Anthony Mackie Wanted To Be Black Panther
Anthony Mackie wanted to be Black Panther so badly, he wrote letters to Marvel campaigning for the role.
Actor Anthony Mackie has been playing the role of Sam Wilson AKA Falcon/Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for nearly a decade, but he recently shared that he actually wanted to be Black Panther.
He wanted the role because growing up he, “f*cking loved Black Panther,” according to The Hollywood Report. But when the Russo brothers offered him the role of an undisclosed character in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he obviously couldn’t say no.
Anthony Mackie wanted to be Black Panther so badly that he even wrote letters to Marvel in the 2010s, urging them to create the film and cast him as the lead. Ultimately, the role of Black Panther went to the late Chadwick Boseman when he first appeared in Captain America: Civil War.
He then got his own breakout movie in 2018 but tragically passed away in 2020 before he could star in any other Black Panther films.
Even though he didn’t get the role of Black Panther, Anthony Mackie still seems happy to be involved in the MCU. When the Russo brothers offered him the undisclosed role, Anthony Mackie took a leap of faith and told them, “I like y’all dudes. I’ll do it. I’ll go on this ride with you.”
It turned out well for the actor who is now going to take the reigns as Captain America in the new film Captain America: Brave New World as well as Avengers: Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Outside of the MCU, Anthony Mackie has still been able to play some incredible characters throughout his career. He started off strong by playing the role of young rapper Papa Doc opposite Eminem in 2002’s 8 Mile, and then one year later played the iconic role of Tupac in 2009’s Notorious.
Also in 2009, he played Sergeant JT Sanborn in the war drama The Hurt Locker, which propelled his career forward by earning him several awards and nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
His biggest role to date has been Sam Wilson/Falcon, for which he won Best Hero and Best Duo (shared with Sebastian Stan) from the MTV Movie & TV Awards.
In this role, he has appeared in several MCU movies, ranging from Captain America films to Avengers films to Ant-Man. In his new role as Captain America, he has starred alongside Sebastian Stan in the TV mini-series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Anthony Mackie was always well-liked as the comedic sidekick to Chris Evans’ Captain America, but fans are excited that he is finally getting his time to shine as the main hero. Captain America: Brave New World is set to be released on July 26, 2024.
While the plot of the new Captain America movie is still under wraps, we do know that Harrison Ford will play antagonist Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross. Liv Tyler is also reprising her role as Betty Ross, Bruce Banner’s love interest in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, alongside Edward Norton. While Norton isn’t returning, the current MCU Hulk, Mark Ruffalo, is rumored to be a major part of the upcoming film.
