Anthony Mackie Reveals Marvel’s Insane Leak Prevention System
Anthony Mackie explained on the Kelly Clarkson Show that Marvel has a multiple step process, involving a password-protected website and clandestine meetings, to prevent scripts form leaking.
Anthony Mackie has revealed the lengths Marvel studios will go to conceal potential leaks from their upcoming films. Captain America: New World Order will star Mackie as well as Sebastian Stan and Star Wars’ Harrison Ford, according to IMDB. In a recent interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Mackie discussed the Marvel leak containment protocol, stating, “I got my script today. Haven’t read it. Haven’t opened it. I haven’t got my passcode to the website that let’s you get to the website… We literally get a passcode to a website that gives us a location to meet the person to sign, to sit with a computer, and read our script.”
Given that Marvel storylines tend to last for many years and rely heavily on the spectacle of the shared theater experience, keeping spoilers at bay is a top priority for Kevin Feige and the company. Add to this the fact that many storylines are pulled from decades-old comic runs so that any minor detail could tip off super fans to major plot points from a mile away. Anthony Mackie humorously chides Marvel’s safety measures, joking that the security expert in charge of presenting scripts to actors is often a young, inexperienced intern of some sort.
After Anthony Mackie’s first Marvel experience in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which also serves as the first foray into the franchise for the Russo Brothers, he went on to portray Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, until 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, where the mantle of Captain America was passed down to him by Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers himself. Since then, Mackie’s inclusion within the Avengers franchise has been somewhat up in the air. The actor recently stated that he doesn’t plan to lead the Avengers like his predecessor, choosing instead to enter battles hand-in-hand with the team as an equal.
Still, despite not fully agreeing with their methods, Anthony Mackie respects Marvel’s candor in keeping their scripts under wraps, particularly when referencing a few of his more loose-lipped co-stars. Many fans will recall Marvel going to great lengths to conceal classified information from Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, who famously cannot keep a secret. Some behind-the-scenes stories involving Holland’s inability to contain information include the actor being told that Iron Man’s Endgame funeral scene was a wedding and even providing him with fake production scripts.
Clearly, this method has been working for Marvel, as their omertà on spoilers has gripped audiences, creating a pervasive culture of information concealment amongst the masses. Anthony Mackie’s next Marvel movie is likely Captain America 4, though the star may soon appear in a series of other Marvel films such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, The Marvels, or Thunderbolts. Thunderbolts will be the first film to introduce Mackie’s Captain America 4 co-star, Harrison Ford, into the MCU.
Ford will be taking over the role of Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross after the unfortunate passing of William Hurt in 2022. Hurt portrayed the role since the early days of the MCU, first appearing in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, before reprising the role in subsequent films such as Captain America: Civil War, and 2021’s Black Widow. When we next see Anthony Mackie suited up in spandex for his next Marvel outing, the character may be butting heads with Ross, as the Thunderbolts will see him overseeing a team of Suicide Squad–style villains using shady government tactics.
