Anthony Mackie gives his thoughts on playing The Falcon in ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’

The next wave of Marvel movies featuring the superheroes from The Avengers are gearing up. With all of the Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 rumors and images coming out, it's time that Captain America got some attention. The sequel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is opening August 4, 2014, and as of now, not much is known about the film.

It's rumored that Maria Hill and Peggy Carter will be in The Winter Soldier, and there's been rumblings that Black Widow and Hawkeye will be in the movie. And while we know for sure the Nick Fury will be in it, the only other hero confirmed for the movie is Sam Wilson. Sam Wilson, or better known as The Falcon, is being played by actor Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker, Gangster Squad).

The Falcon was Marvel's first real African-American superhero. He was introduced by Stan Lee and Gene Colan in Captain America issue #117 in 1969. It's not known how The Falcon will be used in the sequel, but ComingSoon.net had a chance to talk to the actor about his role in the film. Mackie is taking the role very seriously, and said:

I'm playing the Falcon. He's this guy in Harlem who moved to California and became a drug dealer. His plane crashed, and he was genetically altered, and he can fly, has telepathic powers. He's the first African-American superhero. It makes me feel all the work I've done has been paying off. I have a son, nephews and nieces, and I love the idea that they can dress up as the Falcon on Halloween. They now have someone they can idolize. That's a huge honor for me.

In comics, The Falcon/Sam Wilson saw his parents killed in this teens, so he moves to Los Angeles and becomes a criminal and gang member. On his way to a big score, his plane crashes on an island, and I won't go into details, but he befriends a bird and gets some powers, including power over birds and telepathic abilities. Oh, and he can fly. It's worth noting that he eventually becomes a member of The Avengers, so we could see him in The Avengers 2.

You can follow Movies and Culture Editor Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