Ian McKellen discovered the new Captain America on the set of Avengers: Doomsday

Anthony Mackie recounted Ian McKellen’s kind reaction when he revealed to him, on the set of Avengers: Doomsday, that he had taken back Captain America’s shield.

Since the end ofAvengers: EndgameCaptain America’s shield has changed hands. After the departure of Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) gradually accepted the legacy of the hero in the Disney + series Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), before officially becoming the new wearer of the suit in Captain America: Brave New World (2025).

But even some members of the Marvel family were not necessarily aware of this development. On the set ofAvengers: Doomsdaythe X-Men Ian McKellen, thus discovered that Anthony Mackie now played the famous super-soldier… and his reaction particularly touched his partner.

Interviewed by IMDb, Mackie recounted his meeting with the interpreter of Magneto, a newcomer to the MCU, on the set of the next Marvel blockbuster:

“I go to see Ian McKellen, he says, ‘Hello, boy.’ I say, ‘Ian McKellen, sir. You’re amazing. It’s amazing to work with you!’ Then McKellen asks me what role I play in the film. I tell him, ‘I’m Captain America!’

The British comedian’s response left a mark on Mackie: “Beautiful…and you deserved it! Thank you, Sir Ian, thank you.“

In Avengers: DoomsdayMcKellen reprises his cult role of Magneto, almost twenty-five years after his debut in the saga X-Men. The film will bring together an impressive part of the Marvel universe, with the returns of Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Sebastian Stan, Paul Rudd, Tom Hiddleston, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr. and Vanessa Kirby, as well as several former mutants like Patrick Stewart, James Marsden, Kelsey Grammer and Rebecca Romijn.

Avengers: Doomsday will be released in cinemas on December 16 in France.