Anthony Mackie Is a New Kind of Hero in ‘Altered Carbon’ Season 2
Altered Carbon returns to Netflix for season 2 on Feb. 27, and fans are excited to see what Takeshi Kovacs has up his ‘sleeve” this time around. Stepping into the lead role is Anthony Mackie, known for his role as Sam Wilson / Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You might be used to seeing him play a superhero, but his role in Altered Carbon is unlike anything you’ve seen the actor do before.
What is ‘Altered Carbon’ about?
Altered Carbon, which is based on author Richard K. Morgan’s 2002 novel of the same name, takes place in a futuristic world where human consciousness can be transferred to a new body or “sleeve” when an old body dies. This way, wealthy people who can afford the procedure get to live for hundreds of years, transferring their memories from one body to another, while keeping a system of social hierarchy in place.
To achieve this virtual immortality, consciousness is uploaded into a spinal disk called a “stack.” When a person dies, their stack can be stored for an indefinite amount of time and pulled up into a new “sleeve” or body if and when the need arises.
Who is Anthony Mackie in ‘Altered Carbon’?
Anthony Mackie is taking on the role of Takeshi Kovacs for season 2 of Altered Carbon — a role held by actor Joel Kinnaman last season. Unlike Falcon from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Takeshi Kovacs is a dark and brooding mercenary that rarely cracks a smile.
In this dystopian universe, Kovacs was once part of an elite group of soldiers called Envoys. He is a highly-skilled fighter who is trained to complete the most challenging missions, even when they require him to re-sleeve. But 250 years ago, most Envoys were destroyed, and now only a handful of them, including Kovacs, are left.
What’s in store for season 2
At the end of the first season, Kovacs saved his friends and left town to look for his lost love Quellcrest Falconer (Renée Elise Goldsberry). Season 2 picks up with the hero 30 years later. After spending decades looking for Quell, his search lands him in a new sleeve and back to his home planet, Harlan’s World.
Kovacs’ new sleeve is far more advanced than his last. As shown in the new trailer for Season 2, he is told (by someone whose face isn’t shown, but is presumably the doctor re-sleeving him) that the new sleeve was created for “military use only” and has the capability of “rapid healing, enhanced reaction time, among other bells and whistles.”
If the trailer is any indication, Kovacs will face plenty of enemies this season. And with Anthony Mackie putting his Marvel smile aside to take on the role of this brooding hero, there’s no doubt this season will be fun to watch.
