Back from San Diego and just getting ready to lay down your weary head for a well deserved nap? Not so fast. It looks like there's one piece of news Marvel didn't have time for over the weekend.
THR reports that Anthony Mackie is gearing up to play Falcon in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." So who's Falcon? Raised by two loving parents in Harlem, and a respected community member, after they are both killed, Sam Wilson becomes a criminal and pimp, renames himself Snap, and decamps to Los Angeles. While working on a job for the mob in Rio De Janeiro, his plane crash lands on Exile Island where he comes under the wing of Red Skull and his followers who are in hiding. Using the Cosmic Cube, Red Skull gives Wilson a range of powers, including a mental link with his beloved trained falcon Redwing (and other birds), and the ability to fly. Eventually he becomes pals with Captain American and they fight crime together (there are a couple of different version of how this happens, depending on the storyline you use), with Black Panther developing a harness for him to help him fly.
All this to say that we're glad Mackie is finally gonna get the kind of franchise exposure he deserves. He's a great actor and a solid addition here, so this is pretty exciting. The development pretty much confirms Falcon will show up in the inevitable "The Avengers 2" as part of Marvel's Phase Two plans, Red Skull may be back and Black Panther — who was mooted for his own standalone film, but replaced by "Guardians Of The Galaxy" — could still be in the mix to appear in the Marvel universe (Mackie was one of our choices for that latter character, but this will do just fine).
This is pretty sweet, but of course, Marvel is staying mum. Still lots to be discussed and figured out as 'Winter Soldier' isn't due to hit theaters until April 4, 2014. But with casting coming this early — will we get a glimpse of Falcon in "Iron Man 3"?