Anthony Mackie reflects on the ‘history, pain, triumph, and joy’ of becoming Captain America

It was a powerful moment when Sam Wilson accepted the mantle of Captain America at the end of Avengers: Endgame ... and that power is not lost on actor Anthony Mackie. He's set to return to the role for the new MCU series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+, and he recently opened up about how emotional and monumental it is to bear the shield.

In an interview with Deadline, Mackie discusses his role on the series, which, according to him, recently included "three weeks of script work." As he says, "We meet, we read the different scenes, go over it, rewrite it, tweak it to where it works. We’ve always done that. Marvel has always been very open-minded about letting us hone the scripts to our character."

It seems that Mackie's Sam "The Falcon" Wilson will definitely be in Cap mode in the new series (before an upcoming film, presumably), something that Marvel Comics depicted years ago. Mackie might still be flying around with his Falcon wings, but we're betting he may just have that vibranium disc with him. He makes that clear when he's asked what it is like to actually walk around with the famous shield.

"You know what, to be honest, it’s very emotional," Mackie says. "I’ve been in the business for 20 years and I’ve been fortunate to do some amazing stuff and work with amazing people. For me, to be a black man in 2019 and be given the helm of Captain America with the history of black men in this country is a monumental step, not only in entertainment, but also in my life. It’s been extremely emotional."

"Look, my grandfather was a sharecropper, you know what I mean? There’s a lot of history and pain and triumph and joy that comes along with me being Captain America," he adds.

Credit: Marvel Studios

When asked if his children have been able to share in the pride of him assuming Cap's role, Mackie tells Deadline that it's more "about the conversation." As he says, "I think the great thing about this project, and the reason I feel this is like winning a lifetime achievement award, is because now as fathers we can sit down with our sons and have a different conversation."

He adds: "In the past, it was always the conversation as black fathers that we had with our kids about how to be safe when they left home, about how not to entice police officers, about how not to walk through certain neighborhoods. But now we can have the conversation with our sons about what it means for him to grow up and possibly be Captain America."

All in all, it's quite a time for Mackie, who leaves it with "It’s been a very emotional few months."

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will come to Disney+ in 2020.