Chris Evans Gave Anthony Mackie the 'Endgame' Script Early

Chris Evans handed Anthony Mackie an early copy of the "Avengers: Endgame" script — and that is how Mackie discovered he would become Captain America.

Mackie revealed the moment in a recent interview with Cigar Aficionado, describing how the handoff happened at Evans' home before the film's release.

"Chris Evans is somebody who I hold near and dear," Mackie said. "We're at Chris' house, and because he's Captain America, he gets the [script] pages first. So he's like, 'Yo, did you read the new scene?' I'm like, 'Nah, what's up?' So, he takes me down…and he gave me the script and let me read it."

The reading carried weight. Mackie was, by his own account, taking over Evans' job.

"And it was really great and really emotional to learn it from a friend," Mackie continued. "I don't know a lot of actors who would have appreciated or celebrated that moment with a fellow actor in that way because I was taking his job for all intents and purposes."

The succession storyline played out on screen in 2019. Evans first wore the suit in 2011's "Captain America: The First Avenger." At the end of "Avengers: Endgame," his Steve Rogers passes the shield to Mackie's Sam Wilson. Mackie then led his first feature as the hero in 2025's "Captain America: Brave New World."

The 2019 Disney and Marvel blockbuster returned to theaters on Friday. The re-release, billed as "Avengers: Endgame Encore," adds extra footage ahead of "Avengers: Doomsday," which opens Dec. 18.

The encore proved potent at the box office. It generated $26 million domestically over the weekend and $60 million overseas, for a global tally of $86 million.

That pushes the film's lifetime gross to $2.88 billion. "Avengers: Endgame" was already the second-highest-grossing movie in box office history, with $2.79 billion.

The re-release serves as a runway toward "Avengers: Doomsday," and Mackie's account adds a personal chapter to the franchise's changing of the guard — one negotiated, apparently, over pages passed between friends.