It’s really difficult to discuss the best moments in the MCU. Usually, we have to break the conversation down into smaller segments, such as the Best Marvel TV shows, or even the best moments that use music in the MCU. As an extra challenge, try to build that list without using any of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. But any time that someone asks me my all-time favorite moment in any of the MCU movies, my answer will be the Portals scene from Avengers: Endgame, and I’m not sure what moment that could appear in any upcoming Marvel movie will top it. It’s not just the Portals opening up in that sequence – setting up the largest on-screen battle in Marvel Studios history – it’s the payoff of the “On your left” line delivered by Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) as he communicates with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). I get chills, every single time.
A lot has changed in the MCU since Sam Wilson returned from The Blip, and the Avengers did what was necessary to stop Thanos (Josh Brolin). Steve Rogers officially retired, and passed the mantle to his former, winged partner. Then, in the limited series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – available with a Disney+ Streaming Service subscription – the shield was picked up and sullied by John Walker (Wyatt Russell), a plot point that I assume is going to be explored in this summer’s Thunderbolts. For now, though, Anthony Mackie is back in possession of the Cap shield and title, and will use it for good in Captain America: Brave New World.
But because Avengers: Endgame was shrouded in such secrecy, and no one involved with the production did traditional interviews on behalf of that massive sequel, I wanted to use my recent time with Mackie to ask him what he remembered about the Portals scene. And like most behind-the-scenes Marvel Studios stories, this one blew me away. When I asked Mackie about filming the moment, he told CinemaBlend:
The funny thing is, when you watch these movies, because most of my stuff is CGI, you have to realize I'm seeing it for the first time when you're seeing it. So, none of us were there, you know? That was all put in. So I get a call from Joe Russo, and he's like, ‘I need you to record a line on your phone and send it to me.’ I'm like, ‘What?!’ On my phone! So I go in the pantry, I put a blanket over my head, and I record, ‘On your left.’ I was like, ‘Steve. Steve, can you hear me? Steve, can you hear me? On your left.’ I recorded that five different ways, sent it to the Russos, (and) that's all I knew.
I will never watch that scene again without thinking of Anthony Mackie in his pantry, with a blanket over his head, speaking the iconic throwback line “On your left” into his phone, so that Joe and Anthony Russo could use it in this unforgettable scene:
It’s easily the most unforgettable scene in an MCU movie. And it’s hilarious because we also know that the scene almost didn’t happen, and the Russos had to fight to keep it in the movie. But it isn’t just the return of the blipped MCU characters, as cool as that was. The thing that truly blew my mind was the callback by Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) to the line that Captain America (Chris Evans) gave him in The Winter Soldier as they jogged. It made that moment surreal. It made me love it, instantly.
Captain America: Brave New World is the first of three upcoming Marvel movies that will reach theaters in 2025, leading to Thunderbolts and then The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Will they have scenes as memorable as the Portals moment? We can only help.
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