Summary
Captain America: Brave New Worldwill introduce the MCU’s new Captain America in his first headline theatrical appearance, and now fans know how much longer they can expect him to carry the mantle before he passes it on in kind.
Captain America: Brave New Worldhas been a big ball of uncertainty for Marvel Studios, as the project has found itself constantly embattled over the course of its production process. From objections to the film’s presentation of Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson as the new Captain America to reports of massively expensive and creatively diverse reshoots and reworks due to failed screenings, things haven’t been looking great for the film. However, morerecent box office predictions have given Marvel Studios cause for some cautious optimismheading into the final phase of promotions ahead of the premiere.
As the film’s lead,Mackie has been running point forCaptain America: Brave New World’s promo tourand some of his more recent statements reveal how long fans can expect him to stick around in the role. Speaking toEsquirein an extensive interview about his role as Captain America, Mackie touched on how long he was willing to extend his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “I give it a solid ten years,” Mackie says. “You have the two Avengers movies, you have hopefully another Captain America, and then random plug-and-plays: Oh, Spider-Man! Oh, Fantastic Four! What are you doing here? But you never know. I mean, I don’t want to be a sixty-year-old Captain America.” Another decade in the MCU would be a solid 20 years of active service for Mackie, who debuted for the MCU in 2014’sCaptain America: The Winter Soldier,then under the identity of Falcon.
These comments from Mackie are a bit humorous, as fans saw a much older Steve Rogers pass on his shield and the legacy of Captain America to Sam, and the comments pretty much mean that Mackie wants to pass on the mantle before his character gets that old. Along with the shield, Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers also handed Sam a massive new level of relevance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that comes with a lot of responsibility and scrutiny that makes the role a lot less appealing as time goes on. Just recently,Mackie inadvertently stirred up online controversy concerning comments about Captain Americaand what he believed the characters should represent to people, and he had to issue a statement to social media reiterating his patriotism and clarifying his statements. This sort of public scrutiny is just one of many reasons why a high visibility role in the world’s biggest franchise might not be something a star wants to keep doing into his 60s. With Mackie already in his late 40s (albeit not looking like it at all), a ten-year commitment seems pretty generous from his end.
The future is certainly bright for Mackie, especially ifCaptain America: Brave New Worldcan succeed where Secret Invasion failedand successfully blend the superhero and political thriller genres together to tell a compelling story. With roles pretty much guaranteed in the next twoAvengersfilms and more to the bargain, we’ll have more than enough projects featuring the new Captain America over the next two MCU phases. For now, fans can expect to see how he overcomes his first major threat whenCaptain America: Brave New Worldhits theaters in two weeks.
Captain America: Brave New Worldis set for theatrical release on 05 June 2025.
