Anthony Mackie Has a Math Problem With Marvel’s Solo Movie Count

For a long stretch, the Marvel Cinematic Universe ran on a fairly tidy formula: introduce a hero, give them a trilogy, and let them fold into the next big team-up. Every Infinity Saga film apart from ‘The Incredible Hulk’ got a sequel, and most of Marvel’s mini-franchises became trilogies. It was a rhythm fans came to expect.

Sam Wilson’s path to the shield broke that rhythm. Mackie has admitted he never expected to play Captain America, since Chris Evans had the role locked down and had already headlined a trilogy. He took on the mantle after ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,’ and a fourth Captain America film was confirmed in April 2021 and officially announced in July 2022.

Now, with the MCU preparing for a major reset, Mackie is thinking about what comes next for the character. Sam Wilson is Captain America in the MCU when ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ arrives, but the question is whether he will still hold the shield when the universe resets. Mackie, it seems, has some strong opinions on the matter.

Speaking on a live episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he was asked about his MCU future and his hopes and dreams. His answer was blunt: “I think every character deserves a second film… I mean, if you’re Thor, you get four apparently.” It was a pointed jab at Marvel’s uneven approach to solo franchises, and it spread quickly after Marvel Updates shared the clip on X.

The Thor comparison is hard to argue with on paper. Chris Hemsworth’s Thor was the main star of all four of his films. Mackie, meanwhile, has only one solo outing as Captain America so far.

He didn’t stop at the Thor joke, either. Mackie said he would enjoy the idea of two more films, just to see that character complete his arc. That tracks with his earlier comments about the long game, since before ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ arrived, he said he hoped to play Cap for another 10 years, listing a fifth solo film, Avengers movies and “random plug-and-plays.”

The timing adds some weight to his pitch. Reviews for ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ were mixed, with one outlet awarding it 3 stars, which is the sort of reception that can make a studio cautious about doubling down. Still, that film put Mackie’s Sam front and center in the solo movie fans had waited four years for, and the same outlet argued it proved he deserved to be the franchise’s figurehead going forward.

Mackie has also been consistent about wanting more time in the suit. He previously expressed disappointment that Marvel Studios brought Sam back in a movie instead of a second season of ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.’ A second film, or even a third, would at least give him the sustained arc he keeps describing.

Of course, nothing has been announced. Marvel has not confirmed any additional Captain America movies, and plenty will depend on how ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and whatever follows it reshape the MCU’s priorities.

Fan reaction to the clip has leaned supportive so far, with the post pulling 1.4K likes and 143 reposts at the time of writing. If nothing else, Mackie has handed the fandom a neat bit of math to chew on: if Thor can get 4 movies, why can’t Sam Wilson get 3?