Despite 'The Falcon and Winter Soldier' six-pack, Anthony Mackie says he's more 'Fat Thor' than Captain America in quarantine

Anthony Mackie's having a pretty good year in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. Though his series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was plagued by COVID-related filming delays like pretty much every other production in 2020, the show wrapped up shooting last fall, and the star has been enjoying life at home in New Orleans since then, watching the world's reaction as he transforms from Sam Wilson, The Falcon to Sam Wilson, the new Captain America.

So, apart from promoting the rollout of his new role in the MCU, what's Mackie been up to? Building houses and eating fried fish that he caught himself. 

"I'm waiting for some vanities to come in now. I'm finishing this house actually right down the street from my house, and then I'm starting on my man cave," Mackie told Trevor Noah during an appearance on The Daily Show Wednesday. "So, when you come to New Orleans, you'll be welcome at my man cave."

Just as Sam Wilson's family has roots in the fishing community in Louisiana, Mackie's has roots in the construction business, and he's made no secret over the years of his love of going back home, buying a piece of property, and putting together a house with his own two hands. As quarantine hobbies go, it's a pretty impressive one, and Mackie's been keeping it up even as he's also been watching fans around the world react to him taking on the role of Captain America two years after he was first handed the shield by Chris Evans' Steve Rogers. Though Noah asked him how he responds to backlash from people who think he just got the shield "because you're a Black man," Mackie noted that what he's personally seen from viewers has been overwhelmingly positive.

"I expected that be the internet buzz, but I haven't received that or seen that at all," he said. "It's easy for us to look at the news and look at what's going on and say 'All people are bad, the world is going to s**t,' but the reality of it is most people are good people, and a lot of people are really excited about the idea of the Falcon becoming Captain America and what that means, not only in the cinematic universe and the comic book universe, but in our true reality. Because it gives a younger generation a different perspective and a different way to look at the world. That's what's cool and that's what I'm excited about."

Mackie has good reason to be excited. The Captain America gig has not only brought with it a Disney+ series and a cool new costume, but reportedly also an entirely new Captain America movie written by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's Malcolm Spellman. Though Mackie didn't comment directly on the film, he did note that he's begun a months-long training process to drop some of the weight he's gained from staying home and enjoying the cuisine of his native land.

"During quarantine I learned a lot about myself and a lot about my family and our relationship and the importance of having those people near and dear to your heart. But I'll tell you what, man, being able to go fishing and social distance and fry fish on your porch every day is a problem. That is a fat Mackie problem. Midway quarantine I was like 'Yo, I'm starting to look like Fat Thor. Like, I gotta figure this out.'"

Mackie added, "Right now I'm in the end of the first month of the four-month process to get back away from fat Mackie to movie Mackie."

Is the movie Mackie is training for the next Captain America? We have no idea, but it's nice to know that superheroes have the same quarantine eating habits as a many of the rest of us.