Five years after taking the shield, Anthony Mackie says he’s “excited as hell” to finally be starring in a Captain America movie: “I’ve been biding my time waiting for this moment”

In Captain America: Brave New World, Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson is taking center stage as Captain America. It’s been a long time coming, with Sam first handed the shield by Steve Rogers back in 2019’s Endgame. Then, in 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we were introduced to Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres, as Sam grappled with the idea of taking on the Cap mantle.

Now, we’ll finally see both Mackie and Ramirez suited up as the new Cap and Falcon when Brave New World hits theaters. So, how are they feeling?

“Excited as hell,” Mackie tells us when we meet with both actors to talk about the Marvel Phase 5 movie. “You have to think about how much work and how much time went into this. They told me I was gonna be Captain America five years ago. So I’ve just been biding my time waiting for this moment. But the excitement of it comes with the idea of, Marvel gave me the best cast, they gave me the best script, they gave me the best crew, they gave me the best director to make the best movie we could make. And I’m just really proud of it. I’m proud of the fact that it turned out the way it did, and it’s entertaining, and it’s heartfelt, and it’s fun, and it’s everything a Marvel movie is supposed to be.”

Ramirez is also excited to be stepping up. “I saw it 10 days ago for the first time,” he says. “And I was floored. It’s one of those things that obviously the process is so long, and as you said, you were told this five years ago. They told me when I was born. Kevin [Feige] went up to me and said, ‘You’re gonna one day don the wings.’ So I’ve been waiting a lot longer,” he jokes.