When Marvel fans last saw Anthony Mackie‘s Sam Wilson, it was the finale of the Disney+ series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” and Sam had finally embraced himself as Captain America. He sported a new patriotic suit, complete with a white half-helmet and goggles. But Sam is no longer rocking that look as he returns to the MCU in “Captain America: Brave New World.” The half-helmet is gone, for instance. So what happened? Mackie recently told IGN that he demanded a costume change.
“I told them that I was never wearing that shit again, dude,” Mackie said. “That was hard. With the heat, the sweat, the fogged-up glasses, it was impossible. It was called a cowl. It was my worst nightmare. You can’t do anything.”
Sam still has his trademark goggles in “Captain America: Brave New World,” but there’s no half-helmet holding him back. This is the first Marvel movie to feature Mackie’s character in the lead role. He joined the MCU more than a decade ago in 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” opposite Chris Evans in the title role. Evans’ Steve Rogers passed the Captain America shield to Sam in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” with a bulk of the 2021 series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” then finding Sam wrestling with that choice.
“Captain America: Brave New World” director Julius Onah said in a recent interview with Vanity Fair that his new movie is not concerned with Sam’s journey to finding himself as Captain America.
“That question has been resolved,” Onah said. “Sam is our Captain America now. He’s our hero.”
Mackie is joined in “Captain America: Brave New World” by Harrison Ford, who takes over the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross from the late William Hurt. Ross is now the U.S. president, and Mackie’s Captain America is forced into his orbit amid an assassination attempt and rising global tensions over owning adamantium. The supporting cast includes Danny Ramirez as the new Falcon, Shira Haas as Sabra and Giancarlo Esposito as the villain Sidewinder.
“Captain America: Brave New World” opens in theaters Feb. 14 from Disney.