28 Black People Who Should Inspire You — Anthony Mackie/Falcon

Anthony Mackie plays the first black superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Falcon is the first black American superhero in mainstream comics. 

Hollywood has a race problem. A gender problem. A sexuality problem. An originality problem. Hollywood’s got a lot of problems. Comic books (namely DC Comics and Marvel Comics) have a race problem. A gender problem. A sexuality… you see where I’m going.

So, it only stands to reason that comic book movies are lousy with all these same problems, perhaps more than either medium in isolation. That’s what makes Anthony Mackie’s turn as Falcon so refreshing.

I can remember reading Captain America comic books as a kid, but with my limited budget and limited understanding of the genre, I bought them regardless of any narrative order. I dug Cap’s bold colors, the shield, and, in the post-9/11 world, I dug that he was unabashedly American. Those aren’t the comics I bought. I bought the comics that had Falcon (Sam Wilson) on the cover. Falcon looked like me, and to a black kid in a sea of white heroes, that was encouraging.

As a kid, Anthony Mackie studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). From 2002 to 2013, Mackie played smaller parts in some notable films such as Notorious, The Adjustment Bureau, and 8 Mile.

His biggest role to date has been playing Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).

TL;DR

• In an industry almost completely dominated by white heroes, Anthony Mackie captivates every time he steps on screen.
• Better yet, a New Orleans kid is now a superhero. That’s a big deal.

What You Should Do Now:

• Go watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It’s a sequel, so you should probably watch Captain America: The First Avenger.
• Read a comic book featuring a black superhero. I recommend the current run of Captain America in which Mackie’s character, Falcon, has assumed the role of Captain America.

28 Days of Inspirational Black People:

1. Ed Brooke
2. Blanche Bruce
3. Andrew Young
4. Denys Cowan
5. Antoine Fuqua
6. John Singleton
7. Countee Cullen
8. Dennis Kimetto
9. Robert Hayden
10. Lee Daniels

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