Anthony Mackie assumed he was playing Black Panther when he joined the MCU

Anthony Mackie joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: The Winter Solider as Sam Wilson, but that’s not the role he thought he would get. While speaking with Inverse, Anthony Mackie revealed that he had actually written multiple letters to Marvel about playing Black Panther.

“I had been contacting Marvel a lot about Black Panther,” Anthony Mackie said. “I had written them letters. I was trying to find a way to make them make Black Panther. And I wanted to be Black Panther because growing up I f*cking loved Black Panther.” The actor’s efforts paid off and he got a meeting with Joe and Anthony Russo and producer Nate Moore, who offered him an undisclosed role in the Captain America sequel.

I’ll never forget, Joe Russo said, ‘Listen, so we’re doing this movie. We want you to be in it. We can’t say what character you’re playing or who else is going to be in it. Would you do it?’ And that was it. I was like, ‘You know what, I like y’all dudes. I’ll do it. I’ll go on this ride with you.’

Anthony Mackie had just assumed the role would be Black Panther, and it took several weeks before he learned the truth. “What other major comic book figure has enough of a presence to have his own movie?” Mackie said. “So when they hit me up and they were like, ‘Yo, so it’s Sam Wilson,’ I’m like, ‘Really?’” Mackie went on to play Sam Wilson in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, as well as taking on the leading role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series for Disney+, which saw him taking on the mantle of Captain America.

Nearly a decade after his MCU debut, Anthony Mackie is finally leading his own Marvel movie with Captain America: Brave New World. Stepping into the shoes of Captain America is no small thing, and Mackie is all too aware of the pressure. “There’s a huge amount of pressure,” Mackie said. “You throw my dumb ass in the water, and you’re like, ‘Swim.’ I’m like, ‘Sh*t.’ But at the same time, it’s all in the state of mind. I’ve been given a great cast. I’ve been given a great group of people who I’ve worked with before.” Captain America: Brave New World will hit theaters on July 26, 2024.

Would Anthony Mackie have made a good Black Panther or is he a better fit for Sam Wilson?