Marvel Star reveals why working with MCU "is completely different"

Marvel movie, Captain America: Brave New World, is slated to release on February 14, 2025. Recently, American actor Anthony Mackie discussed the challenges of playing Sam Wilson in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Despite being a ten-year veteran in the MCU, he still finds "the Marvel thing is completely different".

In an interview with Radio Times on March 24, 2024, Mackie revealed what made the MCU unique and how much he could put into it:

"I would say the Marvel thing is completely different, just because it's such a space of controlled entertainment. Like, there's only so much you can do. There's only so much creativity you can bring to the table, because Stan Lee gave us so much content."

As the first standalone Captain America movie centered on Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson, Brave New World signals a momentous occasion in the MCU. Mackie has experienced a transformative journey - from his beginning as a dependable sidekick in The Winter Soldier and Civil War to taking over the shield from an aged Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame.

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Anthony Mackie talks about working in the Marvel Universe

Anthony Mackie as Falcon (Image via falconandwintersoldier@Instagram)

Anthony Mackie talked candidly with Radio Times about his experience of moving from the MCU to the Paramount+ original comedy series, Twisted Metal, that released in July 2023. Comparing the two worlds, he emphasized the challenges of adapting a well-liked video game series for the big screen.

Despite his experience as Falcon in the MCU, Mackie admitted that to handle Twisted Metal's sophistication was different. When asked about how contrasting it was working in the MCU and Paramount+ series, he said that Marvel's world had a "space of controlled entertainment". He added:

"Whereas with this [Twisted Metal], it was like, 'There's a guy and a girl… go!' So we were really able to build the world around it."

According to him, in MCU, the content is only as much as they get from Stan Lee. The hard part, he said, was one can't go beyond what's in the comic books.

"And that's the hard thing about the Marvel universe. It's like, you can't really go outside of the lines of those comic books."

Talking about his character, Falcon's growth to Captain America, he said:

"You know, when we introduced the Falcon, and the growth of the Falcon to Captain America, all of that had to coincide with what Stan had already gave us. So it's an interesting juggle to be a part of that world. And this was more like, 'Let's just have fun and figure it out as we go."

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Anthony Mackie as Falcon and Sam Wilson's Captain America in the MCU

The first appearance of Anthony Mackie as superhero Falcon was in the Marvel Studio's sequel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). In an interview with Inverse in June 2023, Mackie revealed he had tried contacting Marvel to cast him as Black Panther. Eventually, he received a call from the producers and directors offering him a role, but they did not specify what it was. And that's how he joined the superhero world.

Mackie reprised the role of Falcon in multiple MCU films, namely Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Ant-Man (2015), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Following his confirmation as the new Captain America, he landed the starring role in the 2021 series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Captain America: Brave New World is set to be his breakthrough film, marking a major milestone in his career. The movie will be the MCU debut of Harrison Ford, as Thunderbolt Ross (Hulk's nemesis).

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Watch Mackie's Twisted Metal series on Peacock.