Anthony Mackie on handling Captain America’s shield in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Now that Steve Rogers’ time as Captain America has come to an end, Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson will take up the mantle — and the shield — despite the United States government’s reluctance to let him do so. And according to Mackie, physically taking up that shield is no easy feat. The actor realized just how challenging tossing Cap’s favorite prop around is while filming The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the upcoming Disney+ miniseries all about his character. You can see him chuck that thing right at the top of the teaser:

And no, a stunt double didn’t do it for him. Mackie confirmed as much during a press tour for Netflix’s Altered Carbon, where he plays the lead character. “I was surprised that they used me because you have a double, a dude that looks like you who’s like a gymnast, and he does all this stuff,” he said, according to ComicBook.com. “That’s when they’re like, ‘All right, Anthony, you do it.’ And I’m like, ‘Dude, you just saw what this dude did! How you gonna ask me to do that?’ So, I was surprised when I saw the Super Bowl trailer that they actually used me throwing the shield.”

Given that Marvel actually used the footage of Mackie tossing the shield, it’s probably safe to say he got the hang of it. That’s probably for the best — with great power comes great responsibility and all that. With Mackie playing the new Cap, it’s comforting to know he can handle the shield. “That thing is heavy dude,” Mackie added. “That thing is, it’s like 12 pounds. So you’re standing there with 12 pounds on your arm all day after a while your shoulder just gives.”

Needless to say, Mackie is getting quite the workout leading up to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The series, which is currently in the midst of production, is expected to debut on the streaming platform this August. It will follow Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes in the wake of Avengers: Endgame, testing their leadership skills and forging the future of the Avengers team.

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