Hollywood star Anthony Mackie, who plays Captain America in Marvel Studios’ upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World, would love to see Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan as the next Avenger, he said in a recent interview.
“He (Shah Rukh) is the damn best,” Mackie told Indian influencer Kevin Zingkhai in the interview which was shared on Instagram.
After being chosen by Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers as his successor in the role of Captain America, Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson takes up the iconic shield used by the superhero and faces off against Red Hulk in the upcoming MCU film Captain America: Brave New World. Slated to hit theatres on February 14, the film is directed by Julius Onah.
During the conversation, Mackie also discussed how he and Ford could pose a strong challenge to characters like Deadpool and Wolverine in the upcoming Marvel movie.
“I believe I could definitely give Deadpool some serious competition. It would likely be a close match. My wings would be quite effective against his swords! The red rim would slice right through him, making things interesting. And as for the Hulk, you can't truly defeat him—you can only attempt to control him. So when it comes to Wolverine facing the Red Hulk, I don’t think that battle would end well for him,” he said.
Shah Rukh Khan has always been a favourite choice for Marvel Studios. In the 2018 film Deadpool 2, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool was seen vibing to the song Yun Hi Chala Chal from Shah Rukh’s Swades (2004). Stephen Wacker, the then Vice President of Creative Development at Marvel, also shared his desire to work with Shah Rukh.
Even in the second episode of Ms Marvel (2022), Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan said, “There's no such thing as a bad Shah Rukh Khan movie.”
Shah Rukh, 59, played a superhero in the 2011 movie Ra.One, which tanked at the box office but garnered critical acclaim later. The Bollywood star also played a scientist with superpowers in Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra: Part 1 starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.
Shah Rukh will be next seen in King, directed by his Pathaan director Siddharth Anand. He recently unveiled the teaser of the forthcoming Netflix show The Ba***ds of Bollywood.