Chris Evans played Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for more than a decade until handing over the shield in Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Evans’ days as Captain America are long gone, and the actor seemed to have no regrets. Evans has been speaking about his MCU adventure while promoting his new Pixar feature, Lightyear, and has also addressed how he feels about Anthony Mackie taking over as Captain America and passing over the shield to him now.
Anthony Mackie has already donned the stripes and stars in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and he will soon do so again in Captain America 4. When asked about the replacement in an interview with Yahoo, Evans said, “There’s no one better to do it. I mean, he honest does it justice. I’m so proud of him. I can’t wait to see what they do in the future with it. But if there’s any tear shed [about the role], it’s just for the sweet memories I had.”
Captain America 4 is now in production, and fans have been anticipating Mackie’s unique take on the role. While the film has yet to begin pre-production, Mackie previously stated during his Grammys 2022 performance that he has chosen a song that is assisting him in his preparation for the role. The actor confessed that he’s been listening to Tupac’s Hit Em Up from 1996.
Even though Chris Evans looks to be willing to put his MCU days behind him for the time being, it’s still impressive to see how thrilled he is with Anthony Mackie’s Captain America takeover. Between 2014 and 2019, the two actors featured in five MCU films together, growing as friends in real life as Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson evolved as partners and friends among the Avengers. While there were many disputes over who should get the shield after Endgame between Sam Wilson and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Evans regards Mackie’s work as brilliant as the Captain America mantle remains prominent.
Currently, Mackie is preparing to elevate his role as Captain America to new heights in Captain America 4, which is being developed by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier lead writer Malcolm Spellman. What this sequel will bring to the table is still mostly unknown, but Evans seems as excited as everyone to see what Mackie has to offer in his first lead role in an MCU film.