It's Official! Anthony Mackie Has Signed on To Captain America 4

Anthony Mackie has closed a deal to carry the shield and his first superhero picture in Captain America 4, sources said.

The unofficial title indicates this is Mackie’s vehicle and it’s an exceptional career moment for the Juilliard-educated actor who has been a bright spot in every film he’s appeared in. That includes the Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker, 8 Mile and The Banker, to his turns as Falcon, the wingman of Captain America who was handpicked by that superhero to succeed him. The series involved his conflict in taking on the superhero persona. Mackie played Falcon in five films beginning with Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

I'll reiterate what I said when the 4th movie was officially announced. One of the most impressive things that Marvel has done is manage to replace Superman and Batman, who were the undisputed popularity GOATs to casual comic book content fans everywhere 20 years ago, with Iron Man and Captain America. The former is gone and nobody is replacing him, but Mackie has earned this seat at the table replacing one of the biggest roles in the game right now. 

One thing that I think is clear based off of FatWS is that Mackie is not going to try and be Chris Evans. Evan's portrayal was relatively 1 dimensional in that he is the stuffy do-gooder that refuses to see the grey in crime fighting. There was a balance in that, because he was essentially the rock to Tony's hard place with the Avengers. Mackie's character is a little more pragmatic. He's funny and looser while still retaining the pure good stance that a Captain America needs. He's also funnier and just as charming, which is going to be an interesting change. 

The big thing is that the dude just does not have powers. He's got a cool super suit and the shield, but the lack of powers may not resonate with everyone. With Black Widow dead and Hawkeye presumably retired, there is actually now an imbalance between superpowered avengers and the more grounded ones. So maybe this is a good thing for Cap's future.