Anthony Mackie Shares How Chris Evans Personally Informed Him He’d Be Captain America
The transition between actors taking on the same iconic superhero role is often fraught, but the shift from Chris Evans to Anthony Mackie has been marked by genuine warmth and camaraderie. Mackie’s character, Sam Wilson, spent years as Falcon before embracing the Captain America mantle, culminating in a deeply emotional moment in ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ Since that pivotal moment, Mackie has continued to carry the legacy, leading his own solo film, ‘Captain America: Brave New World,’ set for release in 2025.
In a recent cover story for Cigar Aficionado, Mackie revealed how he learned about his new role from Evans himself, well before the news broke to the public. This heartfelt moment occurred casually at Evans’ home while they were spending time together.
“Chris Evans is somebody who I hold near and dear,” Mackie shared in the interview. “We’re at Chris’ house, and because he’s Captain America, he gets the [script] pages first. So he’s like, ‘Yo, did you read the new scene?’ I’m like, ‘Nah, what’s up?’ So, he takes me down…and he gave me the script and let me read it. And it was really great and really emotional to learn it from a friend…I don’t know a lot of actors who would have appreciated or celebrated that moment with a fellow actor in that way because I was taking his job for all intents and purposes.”
This gesture highlights the close bond that has developed between the two actors since Mackie joined the franchise, first appearing as Falcon while Evans was firmly established as Captain America. Evans first donned the iconic suit in 2011’s ‘Captain America: The First Avenger,’ before passing the shield to Mackie’s Sam Wilson at the conclusion of ‘Endgame’ in 2019.
Rather than treating the transition as a mere studio decision, Evans ensured that Mackie experienced the reveal in a personal and meaningful manner. Mackie’s reflections on this moment suggest it left a lasting impact, especially considering how rare such camaraderie is among actors sharing the same role.
This narrative is particularly timely, as ‘Avengers: Endgame’ has recently returned to theaters in an expanded re-release ahead of the upcoming ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ scheduled for December 18. The re-release, titled ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore,’ grossed a combined $86 million globally during its opening weekend, pushing the film’s lifetime total past $2.88 billion worldwide.
Given that ‘Endgame’ is where Mackie’s iconic shield moment originally took place, revisiting this story now feels especially fitting as fans return to theaters to relive that scene. It also serves as a reminder of how genuine off-screen friendships have influenced one of the MCU’s most significant on-screen legacy moments.
The first trailer for ‘CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD’ has been released.
In theaters on February 14. pic.twitter.com/BFhQ1WeZh3
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 12, 2024
With ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ set to bring back much of the franchise’s ensemble cast later this year, Mackie’s history with Evans adds an extra layer of anticipation for how their characters’ relationship might continue to evolve. Whether or not Evans makes an appearance in the upcoming crossover, this story reinforces the mutual respect that exists between the two men, both on and off screen.
For fans who have followed Mackie’s journey from Falcon to Captain America, hearing these behind-the-scenes details adds emotional weight to a transition that could have easily felt impersonal. Instead, it turns out that one of the MCU’s most significant torch-passing moments was rooted in genuine friendship long before the cameras started rolling.
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