Anthony Mackie Talks Being a Smarter, Friendlier Captain America

Ever since he showed up in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and popped out those wings of his, folks have been wanting Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson to get a spotlight to himself. Since Brave New World marks his first solo movie, everyone involved wants to do right by him in multiple ways, particularly on the action front.

During Disney’s recent APAC Contest Showcase in Singapore (thanks, Deadline), Mackie touched on how Sam stands out from Steve Rogers and John Walker. Despite his new position as a “leader of his community in the country,” Sam’s still working as a trauma counselor for military veterans. As such, Mackie said his character is “more of a friend to everyone,” and employs more thought into his actions. This is particularly important, given the pressure he’s under in the film: not only is he Black and operating as Cap after Walker killed a man in public, his friend Isaiah Bradley kicks the plot in motion by trying to assassinate President Ross for no discernable reason.

That same level of thought will also apply to Brave New World’s action scenes. Steve and John had the benefit of the Super Soldier Serum, but Sam is ultimately a guy with a pair of high-tech wings, and people in the Captain America movies tend to die easier than characters in other MCU series. Mackie explained that Sam has to “be smart and engineer different ways of defeating [enemies],” particularly since he’s going up against guys like Red Hulk. His Wakandan-made suit helps even the playing field by “taking all of my skills to a completely different level,” said the actor. “I can kick harder, fly faster, and it gives me the ability to be more agile in my skills.”

Previous movies and shows haven’t always been the best at showing off Sam’s strengths. We’ll see for sure how he fares on his own when Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on February 14, 2025.

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