Captain America: Brave New World sees Anthony Mackie embrace the mantle of being the eponymous supersoldier and carrying on the legacy of Chris Evans' Steve Rogers. While Mackie is excited about donning the Captain America suit and shield, he admits there's another hero he cherishes as his favorite Marvel character.
Speaking with Deadline, Mackie revealed that the Marvel hero he's the biggest fan of is the Incredible Hulk, famously portrayed by Mark Ruffalo in the MCU. According to Mackie, he's loved watching Hulk since childhood and admired his portrayal. "My favorite character of all time is the Incredible Hulk," Mackie said. "I've always been a Hulk fan. When I was a kid, I used to watch the TV shows. I just always loved the Hulk."
Though Mackie reveres the Incredible Hulk, he always had one major question about the character whenever Bruce Banner transferred into the very muscular superhuman. “I always wondered, 'How come everything came off except the pants?' Everything – his shirt, his shoes – came off, but his pants stayed," Mackie said. "I always thought that was weird."
I always wondered, 'How come everything came off except the pants?'
Whether Mackie's Captain America will share screentime with Ruffalo's Incredible Hulk in Brave New World remains a mystery. Though Ruffalo seemingly hinted in February that his character may appear in the movie, it was later confirmed the character wouldn't feature in the upcoming Captain America sequel. The last time Ruffalo's Hulk featured in the MCU was in the Disney+ series, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, in 2022, while his last big-screen appearance was in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Fans hoping for a solo Hulk film will likely be disappointed, as Ruffalo recently suggested it would be too expensive for Marvel to make such a movie. The only solo Hulk movie in the MCU to date was 2008's The Incredible Hulk, which saw Edward Norton play the title character.
Though the Hulk isn't expected to feature, Harrison Ford's Red Hulk will. Ford will portray U.S. President Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross in Brave New World, working alongside Mackie's Sam Wilson. However, when Wilson finds himself at the center of an international incident, he works to find the true masterminds, though he ends up at odds with Ross, leading to serious tension between them. Mackie praised Ford, who is making his MCU debut in the film, for helping him get comfortable on set.
Captain America: Brave New World Features Some Stars of The Incredible Hulk
Brave New World also features The Incredible Hulk actors Tim Blake Nelson (Samuel Sterns/Leader) and Liv Tyler (Betty Ross), as well as Giancarlo Esposito (Seth Voelker/Sidewinder), Carl Lumbly (Isaiah Bradley), Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres/Falcon) and Xosha Roquemore (U.S. Secret Service agent). The Phase Five film is Mackie's first turn as Captain America after Wilson received the mantle from Rogers at the end of Avengers: Endgame. The Julius Onah-helmed flick has been undergoing extensive reshoots in recent months to put the finishing touches on it after principal photography wrapped in June of last year.
Brave New World opens in theaters on Feb. 14, 2025.
