Anthony Mackie Officially Returning As Captain America
Finally, the news a lot of Marvel fans have waited for has arrived. Anthony Mackie has officially reached a deal with Marvel Studios to once again carry the famous shield and return as the titular hero in Captain America 4.
As many know, Mackie first appeared as the character Sam Wilson in Chris Evans' second solo outing, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in which he found himself caught up in a huge conspiracy concerning his employer, S.H.I.E.L.D. During the events of the film, we find out S.H.I.E.L.D. is actually under the control of Hydra and Steve Rogers, Black Widow and Sam Wilson team up to help stop their nefarious schemes. Wilson would go on to adopt the superhero moniker Falcon and aid Steve in various other missions, forming a very close relationship.
RELATED: Scarlett Johansson's Disney Lawsuit Explained
He would go on to appear in other MCU movies, including Infinity War and Endgame, but only appearing predominantly in the side character role. That is, until he went and got his own TV show.
Hot off the heels of WandaVision, Marvel released The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+. This series followed the characters Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes after the events of Endgame, in which Steve passed his iconic shield to Sam and essentially tagged him as his replacement. Whilst fans expected this to be the turning point for Sam, the TV series starts after him actually giving up the shield to a museum, believing himself to be unworthy of being the new Captain America. This choice drives a wedge between him and Bucky, as Bucky feels he's dishonoring Steve.
As the show progresses, the American government decides the country needs a Captain America again and so gives the shield to someone else who completely destroys the legacy left by Steve. By the end of the show, though, Wilson has the shield back and uses it to bring down the Flag Smashers, proving Steve was right in picking him, and Sam finally accepts the new responsibility he has been given.
Interestingly, the news of a Captain America 4 isn't actually new. It was announced on the same day the TV show's finale aired, in fact a mere few hours later, but nothing about Mackie was included. In fact, when asked about it, Mackie said he found out the same random way as many others. From then on, though, he has dropped hints at doing his needed workout to get in shape for the character and now we have it confirmed he's signed on to return, even saying he plans on playing the character for many years to come. His performance in the show was highly praised, so many fans will be happy with this news.
At this stage, it's unclear whether or not Sebastian Stan will return alongside him as Bucky, and no director is signed on yet either. However, we do know Malcolm Spellman is reportedly penning the script, and series writer Dalan Musson will be there to help. With the two of them having worked on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it's a safe bet to assume the themes and story arcs from the show will carry on into the next movie as well.
Whilst this all great news, the biggest mystery about this particular movie is just where it will sit within the timeline. We know it's obviously set after Endgame, but with the likes of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness next in line for release, it's a little hard to see where it fits at the moment. Having said that, the show preceding it did set up some plot threads and stories which could be explored in the next movie, so we will just have to wait and see.
As always, we will bring you more news on this as and when it develops.
READ MORE: Best Marvel Characters Created For The MCU
Source(s): Screen Rant