Anthony Mackie Takes Flight in 'Captain America: Brave New World'

It’s been more than a decade since Anthony Mackie made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Air Force veteran turned Avenger Sam Wilson. Now, he’s taking flight once more, this time carrying the shield in Captain America: Brave New World.

When fans first met Sam as the Falcon in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he was an invaluable ally (and jogging buddy) to Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). Since then, Sam has become an official Avenger, battled interstellar threats, and officially taken up the mantle of Captain America. It’s been a long, emotional journey for the character, and one Mackie says he never anticipated when he joined the MCU all those years ago.  

“I didn’t see that one coming,” the actor admits, shaking his head with a smile. “It is very unusual as an actor to be able to play a role for this long in this many different incarnations and to watch his emotional development and arc throughout the course of his cinematic life. It’s uncharted waters. The simple fact that one day he went out for a jog and 10 years later he’s Captain America just blows my mind every day.”

Captain America: Brave New World places Sam firmly in the spotlight as he faces one of his greatest challenges yet. After Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) is elected president of the United States, Sam finds himself tangled in an international conspiracy, racing to uncover a series of increasingly deadly threats.  

The film blends high-stakes political thrills and gravity-defying action, but for Mackie, it was also important to keep Sam’s journey grounded. Director Julius Onah says the actor greatly influenced Sam’s emotional arc in Brave New World, highlighting how Sam is an ordinary man without powers who chooses to step up and do the right thing. “Thanks to Mackie’s guidance, we never lost sight of what made this Captain America so special,” Onah adds.

Mackie especially wanted Brave New World to not just emphasize Sam’s high-flying combat skills but his skills as a counselor, too.

“It takes a certain type of person to be able to listen to and understand another person’s problems,” Mackie explains. “It takes a certain level of humanity, care, and compassion to not only listen to but counsel your fellow man. For me, that’s very important for Sam Wilson because he didn’t take the serum. He can’t punch his way through problems. He has to be a listener, and he has to be a facilitator of good health. He has to be the best version of us.”

Just as Sam is a leader on screen, Mackie took on a leadership role in real life, and his costars praise him for his steady, cheerful demeanor on set. Danny Ramirez’s character Joaquin Torres serves as Sam’s righthand man in the film, following in his footsteps as the new incarnation of the Falcon. Just as Joaquin looks up to Sam, Ramirez says he looked to Mackie as an example of what a leading man should be.

“From day one, I realized that I learned so much by just observing him,” Ramirez says. “He was taking on the mantle of Captain America in the same way I was taking over the mantle of Falcon. I could just observe how he went through that process and learn via that. He knew the Marvel lay of the land and everyone on set.”

With the film hitting theaters February 14, Mackie says he can’t wait for fans to take flight with Sam once more.

“I want people to go to this movie and see that Sam is officially Captain America,” Mackie says. “He has the ability, he has the steadfastness, and he has the heart. He’s earned that moniker. He can hold that shield as Captain America, and we should be proud of him. Steve saw something in Sam that made him believe Sam would be a good Captain America. And I think we should see the same thing in Sam.”