The magic of the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes not only from its great storytelling and mind-bending CGI but also from the amazing chemistry between its actors, from Chris Evans to Anthony Mackie. Shows like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, which just made its debut on Disney Plus, rely on its actors to give justice to the strong bonds shared between the characters in the stories.
In the case of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, their close relationship that we see in the MCU stories feels natural because Mackie and Sebastian Stan - the actors who play them - are close friends in real life. A dynamic duo always makes for good film and television, and it can be addicting to watch Mackie and Stan's friendship evolve, both on-screen and off.
In a recent episode of Comedy Central's Stir Crazy with Josh Horowitz, Mackie and Stan participated in some fun exercises, including a tough "Would You Rather" debate and a guessing game involving the butts of their Marvel co-stars. But perhaps the best part of the interview was when they tested their individual friendships with Evans, a.k.a Captain America himself, who retired from his role in the MCU after the release of Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame.
Horowitz asked the actors who they thought Evans would text back first if they were both to text him at the same time. Skipping any and all speculation, Mackie and Stan went straight to the test and texted Evans simultaneously, then waited to see who would get a response back first. After a few minutes, Mackie confirmed that Evans replied to him first. "Aha! Evans just hit me back!" said Mackie. Stan immediately accepted defeat, saying, "Not me!" after Mackie's announcement - but then, a split second later, Evans' text came through on his phone. "Oh, he got me! He beat me by a second, I love him!" exclaimed Stan, seemingly surprised by the speed of Evans' reply.
Horowitz then asked what both of them ended up texting Evans in order to elicit a response from him. Mackie said, "Nothing, 'I love you' - he texted me back, 'I love you too; miss you,'" while Stan said: "I love you, hope you're good," with Evans adding, "He [Mackie] beat you by a sec.'" No wonder Sam got the Captain America shield after an elderly Steve Rogers relinquished his superhero title and Bucky didn't.
It's nice to see that Stan and Mackie are so close in real life. Their friendship translates well on-screen too in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which ended up having the most-watched series premiere ever for Disney Plus, besting the debut of its predecessor WandaVision, which launched Marvel Studios' foray into original programming in January 2021.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is now streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: Comedy Central/YouTube