Anthony Mackie carries the shield in 'Captain America: Brave New World'

LOS ANGELES — Anthony Mackie is a longtime member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We first started seeing him as Sam Wilson and his alter ego Falcon more than a decade ago.

In “Captain America: Brave New World,” he’s gotten a promotion – he’s our newest Captain America.

Actor Chris Evans, as Steve Rogers, passed the shield to him at the end of “Avengers: Endgame.” Mackie says it’s been a comfortable transition.

“Once I got over the emotional part, it was very easy,” said Mackie. “Sam Wilson is already a connected, created character. There was only a costume change. That’s the only difference.”

But Mackie’s Captain America can do something the last one couldn’t: fly! He says director Julius Onah had plans to take advantage of that skill in this movie.

“Julius had a very good, clear idea of what he wanted to do with these wings and with this suit and expand the reality of Sam Wilson. He wanted to make him more of an aerial-like combat specialist,” said Mackie.

Fighting aside, Mackie loved working with Harrison Ford, who plays the new president in the film.

“Literally, we would get together before every scene, go through the lines, you know, figure out what we’re trying to convey… We worked on it like it was a play, like we were actors in a play group, you know, working on a script. So it was amazing,” said Mackie.

“I love what I do,” Mackie added. “I always say that I’m so lucky to make a living at what I wanted to do since I was seven years old.”

“Captain America: Brave New World” is in theaters Feb. 14.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of National Geographic, Disney+, Hulu and this ABC station.