The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Anthony Mackie reveals he often gets mistaken for Don Cheadle. Prior to joining the MCU, Mackie was best known for his roles in8 Mile andThe Hurt Locker. In 2014, he stepped into the role of Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, forCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, playing a vital role in Steve Rogers' (Chris Evans) second solo adventure. Since then, he's appeared in five additional MCU movies, with the most recent beingAvengers: Endgame. Mackie has long been a supporting character in the franchise, but with Disney+'sThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he has finally stepped into the spotlight.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finds Sam settling back into the world after reappearing alongside the rest of those who were killed in Thanos'Avengers: Infinity War snap.Endgame's final moments had Steve pass the Captain America shield onto Sam, but Sam isn't quite sure can take on the mantle. As a result,The Falcon and the Winter Soldierhas so far seen Sam grappling with what it means to be Cap, even as the US government promotes their pick for the job, John Walker (Wyatt Russell).

During a recent interview with BBC Radio 1's Ali Plumb, Mackie was asked what fans often say when they recognize him in public. Interestingly, they don't say anything about Mackie's own career - they tend to think he's fellow MCU star Don Cheadle. "They literally go: 'Hey man! I love you as Black Iron Man!' I'm like 'Uhhhh,'" Mackie said with a laugh. "Or they'll say, 'Aren't you the guy in Iron Man?' I'm like, 'Uhhh...' Literally, once a day, someone comes up to me and asks if I'm Don Cheadle." Cheadle chimed in on social media and wrote, "likewise, papa ..."

Cheadle's James "Rhodey" Rhodes has been a part of the MCU sinceIron Man 2, with Cheadle having taken over the role from Terrence Howard. His most recent MCU appearance actually arrived inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier's premiere, as Rhodey and Sam discussed why the latter returned the Captain America shield. It was a small moment overall, but one that expanded the relationship between the two characters in a meaningful way. Cheadle is getting his own Disney+ show withArmor Wars, which is expected to begin production in the coming months.

Prior toThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Mackie was often kept to the sidelines of the MCU, acting as a major supporting player for Captain America. This series has given him the opportunity to fully dig into his character and show audiences a new side to him. Even just two episodes in, Mackie has wowed fans with his ability to straddle the line between comedy and drama. Hopefully,The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will help fans see the difference between Mackie and Cheadle going forward; after all, both of them deserve to be recognized as their own selves.

More: Falcon & Winter Soldier Reveals War Machine's Court Martial Didn't Happen

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier continues Friday on Disney+.

Source: Ali Plumb, Don Cheadle/Twitter

  • Black Widow (2021)Release date: Jul 09, 2021
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)Release date: Sep 03, 2021
  • Eternals (2021)Release date: Nov 05, 2021
  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023

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Rachel Labonte (3437 Articles Published)

Rachel LaBonte is one of Screen Rant's core news editors, as well as a feature and movie review writer. A graduate of Emerson College, she majored in Media Arts Production while specializing in screenwriting. She's been a writer ever since high school when she realized she was rather good at it and joined as many entertainment news clubs as she could while in school. Most notably, she wrote for Emerson's website Emertainment Monthly, and one of her film reviews won an Evvy (Emerson's student awards) for Best Review. Her deep love of movies led to her working at a movie theater for five years, which she loved despite the angry customers. An avid reader who constantly buys books before reading the ones she already owns, Rachel is a huge fan of superheroes (especially of the Marvel variety) and wizards and will likely never be able to catch up on all the movies/TV shows she longs to watch.

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