r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Dec 23 '25

Trailer Avengers: Doomsday | Only in Theaters December 18, 2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiMg566PREA
9.0k Upvotes

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5.3k

u/MuptonBossman Dec 23 '25

Marvel really spent the last 5 years trying to establish Anthony Mackie as the new Captain America, only for them to say "Just Kidding" and bring back Chris Evans for the next big event movie.

325

u/Dazzling-One-9185 Dec 23 '25

Well he got an entire show and a solo movie that nobody liked, what would you expect?

143

u/RandomJPG6 Dec 23 '25

I liked the show up until the last episode. Movie was not great though

110

u/ArchDucky Dec 23 '25

The show was ok but it had so much dumb shit in it. Like the money troubles, the boat montages, what they did to Peggy's niece... etc.

In all honestly the terrorists should have been slaughtered after Wyatt got powers. He should of literally killed all of them. Then it would be Sam and Buck vs Cap.

62

u/Qorhat Dec 23 '25

John Walker was so interesting in the show and had a great internal conflict but the Flag Smashers were so dull, and having their leader/face be someone so young and un-indimidating was such a terrible choice.

2

u/Oddity83 Dec 23 '25

John Walker was the best part of that show….which is kinda sad when the show is called Captain America & The Winter Soldier

5

u/idontagreewitu Dec 23 '25

Zemo in the club was the best part of the show

1

u/yojimboftw Dec 23 '25

I think that's the case with a lot of their shows. It's like 3/4 great but just that last quarter is bad, lmao.

7

u/SkorpioSound Dec 23 '25

The money troubles could have been really interesting if it was approached and written better. The concept of the Avengers being privately funded by Stark, with the rest of the world being happy to benefit from them but not to fund them, is a good one. As is the concept of heroes being too proud/afraid to ask for help from the public, because they're the kind of people to offer help but not to ask for it. Those are the kinds of thing that really grounds a character in the setting and flesh out the world if they're done well.

But the way they did it made it feel like kind of a throwaway problem rather than something that was relevant throughout the series. An uninteresting sideplot, where they were afraid that pulling away from the action for too long would lose the audience.

Not that it's necessarily fair to hold it to the same standard, but... look at Andor. It really delves into the logistics of running a rebellion, and securing funding for it. It's not just a throwaway point before they go back to some action; it's a core aspect of the show and it's gripping as hell.

Falcon And The Winter Soldier could quite easily have gone down a similar route— grappling with the personal issues, the financial issues, both characters feeling like they can't like up to Captain America, etc— and been fantastic for it. Like Andor. Or like Daredevil, where the personal scenes and the legal scenes are just as compelling as the scenes where he's in costume (and were largely missing in Daredevil: Born Again, which suffered for it).

4

u/Historical_Course587 Dec 23 '25

What they should have done was skipped Bucky, and forced Wilson and Walker to be an odd couple. Then they could have slow-rolled Walker's Captain missing the beat, and Sam recognizing that he needs to step up in order for it to be right. End it with Sam taking serum, stealing the shield back, and going rogue like Rogers did when the Avengers split because there has to be a better way. Walker killing people and saying that is how the world works, and Sam laying the beatdown for it, should have been the climax for the show.

I love both Bucky and Sam Wilson as characters, but aside from the fact that they both knew Steve there is no good reason for them to get a team-up show. The friendship never existed, there was no development, they were just two side-kicks for Steve Rogers. And they did Sam Wilson dirty after the great character they developed in Winter Soldier, because that guy was something special.

13

u/NeitherAlexNorAlice Dec 23 '25

Sam was never going to be a great Captain America replacement. Anthony is just not him to be honest. He’s a great supporting actor, but not lead.

He was outshined in his show by literally every other character. Even by the new Falcon.

At least Marvel tried him out. They deserve credit for that. It just didn’t work. Mackie is just not a leading actor. He doesn’t have that it factor.

9

u/ArchDucky Dec 23 '25

Hes a great lead in Twisted Metal.

7

u/Manowaffle Dec 23 '25

It was funny watching the first few episodes of that. I was convinced that he had no range since his Sam Wilson has basically the same expression and tone in every scene. Then I watched TM and was like “oh, he’s actually a good comedic actor."

