Twisted Metal’s Anthony Mackie On What Sets John Doe Apart From Sam Wilson

Anthony Mackie's tenure as the current guardian of Captain America's Vibranium shield is far from over. But before Sam Wilson makes his triumphant return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe early next year, the actor decided to wrap his hands around a very different circular object: the steering wheel of an orange Subaru lovingly nicknamed "Evelyn."

As you'e probably aware, Mackie recently played the character of John Joe, an amnesiac and motor-mouthed delivery driver with a burning desire to find a place he can truly call home, in Peacock's hit Twisted Metal television series (stream the firs season of 10 episodes right here). Chatting with SYFY WIRE last year to discuss the video game adaptation before the SAG-AFTRA strike took effect, Mackie confessed that playing Doe was "very different" from portraying a Marvel superhero.

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Anthony Mackie explains difference between John Doe and Sam Wilson

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Photo: Marvel Studios

"John Doe is kind of like a man-child. He stopped aging at 16," the actor explained over Zoom. "There’s a certain level of youthfulness, there’s a certain level of unknowingness that he has about him. That’s really beautiful and it was fun to play. He’s a glass-half-full kind of guy. And Sam, he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He has to kind of find places to have fun because he’s not an all-around, everyday fun guy."

In a separate interview with Britain's RadioTimes, Mackie stated that the MCU is less flexible, creatively speaking, because it must adhere to the comic book canon established by early Marvel creators like the late Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Joe Simon. "It's such a space of controlled entertainment," he added. "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!' 

Sam Wilson is currently slated to kick serious butt on the big screen as the newly-christened Star-Spangled Man With a Plan in next year's Captain America: Brave New World. Helmed by Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox, Luce), the project was co-written by a pair of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier vets: Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson.

The film will feature the return of two characters fans haven't seen since The Incredible Hulk over a decade ago: Liv Tyler's Betty Ross and Tim Blake Nelson's Samuel Sterns, aka the Leader. Following the unfortunate death of William Hurt, Harrison Ford was tapped to step into the shoes of Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, who has now become President of the United States. Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres), Carl Lumbly (Isaiah Bradley), and Shira Haas (Sabra), round out the cast.

All 10 episodes of Twisted Metal are now streaming on Peacock. A second season is now in development.