Anthony Mackie says he sent letters to Marvel about wanting to play Black Panther before getting the role of Falcon

Before Anthony Mackie landed the role of Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, he had his sights set on a completely different Marvel Cinematic Universe character.

During an interview with ReversePosted online Wednesday, the actor said that after he started making a name for himself in the industry, he decided to aim for Marvel in the early 2010s.

“I had been reaching out to Marvel a lot about Black Panther,” he explained. “I wrote them letters. I was trying to find a way for him to make Black Panther. And I wanted to be Black Panther because growing up I loved Black Panther.”

He eventually set up a meeting with longtime Marvel producer Nate Moore, as well as Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, who would eventually become directors on the 2014 film. Captain America: The Winter SoldierMackie’s first MCU project.

“I’ll never forget, Joe Russo said, ‘Listen, so we’re making this movie. We want you to be in it. We can’t tell which character you’ll be playing or who else will be in it. Would you?’” Mackie recalled. “And this is all. I was like, ‘You know what, I like you guys all. I will do it. I’m going on this ride with you.’”

A few weeks later, he finally learned that he was going to play Captain America’s best ally, Sam Wilson, in the film directed by Chris Evans, although he could never have guessed it.

“What other major comic book figure has enough presence to have his own movie? So when they reached out to me and they were like, ‘Yo, so it’s Sam Wilson,’ I was like, ‘Really?’” the actor said.

The role of Black Panther, who made his first appearance in the Russo brothers’ film Captain America Civil War in 2016, it went to the late Chadwick Boseman.

Mackie went on to reprise his role as Sam Wilson/Falcon in three avengers movie, Ant man AND Captain America Civil Warbefore leading the 2021 series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Now, having established himself in the MCU, Mackie is set to lead the franchise as the next Captain America in the upcoming film, Captain America: Brave New Worldfollowing Evans’ Steve Rogers.

“There’s a tremendous amount of pressure,” Mackie told the outlet. “You throw my stupid ass in the water and say, ‘Swim.’ I’m like, ‘Shit.’ But at the same time, it’s all in the mood. I was given a fantastic cast. I was given a great group of people I’ve worked with before.

Captain America: Brave New World is slated to hit theaters on July 26, 2024.