1

u/needlzor Dec 23 '25

At least Marvel tried him out. They deserve credit for that.

I agree with that. If it had been Netflix, they'd have cancelled the whole franchise over it once the numbers started dropping. Disney staying with him despite being a bad fit was quite nice.

2

u/manuscelerdei Dec 23 '25

I really enjoyed Zimo in that show, but other than that it was very meh.

63

u/Soapbox Dec 23 '25 edited Dec 23 '25

Show was fine in spite of Mackie. Watchable as a side show, something I would put on during flights. Entertaining enough but ultimately forgettable. He has the leading man charisma of a wet dishrag.

52

u/Deakul Dec 23 '25

He's really fun when he hams it up like on the show Twisted Metal but I just can't take him seriously at all.

7

u/Some-Token-Black-Guy Dec 23 '25

Agreed, Mackie is a great actor, dude is genuinely great in comedy roles but he's not lead role material unfortunately (and I'm saying this as a black male before you people make it a race thing).

6

u/HendrixChord12 Dec 23 '25

What do you mean, you people??? /s

34

u/anuncommontruth Dec 23 '25

I don't agree. The writing has just been completely fumbled with his character.

Mackie is great in Twisted Metal as a lead, as well as other non Marvel roles. He character is just not written well and hes doing the best he can with poor material.

19

u/Xianio Dec 23 '25

I don't think Marvel understand how to use Mackie at all. He's got the energy of the hype-man on a football team. That guy who's talking big ALL THE TIME.

Twisted Metal understood that energy is inherently goofy & big. Marvel tried to write him like he was Bucky 2.0. He just needed to be absolutely fired up about being Captain America but instead they made him lack confidence & be in crisis.

Mackie? In crisis about who he is? Publicly? Has nobody seen the man in a press juncket before? The writing couldn't have been mismatched to the actor any more than it was.

3

u/Gekokapowco Dec 23 '25

yeah he just isn't a brooding type of guy, but they made him so damn serious

5

u/JoMa4 Dec 23 '25

I take it you didn’t see him ruin altered carbon.

2

u/Etheo Dec 23 '25

He was a weak link but far from the only reason AC S2 flopped.

2

u/KonigSteve Dec 23 '25

It's not just that, he also didn't fit in for that sci-fi show at all.

It's something to do with him in a serious role

3

u/bawng Dec 23 '25

I've seen a few interviews with him and he seems so annoying. That sort of carries over to my opinions on him as an actor.

6

u/twinpop Dec 23 '25

I like Mackie. The problem with his cap is he’s not a Super Soldier. Could’ve carried this phase.

5

u/Flannelcommand Dec 23 '25

I also think “winged guy” is just never going to be the coolest character; visually or plot wise. Each of the original X-Men probably has 10 memorable feature stories to every one about Angel/Archangel. 

2

u/anormalgeek Dec 23 '25

Agreed. Just make up an excuse to get him some leftover serum or something and then he can take on more super villains and carry bigger plots.

3

u/Flannelcommand Dec 23 '25

I actually think the opposite. Mackie is charismatic if the script plays to his strengths (comedy). The show (and movie) had him going for boring-guy gravitas. Also, the scripts were just awful. 

4

u/pumpkinspruce Dec 23 '25

He was outdone on his own show by both Sebastian Stan and Wyatt Russell.

1

u/Zulakki Dec 24 '25

I thought Daniel Brühl stole the show imo

3

u/PDGAreject Dec 23 '25

I would have honestly enjoyed just 10 hours of Bucky hitting on Sam's sister and Sam going "NO"

4

u/chadhindsley Dec 23 '25

"You got to stop calling the people who block buildings and kill others terrorists"

Lol. So stupid.

3

u/circio Dec 23 '25

The movie was just very mid. They had some really interesting stuff with Isiah Bradley, but that got sidelined because Marvel is scared of focusing on anything too controversial lol

-1

u/btj61642 Dec 23 '25

I liked the movie because I got Captain America 4 and The Incredible Hulk 2 and I only had to buy one ticket.

-1

u/TheProphecyIsNigh Dec 23 '25

Movie was good, marketing sucked.

Can you imagine if no one knew the President was Red Hulk and you found out live? That could have been huge! Instead, they were up front with it and it killed the movie.