Like most Marvel fans, Anthony Mackie is thrilled about Robert Downey Jr. returning to the franchise, this time as Dr. Doom. What Mackie is decidedly not thrilled about was when and where the announcement of the news was made.
For those who missed it, that bit of news came during Marvel’s massive Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con at the end of July. Of course, that same presentation began with new footage from “Captain America: Brave New World,” in which Mackie stars.
The footage also revealed the first official look at Harrison Ford as Red Hulk. So, in a recent interview at the D23 Expo with Entertainment Tonight, Mackie admitted he was feeling pretty good about things at SDCC — until the Downey news hit.
“You know what makes me mad? When you think you doin’ something, that’s when somebody show you that you ain’t doin’ nothing,” Mackie joked. “‘Cause, I thought I was good! I came out and everybody was like, ‘Oh my god, that’s the best trailer ever!’”
He added, “I’m like, ‘I got Harrison Ford! Ahhhh! Take that, I got Harrison Ford!’ Right?” You can watch the moment in the video, below.
But according to the actor, the applause he heard from backstage when RDJ’s return was announced was “like LeBron James had just won the Super Bowl at tight end.” And yes, it dampened Mackie’s spirit just a touch.
“I’m like, ‘But, no, I just — I got Harrison Ford!’” Mackie said with a laugh. “Harrison Ford knows my name! Nobody cared. Nobody cared. The entire room, gone.”
Mackie was particularly upset because he and Downey go so far back, having worked on multiple Marvel films together. The actor even joked that since Downey’s chef prepared a goat dinner for Mackie and their costars on one of those films, this never should’ve happened.
He suggested that the bombshell could’ve been part of Marvel’s presentation at D23 — which included teases of upcoming series like “Agatha All Along” and “Daredevil: Born Again” — and Downey could’ve “let me have Comic-Con.”
So, when asked what he hopes to see in the future “Avengers” films that Downey will now be a part of, the actor was blunt. “I hope I get to punch Robert Downey Jr. in the face for feeding me goat and then stealing my day!” he said before cracking up.
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