Twisted Metal star Anthony Mackie says making Marvel movies "is completely different" because it’s a "controlled environment"

Anthony Mackie is no stranger to working with IP, but the actor says working with comic book source material is an entirely different world.

“I would say the Marvel thing is completely different, just because it’s such a space of controlled entertainment. Like, there’s only so much you can do," Mackie told Radio Times. There’s only so much creativity you can bring to the table, because Stan Lee gave us so much content. Whereas with this [Twisted Metal], it was like, ‘There’s a guy and a girl … Go!’ So we were really able to build the world around it."

Twisted Metal, based on the popular video game franchise of the same name, stars Mackie as  John Doe, a milkman with amnesia, who must deliver a mysterious package with unknown contents across an apocalyptic United States. The series premiered in July 2023, with Peacock ordering a second season in December.

“That’s the hard thing about the Marvel universe. It’s like, you can’t really go outside of the lines of those comic books,” the actor said. “You know, when we introduced the Falcon, and the growth of the Falcon to Captain America, all of that had to coincide with what Stan had already gave us. And [Twisted Metal] was more like, 'Let’s just have fun and figure it out as we go.'"

Captain America 4 sees Mackie's Sam Wilson take over as the titular captain, following the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The character, created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, first debuted in 1940. Each film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe loosely borrows from different storylines throughout its comic book history, and veers off the path with original, made-for-movie, characters – so while there's room for some play, we get where Mackie is coming from.

Captain America: Brave World Order is set to hit theaters on February 14, 2025. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond.