Marvel Studios(NEW YORK) — Anthony Mackie has been making Marvel Cinematic Universe magic since 2014, when fans first saw him as Sam “Falcon” Wilson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
As Mackie celebrates his involvement in Marvel’s latest block buster, Avengers: Infinity War, he’s also taking time to highlight the significance of another MCU blockbuster hit: Black Panther.
“It’s amazing,” Mackie tells ABC Radio. “I mean…it’s funny when you think about Black Panther because, you know, in the business where we’re given this belief that it’s so hard to sell a movie with a black dude as the lead or black woman as the lead. And the thing that made me most proud about Black Panther was you had all these beautiful black women kicking butt.”
The “beautiful black women” Mackie’s referring to are the Dora Milaje, a team of highly skilled fighters who serve as the royal guard and the sworn protectors of Wakanda, the fictional African nation at the heart of Black Panther. According to the actor, those strong women are the film’s true inspiration.
“It gives young girls the opportunity to have somebody who looks like them, who they can aspire to be,” Mackie explains. “A strong woman, a strong figure, a strong hero.”
Mackie says it was those stunning images that left the biggest impression on him.
“And I think that’s the most important thing that I took out of that movie that the women were outstanding and beautiful and regal,” he says, “but still steadfast and humble to their approach in life.”
Avengers: Infinity War is now in theaters from Marvel Studios and Disney, parent company of ABC News.
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