Anthony Mackie Had One Request For His Marvel Costume In Captain America: Brave New World
"Captain America: Brave New World" arrives in theaters this week, and Anthony Mackie's titular hero will sport a different look than the one he debuted in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." Marvel has been trying since 2024 to fix the MCU before it's too late, and their latest effort tries to solve the problem by asking the question: What if there was a Red Hulk? That is to say, it serves up Harrison Ford as the grotesque carmine creature in an attempt to lure fans to the multiplex. But it's also about Captain America, except it's a different Cap than the one we're used to ... I'm starting to think this might be the point of no return for the MCU. Anyway, I digress.
After starring in the Disney+ series "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," Mackie's Sam Wilson will now front "Brave New World," which, following as it does in the wake of the box office obliterator "Deadpool & Wolverine," has a lot riding on its shoulders. Look, there's no way Mackie's Cap is going to beat Hugh Jackman's return as Wolverine at the box office, but that's sort of why "Brave New World" is so intriguing. Is the MCU too far gone to release a movie like this in 2025? Or will Mackie's big screen debut as Captain America prove a surprise hit for the struggling franchise?
All will be revealed when the movie arrives, but in the meantime, perhaps Marvel can entice you with a slight costume change? Fans of Mackie's cowled look in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" will see a new, cowl-less Sam Wilson in the movie — but why?
The new Captain America look was a necessity
In "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," Sam Wilson donned a blue and white Captain America suit which featured a cowl that didn't cover his entire head and was attached to the torso (seen in the image above). In, "Brave New World," that look has been scrapped in favor of a simpler design which will no doubt be put to good use in the fight against Harrison Ford's Red Hulk and Giancarlo Esposito's Seth Voelker/Sidewinder. The new suit, which is closer to the outfit worn by Chris Evans' Steve Rogers, ditches the half-helmet cowl of the Disney+ series in favor of more streamlined red goggles (and a CGI helmet that assembles and retracts à la Iron Man).
But why the change when Sam only just received his upgraded suit? Anthony Mackie was asked that exact question in an interview with IGN, where he revealed that he was behind the costume change. "I told them I was never wearing that s*** again, dude," he said. "That was hard, with the heat, the sweat, the fogged-up glasses. It was impossible. It was called a cowl. It was my worst nightmare. You can't do anything."
There's a long history of superhero movie actors complaining about restrictive suits, beginning with Michael Keaton's infamous struggles to turn his head as the Dark Knight in 1989's "Batman." His successor, Val Kilmer, also described the Batsuit as making him feel like he was an old man due to its weight preventing him from moving as swiftly as he wanted to. In 2025, then, these restrictive costumes should really be a thing of the past, and I can't blame Mackie for complaining about such a thing. Whether a new suit will be enough to make a hit out of "Brave New World," which will apparently make Sam Wilson earn the title of Captain America, remains to be seen.
"Captain America: Brave New World" debuts in theaters on February 14, 2025.