Anthony Mackie Is One of One

His résumé is filled with indelible performances: Half Nelson. 8 Mile. The Hurt Locker. He's been Spike Lee's muse (twice) and has worked with plenty of greats. With Captain America: Brave New World, he'll lead the MCU's next decade. So why is recognition just coming now?

- Brady Langmann

CAPTAIN AMERICA WALKS INTO A BAR. IT'S THREE O'CLOCK ON a Tuesday afternoon in December and the place is empty, save for an older woman and her Chihuahua parked at the far end of the counter. There's more New Orleans Saints signage in the joint than is possible to catalog, including on the bartender, who whirls around to reveal a shirt bearing the fleur-de-lis. "Hey, y'all," she says.

Half Moon Bar & Restaurant. Lower Garden District, New Orleans. A hell of a place.

Anthony Mackie orders a Crown and Coke and we head out to the patio, where he takes a seat and lights a cigar. "The Connecticut," Mackie says, introducing his stogie varietal. He leans back and encases himself in an enormous cloud of smoke.

Mackie, forty-six, has brought me to one of his favorite hometown dive bars to discuss his new movie-the biggest release of his career-Captain America: Brave New World, out February 14. In the past decade of Marvel shows and films, his Sam Wilson character struggled with-but ultimately embraced-the mantle of Captain America, inheriting the shield from Chris Evans's Steve Rogers. If the superhero stratosphere has anything resembling a sole leading actor, it's the one who plays Captain America. That's Mackie now. Brave New World will kick off a critical new chapter of the MCU, which will culminate with new Avengers films. Meaning: His life, sure as the stars and stripes on his new suit, is about to change.