disney APAC Content Screening in Singapore, Mackie revealed how he found out that Wilson would succeed Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers as Captain America. The actor shared that he learned the news while watching a soccer match at Evans’ house. That day, Evans handed him the last two pages of the ‘Avengers: Endgame’ script, which outlined the plan for Wilson’s transformation into ‘Captain America.’
When asked how Wilson would handle the mantle of ‘Captain America’ in the upcoming film, Mackie said: “Sam’s evolution is simple. He’s still a counsellor. He’s still serving soldiers, but at the same time, now he’s a leader of his community in the country.”
Mackie emphasized that Wilson represents a different kind of ‘Captain America,’ especially since he doesn’t have the Super Soldier Serum.
“It’s very different with the serum — you can fight anybody,” said Mackie. “When you don’t have the serum, you have to be smart and engineer different ways of defeating [enemies]. With Sam, him being a counselor, he uses more of his brains than brawn. He uses more of his wit than his fist. He’s more of a friend to everyone.”
Mackie admitted that he started reading Marvel comics only after being cast as The Falcon, saying: “A lot of people might not like this, but I’ve never read comics.”
Mackie also highlighted that one unique aspect of ‘Captain America’ films is its “realistic” world compared to other Marvel movies.
“If you look at these Marvel movies, they go with different genres,” said Mackie. “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 also revealed his favorite superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “My favorite character of all time is the Incredible Hulk,” said Mackie. “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.”
‘Captain America: Brave New World’ will be released on February 14, 2025.
