Anthony Mackie, the brand new Captain America, turns 48 today. While everyone knows him as a Marvel superhero, there's a whole side of him that never makes it into the trailers. Turns out the man carrying Cap's shield is also a thrift-store regular an an engineer.

Things You Didn’t Know About Anthony Mackie

While we take a moment to celebrate his achievements let's talk about things about Anthony Mackie that you probably didn't know about. So, here's the fun stuff.

1. Spiders Are His Mortal Enemy

In a 2014 interview, Mackie was asked what his "mortal enemy" was, and his answer was immediate: spiders. He was quick to add that heights, stunts, none of that scares him, it's specifically spiders that get him.

2. Sad Movies Wreck Him

While talking with Refinery29, Anthony admitted that The Bridges of Madison County gets him crying without fail, and so does The Lion King, specifically the moment Mufasa dies. Apparently the man who fights CGI supervillains for a living cannot handle an animated lion's death scene. Fan girls, isn't that cute?

3. He Almost Became An Engineer

Imagine that! Growing up, Mackie idolized his two older brothers; one became a lawyer, the other an engineer. And he decided engineering was the path for him too, mostly because he figured it involved building things and blowing things up.

Acting was the backup plan that somehow became the main event.

4. He Owns A Bar In Brooklyn

Away from film sets, Mackie is a bar owner. NoBar is his own spot in Brooklyn, and it's the kind of low-key detail that never comes up next to headlines about Marvel paychecks.

This idea came to him when he moved to Crown Heights, Brooklyn and discovered there were few places for him to chill, watch football, have a drink and meet with the locals.

5. . He Dreams Of Hosting His Own HGTV Show

Mackie once mentioned in an interview with The New York Times that he's addicted to watching HGTV and would love to host his own home-renovation series someday. Captain America moonlighting as a house-flipper is not a sentence anyone expected to write.

6. He Quoted Shakespeare While Eating Brutally Hot Wings

Anthony quoting Shakespeare while eating hot wings was definitely not something anyone could have thought of. On a 2021 episode of Hot Ones, mid-way through sweating out the hottest wing on the menu, Mackie casually dropped a Shakespeare quote. Juilliard training apparently survives even ghost-pepper sauce.

 

7. Our Superhero Loves Fishing

Anthony Mackie loves to fish. While filming Avengers: Infinity War, he would go fishing whenever he got a break between takes.

Turns out the shield isn't the only thing Mackie's had to learn to hold onto tight, his fear of spiders is apparently just as real as any Marvel villain. Between the crash landing into a van and crying over Mufasa, this is a side of him the trailers never show. Basically, give him a wire harness any day, just keep the bugs away.

 

Image credits: Instagram

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