Actors are often faced with walking a tightrope between their creative ambitions and the strict guidelines laid down by the all-powerful Marvel Studios. One such actor, Anthony Mackie, who has played the iconic character Falcon / Sam Wilson / Captain America in several MCU films, recently opened up about the creative constraints that actors face behind the scenes.
Mackie has made a name for himself as an action star thanks to his work as Captain America. Of course, because of his success as Sam Wilson, the actor, 45, has been able to venture outside of the comic book industry. This includes his starring role (John Doe) in the Twisted Metal series. How was his time working away from MCU, then?
He did have a few things to say about the MCU! Speaking candidly, Mackie recently pointed out that while working on MCU projects is certainly an intriguing endeavor, it also comes with its fair share of limitations.
Anthony Mackie Uncovers the Limitations of MCU Actors Off-Screen
Anthony Mackie, who stars in and co-produces Peacock’s Twisted Metal series, will soon be flashing his superpowers in his forthcoming flick, Captain America: Brave New World. During his recent interview with the One More Life podcast, the actor addressed the challenges involved in being creative in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (via Radio Times):
“I would say the Marvel thing is completely different, just because it’s such a space of controlled entertainment. Like, there’s only so much you can do. There’s only so much creativity you can bring to the table, because Stan Lee gave us so much content. Whereas with this [Twisted Metal], it was like, ‘There’s a guy and a girl… go!’ So, we were really able to build the world around it.”
Further questions were asked regarding Mackie’s and the other producers’ ability to develop and/or remove characters from Twisted Metal—a creative choice that is considerably harder within the confines of the MCU. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star explained in the same podcast:
“Exactly. And that’s the hard thing about the Marvel universe. It’s like, you can’t really go outside of the lines of those comic books. You know, when we introduced the Falcon, and the growth of the Falcon to Captain America, all of that had to coincide with what Stan had already gave us. So, it’s an interesting juggle to be a part of that world. And this was more like, ‘Let’s just have fun and figure it out as we go’.”
Well, Mackie does a great job drawing an intriguing comparison between Twisted Metal and the MCU. It is particularly true for the Peacock show to figure things out on the fly because John Doe was created specifically for the show, unlike Sam Wilson, who has appeared in Captain America comics for decades.
Twisted Metal Got a Second Season Renewal
The combat video game series was adapted into Twisted Metal, whose ten episodes debuted last year. Featuring Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz, this television series tracks an anonymous man suffering from amnesia as he journeys across a post-apocalyptic wasteland carrying an enigmatic package.
The series was renewed for a second season in December of 2023. “The [writers’] room has started”, one of the showrunners, Michael Jonathan Smith, stated in an interview with NBC at the time. He added:
“We have an amazing team of writers. We’re discussing the arc of the season and what the first episode might be, looking at the big picture. I’m really excited.”
It is unlikely that Season 2 will air until the following year because there is still work to be done on casting, filming, and editing. We can expect to see all of the main cast members return for the second season, led by Anthony Mackie for the second time. In an interview with Deadline, the actor laid out his expectations for John Doe’s narrative for Season 2, saying:
“He’s going to have some challenges come his way, that’s gonna force his hand to be more of an adult and make some really tough decisions because you can’t be a milkman all your life. We’ve seen what happens to milkmen. So you have to decide what’s most important—hold your milkman status, or grow up and be an adult.”
The first season is currently holding a 94% audience score with 67% of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
If you have not seen Mackie’s series yet, you can currently stream or binge-watch Twisted Metal on Peacock.
