Captain America can be an Asian man. Captain America can be a woman. Captain America could be anyone who stands for the ideals that Captain America stands for,” said Captain America comic book writer Mark Waid.

Brave New World, which opened in theaters Friday, features Mackie as the titular superhero, marking his first starring film in the role. Mackie originally played Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Four years after the release of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — which saw Anthony Mackie ‘s Sam Wilson struggling with the title bestowed on him by Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers — the star says Marvel’s latest offering finds the character as “full-fledged Captain America .”