Captain America: New World Order star Anthony Mackie explained why he has to be the one to play Panthro in a Thundercats movie.
Speaking to Men's Journal, Mackie was asked if he has a favorite superhero excluding those he has already portrayed on-screen. "Definitely Hulk. Since I was a kid, I'd always wanted to be The Incredible Hulk," Mackie said. "But now, if I could play another superhero, it would be Panthro from ThunderCats -- the blue dude. Yeah, I'm big on ThunderCats -- that's my one superhero. If they ever make that movie and I'm not him, I’m shutting that shit down."
The original ThunderCats animated series was co-produced by Rankin/Bass and premiered in 1985. ThunderCats followed the eponymous heroes as they battled the forces of the evil Mumm-Ra on the distant planet of Third Earth after the destruction of their home world, Thundera. The first series ran for 130 episodes over the course of four seasons and has maintained a cult fan following in the years since. Apart from various ThunderCats comic book series, the franchise was rebooted in 2011, although it only lasted a single season. A kid-friendly version of the series, ThunderCats Roar, was released in 2020 and was also canceled after one season.
Anthony Mackie Wants in On ThunderCats
Mackie, who previously appeared in films such as 8 Mile, The Manchurian Candidate, and The Hurt Locker, made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier. His character officially took up the mantle of Captain America in the Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Mackie will return as the titular hero in Captain America: New World Order. Chris Evans, who formerly carried the Captain America mantle in the MCU, commented on Mackie's turn as the titular hero. "No one better to do it [than Mackie]," Evans said. "He does it justice and I'm so proud of him. I can't wait to see what [Marvel Studios does] in the future with [the Captain America franchise]."
Mackie has previously discussed his stance on whether Evans should return to the MCU in a future project. "I hope so," he said. "Chris is my boy, we all love and enjoy Chris. I'm highly upset that they put Sebastian [Stan] in a movie with Wyatt [Russell] and left me out, so it's a whole lot going on. So, Sebastian gets Wyatt, I should get Chris." This seemingly confirmed that Mackie will not be appearing in the upcoming Thunderbolts movie, which will see Stan's Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier team up with Russell's U.S. Agent and other returning antiheroes and villains from across the MCU.
Captain America: New World Order is expected to premiere sometime in 2024.
Source: Men's Journal