By this point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Anthony Mackie has been firmly established as one of the potential big faces going forward. He may have been Falcon for all those years under Steve Rogers, but in the wake of Steve’s choice at the end of Avengers: Endgame, he’s now locked down the moniker of Captain America. Hard to believe he almost didn’t get his role as Falcon, to begin with.

In a new piece from Men’s Health, it was revealed that Mackie actually originally auditioned for the role of The Mandarin in Iron Man 3, a controversial role that really flipped the character on its head for a lot of fans. Of course, that role went to Ben Kingsley, but his screen test apparently made a splash at Marvel Studios, and the rest his history.

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“He has charisma, but he also has the ability to convey integrity in a way that very few actors can,” Captain America: The Winter Soldier co-director Joe Russo said. “And there’s a level of trust between him and the audience.”

And as far as Mackie’s love for the character Falcon.

“Growing up, I’d always loved Falcon, because he was a comic-book hero who was black who didn’t have ‘Black’ in the title. He stood on his morals. He stood on who he was.”

That’s a major plus for us and for Mackie as an actor. While the bait-and-switch Mandarin role was cool, it did rub some fans the wrong way. Plus, if he had played the Mandarin, we wouldn’t have him for the upcoming Falcon and Winter Soldier series headed to Disney+.

Could you have imagined Mackie as the Mandarin? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Men’s Health