Following Steve Rogers’ (Chris Evans) decision to go back in time and be with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) at the end of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Marvel fans all over the world have been anxiously waiting to see Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) shine as the new Captain America. Originally, they thought it would happen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), but a man named John Walker (Wyatt Russell) got in the way, delaying Wilson’s destiny until the final episode.
Now, though, after years of waiting, Mackie (and Sam) will finally get his shining moment on the big screen in the newest Marvel film, Captain America: Brave New World, releasing on February 14, 2025. But who is the new man behind the shield? And what does he really think about being a superhero? We investigate all of that and more below.
Anthony Mackie’s journey to Hollywood
Mackie was born on September 23, 1979, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was reportedly always in love with the idea of becoming a performer. He even studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the Juilliard School to hone his craft.
“My first job ever, coming out of Juilliard, was with a female director who graduated from Juilliard [Rosemary K. Andress],” Mackie said while looking back at his time as a student at the school.
After graduating in 2001, he began acting immediately and even booked his first breakout role in the 2002 film 8 Mile, which follows a man in Detroit who tries to break free from his everyday life.
“There was this one day, we were sitting on the set, and Eminem comes over, and said, ‘What’s up, man, I was reading a script, and there is no reason for me not to like you, you are a cool dude, I like you,’ and then I said, ‘I like you, too.’” Mackie reflected of his time on set. “And then he was, like, ‘Cool, So you don’t mind if I add some stuff in the script about you?, I [asked], ‘About me or the character?.’ He said, ‘No, just some character stuff.’ I’m, like, ‘Yeah, no problem.’”
“So before the entire 8 Mile final battle, he googles me and learns about me and he basically makes fun of me as Papa Doc. [Laughs] And then I’m, like, ‘That’s a little personal, Mr. Marshall… I grew up in a nice house; my parents were nice to me; why are you making fun of me?’”
Following that, Mackie’s time in Hollywood continued to grow, eventually resulting in the lead role in the Oscar-winning film The Hurt Locker (2008).
How ‘The Hurt Locker’ led to MCU
The Hurt Locker follows Sergeant J.T. Sanborn (Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) after their Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit gets a new leader in the form of Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner).
“I feel what makes the movie work so well is that it’s a character study,” Mackie said, “When you look at this film, it’s not about these guys being at war. It’s not about war, it’s not about Iraq, it’s not about Baghdad, it’s not about Bin Laden, it’s not about Bush. It’s about how the backdrop of the war is mentally and emotionally affecting these three human beings. That’s the magic of film.”
Following its release, The Hurt Locker became highly controversial for its brutal and hard-to-watch plot, but even so, it helped pave the way for Mackie to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Becoming Captain America
In 2014, Mackie joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the character Sam Wilson/Falcon in the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Since then, He has reprised the role in seven different movies and TV shows and counting.
“If you look at these Marvel movies, they go with different genres,” said Mackie. “You have the fantasy world, you have the space world, you have the raccoon world. With the Captain America stories, it has always been a realistic, grounding world.”
Currently, Mackie is gearing up to bring Sam Wilson to life in the highly anticipated 2025 Marvel film Captain America: Brave New World, which he says “stays in line with the original Captain America” even though Sam never received the Super Soldier Serum, only the shield.
“It’s very different; with the serum—you can fight anybody,” Mackie said. “When you don’t have the serum, you have to be smart and engineer different ways of defeating [enemies]. With Sam, him being a counselor, he uses more of his brain than [his] brawn. He uses more of his wit than his fist. He’s more of a friend to everyone.”
In the new film especially, Sam (Mackie) is going to have a friend/enemy in Harrison Ford’s character, Thaddeus Ross—a.k.a Red Hulk, who is different from the green version played by Mark Ruffalo.
“My favorite character of all time is the Incredible Hulk,” Mackie admitted. “I’ve always been a Hulk fan. When I was a kid, I used to watch TV shows. I just always loved the Hulk.”
‘I always wondered, ‘How come everything came off except the pants?’ Everything — his shirt, his shoes — came off, but his pants stayed. I always thought that was weird.”
Anthony Mackie’s life as a father of four
From 2014 to 2018, Mackie was married to Sheletta Chapital, whom he had been dating on and off since they were just seven years old.
“I was coming from a very bad school and going to a very good one,” Mackie said of the first time he met his ex-wife. “And when I walked into second grade, it was Dr. Seuss day. We had the little hot plate out, and the teacher was making green eggs and ham. So, you know, I walk in, and I look and I see this girl with these little ratty pigtails and skinny legs, and I was like, ‘Wow!’”
The details of their divorce remain unclear, but their marriage, Mackie and Chapital had four children together, and they continue to co-parent them to this day.
“My kids changed a lot for me,” Mackie said. “Now, as they get older and I’m working so much, it’s a dangerous negotiation.”
“I have four boys. I tell my boys, ‘Yo, I’m the dad everybody wants.’ And my sons don’t watch Marvel movies. They have no idea. I’ll FaceTime Sebastian [Stan]. I’m, like, ‘Yo, man. Say what’s up to my son.’ And my son’s, like, ‘Hey?’ They don’t [care]. To them, I’m Dad.“
Mackie hasn’t publicly dated anyone following his divorce.