Just like all families, the Marvel Studios bunch has plenty of play-fighting within. Dating back to his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2016's Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland has been subject to tongue-in-cheek ridicule from co-star Anthony Mackie. The MCU's current Captain America has joked about the young Holland needing his "juice box" on set and has mocked his "squeaky" voice. While Mackie's teasing is much more persistent, Holland has snuck in a few zingers of his own.
During a 2018 ACE Comic-Con panel, Mackie revealed he had not seen Spider-Man: Homecoming, much to the chagrin of Holland.
The Peter Parker's disappointment only lasted a couple of seconds, as Holland quickly responded by noting he "[hasn't] seen the Falcon movie" before adding "there isn't one, sorry!"
Since that panel, Mackie has rocketed up the MCU totem pole as his character, Sam Wilson, assumed the mantle of Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. This came coupled with the news that series' showrunner Malcolm Spellman was developing a Captain America 4 feature film for Marvel Studios, with Mackie set to star.
Despite having a solo movie in the works, Holland isn't ready to give his long-time co-star credit just yet.
Holland Teases Mackie's Feature Film Status
Everybody's got a gimmick now, and Sam Wilson's just became star-spangled.
Speaking with ComicBook's Brandon Davis, Spider-Man: No Way Home star Tom Holland dismissed Anthony Mackie's upcoming Captain America 4, emphasizing that his only solo project to date is technically a two lead show:
"He hasn't gotten his own movie yet. He got a TV show, but he didn't get his own movie. It's also called The Falcon AND the Winter Soldier. It's not called The Falcon."
Fans fired back at Holland's 2018 diss when reports began to circulate of a fourth Cap flick, but the web-slinging star isn't ready to admit defeat:
"I saw that online, everyone's like, 'Oh, Anthony Mackie! Tom Holland's eating his words!' I'm not eating my words. There isn't a Falcon movie!"
No Sam Wilson Movie... Yet
For starters, he's not technically wrong.
With Marvel Studios moving full steam ahead on Captain America 4, as well as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ending with the subtle re-titling to Captain America and the Winter Soldier, it's evident that Sam Wilson's MCU future is in the stars and stripes. This means the Falcon alias is all but retired, at least until someone else takes it up.
While the two actors have co-starred in three Marvel films, they've only shared the screen for brief moments. As repulsed as Mackie jokingly acts around Holland, he actually almost made a splash in his frenemy's franchise. Early drafts of 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home had Mackie making his debut as the new Captain America in that film, according to Marvel Studios creative executive Eric Carroll.
With one more team-up appearance in the Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures Spider-Man deal, perhaps Holland's Peter Parker could find himself web-slinging into Captain America 4 to round out his current contract.
Until then, fans can see Holland starring in feature film glory when Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into theaters on December 17.
MCU Writer, Editor, Podcaster
