Anthony Mackie Fans Call Out MCU Writers for Shortchanging Sam Wilson’s Captain America
Leaked Avengers: Doomsday footage lights up the internet, teasing the return of Steve Rogers even as fans vent over Anthony Mackie’s Captain America arc. Hype and backlash collide as Marvel’s next mega-team-up looms.
So, an Avengers: Doomsday teaser allegedly leaked, and the internet immediately spun itself into knots. The big takeaway? It looks like Steve Rogers is back in some capacity. The bigger takeaway? A lot of fans are pretty annoyed about what that might mean for Anthony Mackie’s Captain America.
The leak and the mood
On paper, bringing back Chris Evans should be a crowd-pleaser. In practice, the reaction is split. The excitement of seeing the original Cap again is getting swallowed up by frustration that Sam Wilson still hasn’t been given, well, an actual arc.
The core complaint isn’t new: we knew exactly who Steve was before he became Captain America. With Sam, most of what we’ve been told is that he’s a good man and Steve chose him. That’s not character development, that’s a tagline. Fans aren’t pinning that on Mackie; they’re pointing at the writing.
"We don’t know a damn thing about Sam Wilson other than he’s a nice good guy. We’ve seen zero proof why he should be the guy over anyone else beyond being Steve’s friend."
What fans say should have happened
One popular take: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier should have been a movie, not a series. Different format, bigger villains, a clearer thesis, and a title that actually plants a flag — something like Captain America: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — could have given Sam a cleaner runway. Instead, his big sermon moment wound up being mocked while Steve got an iconic speech in basically every film he touched. That contrast is doing a lot of damage right now.
So where does Sam stand in Doomsday?
For anyone worried Sam gets erased: based on what’s floating around, he’s leading the new Avengers team. That part is strong. And the lineup is a fun curveball — including one very unexpected god of mischief.
- Captain America (Sam Wilson)
- Ant-Man (Paul Rudd)
- Loki (Tom Hiddleston)
- Shang-Chi (Simu Liu)
- Thor (Chris Hemsworth)
Loki on an Avengers roster is wild, and I mean that in a good way. But if Sam is the leader in name only while the movie pivots back to Steve for the heavy lifting, the backlash you’re seeing now will look mild in retrospect.
Marvel’s nostalgia play is getting heat
It sure looks like Marvel is reaching for the old magic — first the talk of Robert Downey Jr., now the Steve tease. Instead of universal applause, they’re getting called out for centering a character many fans feel had a perfect send-off six years ago. You can feel the split-screen online: some posts telling Mackie he deserves better, others loudly reminding everyone that Sam Wilson is Captain America. Both can be true.
The rumor mill keeps grinding
File this under unconfirmed but loud: after the Evans-centric teaser, the next tease is supposedly Thor, then Doctor Doom, with a final trailer that tosses everyone into the mix. And yes, the chatter frames this as a return of the OG trio energy — Cap, Thor, Iron Man — nearly seven years after Endgame closed that chapter. Treat all of that as rumor until Marvel actually hits publish.
The basics
Avengers: Doomsday is currently dated for December 18, 2026, with Anthony and Joe Russo directing.
Bottom line: bringing Steve back is catnip, but it only works if the movie finally gives Sam Wilson a real story — not just a shield and a pep talk. If Doomsday lets Mackie lead and builds him out in a way the shows didn’t, this could land. If not, buckle up for a long winter of discourse.