The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is on a new trajectory. The introduction of the multiverse and quantum realm to explain time travel considerably widened the superhero franchise’s horizons as it moves on from super soldiers and billionaire geniuses. A number of the old faces from the past decade remain in the MCU, while others find their characters dead or in other timelines, and hence not in the MCU.
Avengers: Endgame (2019) lived up to its billing as a groundbreaker in the history of the franchise. The movie saw Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow perish in an attempt to kill Thanos, the big bad of the past phases. Chris Evans’ Captain America is also no longer a part of the current MCU, while Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has been largely unassociated with Midgard – Earth – after Endgame.
In this changing landscape, Anthony Mackie is largely skeptical about the role of his character Sam Wilson as the new Captain America.
Sam Wilson became Captain America at the end of Endgame
Evans’ Steve Rogers aka Captain America went back in time to have a much-awaited dance with the love of his life, Peggy Carter, and stayed on to lead his life with her in that timeline. The end of Endgame saw an older Steve Rogers pass Captain America’s iconic shield to Anthony Mackie’s Sam WIlson, who is an ex-Air Force pilot with mechanical wings of his own.
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Wilson’s relationship with Captain America as Falcon – the winged superhero – was layered and largely positive, which resulted in Rogers trusting him to be the next Captain America. Wilson has no superpowers of his own, but is skilled in fighting techniques and knew how to use most human weapons. His wings got an upgrade in the form of the alien compound Vibranium enforcing them – a gift from Wakanda. When he took over as Captain America from Steve Rogers, the Captain America shield was also added to his armory.
The new-look Avengers might take time to settle in
Wanda Maximoff has realized her Scarlet Witch form. There is a new kid on the block in Shang-Chi, the wielder of the Ten Rings. Wong has become Sorcerer Supreme, Hawkeye now has an apprentice in Kate Bishop, and the Eternals have surfaced. There is a She-Hulk, the attorney cousin of Bruce Banner, who is now Professor Hulk. Daredevil is finding his feet in the MCU, Spider-Man has gone dark, Miss Marvel has risen out of nowhere, and Ant-Man and the Wasp find themselves in the quantum realm more often than not. And there is a new Black Panther in Wakanda, to cap it all.
All these super beings are superhuman in one way or the other. The MCU hasn’t strung them together into any association or team of any sort, but it is evident that they are likely to come together in another grandiose finish against some variant of Kang the Conqueror, who has been touted to be the next big bad. These new heroes, coupled with old faces from the Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, and Thor, are all endowed with powers of cosmic proportions, or at least superhuman capabilities, in the case of Spider-Man and Daredevil.
Anthony Mackie worried about Sam Wilson being a “regular dude”
Sam Wilson, however, does seem to fall behind when it comes to the new order of the Avengers. He is skilled and experienced in most forms of warfare and is deadly with his new vibranium wings and Captain America shield, as we saw in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). But how he shapes up against cosmic giants – Kang comes to mind – does make one think. He is not even one of the second-string of characters in the superhero cast – he is Captain America at the moment, the mantle of the First Avenger, and among the most prestigious in the MCU.
Anthony Mackie, who plays Sam Wilson, voiced his concerns about the Falcon leading the Avengers as Captain America against the newer, deadlier threats, most of which appear to come from the quantum realm, different timelines, or outer space.
In an interview with The Direct, Mackie said as much.
Interviewer: “When the Avengers come back, they’ll need a leader. Do you think that Sam Wilson could be that guy?”
Mackie: “Sam is the only character without superpowers. He’s just a regular dude hanging out with a bunch of weirdos. Being from New Orleans, I’ve been in a few fights. And heart and charisma never helped me in a fight. That usually just got me beat up. So that might cause an issue when you go fight somebody like Thanos.”
Anthony Mackie has cast doubt on his #CaptainAmerica leading the #MCU's new #Avengers:
"Sam is the only character without superpowers. He's just a regular dude… That might cause an issue when you go fight somebody like Thanos." Full quote: https://t.co/ZKlNeHcNKX pic.twitter.com/BFGs2XgF69
— MCU – The Direct (@MCU_Direct) February 20, 2023
His worries about Wilson being just a “regular guy” seem to be on point. He does not possess the super-serum which made the good-boy Steve Rogers into a great man and gave him superhuman strength, agility, and reflexes.
How the MCU plays out the role of the new Captain America is surely interesting and will leave fans wondering about how he fits into the scheme of things
Source: Twitter
