Anthony Mackie once begged Marvel for the Black Panther role
Despite being well-known for his role as the Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, actor Anthony Mackie had initially set his sights on a much different character – Black Panther.
Mackie, who first appeared as Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, has enjoyed a successful run with the character and garnered a hefty fan following for his portrayal of the airborne hero. However, his journey with Marvel could have taken a significantly different path; before taking on the Falcon’s wings, Mackie relentlessly pursued the role of Black Panther, the iconic Black superhero from Wakanda.
In a recent interview with Inverse, Mackie revealed, “I had been contacting Marvel a lot about Black Panther. I had written them letters [in the early 2010s]. I was trying to find a way to make them make Black Panther. And I wanted to be Black Panther because growing up, I fucking loved Black Panther.”
Mackie’s desire to portray the Wakandan king came long before Marvel Studios greenlit the Black Panther film back in 2014. The character, which eventually went to Chadwick Boseman, first appeared two years after Mackie’s introduction to the MCU with 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, followed by a solo film in 2018 that proved to be a global and cultural phenomenon.
Despite missing out on the Wakandan role, Mackie was soon approached by the Russo Brothers for a confidential part in the Captain America sequel. The role was kept under wraps even during his recruitment, with Mackie recounting, “Joe Russo said, ‘Listen, so we’re doing this movie. We want you to be in it. We can’t say what character you’re playing or who else is going to be in it. Would you do it?’ And that was it.”
Mackie’s leap of faith paid off, with his character Falcon becoming a central figure in the MCU narrative. He has appeared in six MCU movies so far and starred in his own Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The actor is set to return to the MCU, this time donning the flag and the shield, in Captain America: Brave New World, due in theatres on July 26th, 2024.
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