Credit: Marvel StudiosIn just over a year’s time, Marvel Cinematic Universe fans will reunite with Captain America after four years away. Except this time, there has been a shakeup, and as the fourth entry in the Captain America franchise heads into reshoots, one actor has spoken out about replacing Anthony Mackie.
The journey of Captain America was the emotional crux of the MCU’s first three phases. After debuting in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Chris Evans’ superhero went on to star in the rest of the Cap trilogy with Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016), as well as the four Avengers movies: The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Evans hung up his patriotic costume and iconic shield in the final moments of Endgame when he passed on the Captain America mantle to a reluctant Sam Wilson, AKA Falcon, played by Anthony Mackie.
Mackie returned to the fray in Disney+’s second MCU TV show, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, alongside fellow Captain America franchise actor Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier). It was in this six-part espionage thriller created by Malcolm Spellman and directed by Kari Skogland that Mackie’s Sam Wilson finally relinquished his Falcon persona and fully stepped into being the new Captain America.
It wasn’t much after the finale of Spellman’s show that the creator was announced to be developing a fourth Captain America movie with writer Dalan Musson. Julius Onah is directing, with the cast being rounded out with Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, Shira Haas as Sabra, Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns/Leader, and Liv Tyler as Betty Ross. Harrison Ford replaces the late William Hurt as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross and will seemingly become the Red Hulk during the film. And then there’s Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres– and the new Falcon in the MCU.
As Mackie’s Sam Wilson became the new Captain America in the MCU, the role of the Falcon became available, and Ramirez’s Torres will officially step into becoming this character in Captain America: Brave New World (2025).
Ramirez recently spoke to Variety at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and revealed some truths about his role as the Falcon in the upcoming Captain America film.
“…There’s some phenomenal sequences,” Ramirez told the outlet about the upcoming Marvel movie. “The way Julius [Onah] works and how he structures and layers his characters and films, […] like the little hidden gems he places from the score to different elements of sound, to how he plays with some lenses. I’m excited for the entire experience, but specifically, there’s one sequence that we shot that I haven’t [seen] yet, but I’ve heard a lot of really great things.”
When asked about becoming the Falcon, Ramirez said that Mackie gave him some good advice: “I learned by the end to follow his lead on his suit prep, so maybe not double-sleeve everything. Do the cut off.”
It would seem that Captain America 4: Brave New World (formerly New World Order) would be a sure-fire win for Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios thanks to Cap’s long and lucrative history in the franchise, but according to entertainment insider Jeff Sneider, three major sequences were cut after poor early test screenings. After shuffling dates, reshoots will now commence between May and August 2024. Matthew Orton, who previously worked on Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight, was hired to write additional material for the reshoots in December 2023, and Rosa Salazar has since been hired to star in the film.
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Upon the casting of Liv Tyler and Tim Blake Nelson, as well as the assumption that Harrison Ford will also be playing Red Hulk, fans became concerned that this wouldn’t be a Captain America film at all but a way to tell a new Hulk-centric story. Another concern came with the casting of Shira Haas as Sabra, an Israeli superhero from the Marvel Comics. Upon hearing criticism of including this character and how it was insensitive considering the conflict between Israel and Palestine, Marvel issued a statement (via CNN) stating they were taking a fresh approach to Sabra and that characters “are always freshly imagined for the screen and today’s audience.”
Marvel Phase Five is currently the most fragile the entertainment giant has ever felt. With two huge box office failures in the form of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) and The Marvels (2023), the studio is looking to course correct by reducing the number of projects hitting the theaters over the next few years. As such, only Deadpool 3 (2024) will be released this year, followed by the likes of Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts in 2025.
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Looking ahead, Marvel still has its Jonathan Majors problem. The actor was found guilty in his domestic assault trial last December, meaning he was out of his role as Kang the Conqueror in the MCU. As Kang was being lined up to be the next big villain of the franchise, Feige now has a mission on his hands to redirect the Multiverse Saga as it speeds towards Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
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