Danny Ramirez can't say he's the new Falcon, but he does finally know what a 'comfort character' is

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe fall in love with new characters fast. For proof, look no further than the instantly adored Joaquín Torres, played by Danny Ramirez on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

In the series, Torres is an Air Force officer who works with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). The character name has ramifications for fans of Marvel Comics, as Joaquín Torres took the mantle of Falcon when Sam Wilson took the mantle of Captain America. In the comics, Torres could fly without the aid of mechanical wings and had a psychic connection to Redwing... not a drone, but an actual bird sidekick.

The MCU has done things differently, as Redwing has never been an actual bird. Instead, it was the name of a drone Sam used — the one the Flag Smashers destroyed aboard that truck. Nobody has done any experiments turning Torres into a bird person either (that we know of), but Episode 5 did feature Sam Wilson telling Torres to keep his busted set of wings.

If Sam Wilson is about to fully transition into being Captain America, then the stage is set for the MCU's Joaquin Torres to step into the role of Falcon. He can fix those wings, and he already works well with Sam.

Ramirez himself is already a Marvel alum (appearing on The Gifted), but the MCU streaming on Disney+ gives him a much bigger spotlight. SYFY WIRE caught up with Ramirez before the finale episode to talk about what the new Falcon possibilities might mean for him, the legacy of the series, and what it's like to suddenly be a comfort character.

Credit: Marvel Studios

How does it feel to most likely be the new Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Oh, I will just say it feels great to be a part of the story, and specifically opposite Sam and Bucky in this adventure, and I'll leave it at that.

We don't know what's going to happen yet, but do you think he kept those wings?

Well, I think based on [Sam] telling him to keep the wings, I think he'll keep them. I don't know in what regard. He has the bag they were left in, but that's as much as I can say.

Were you surprised by how the fandom instantly and overwhelmingly loved your character after the premiere?

It was pretty intense. It was cool, because I learned all this new terminology about characters, especially in the MCU and on Twitter — "comfort characters" and all these buzzwords that I was like, "Oh, everyone really appreciated him and liked him," and that was more than anything I could ask for, honestly. Just the amount of love.

I had a cousin in Colombia that their child was like, "Oh my God, somebody that looks like us." And then she was like, "Oh my God, it's Danny." And then she told him we were related, and the little kid just freaked out. So I think, in regards to representation, it also felt that it was very well embraced.

Were you a Marvel fan before joining the show?

I had done a Marvel show before, and I remember watching, when I saw [Avengers:] Endgame, I was crying and I was like, "Ah man, to be a part of that, that would be amazing." I just didn't know what would happen, to see the final scene with Steve and Sam, and then later on audition for it. I was geeked out. I was just like, "What?" And then to get it, I was like, "OK, there's something manifesting in the universe that kind of aligned with me."

Have you seen the finale episode yet, or do they keep it just as mysterious for you as they do for everyone else?

Every single time I've been surprised with so much of the storyline because all I got were my scenes, so I didn't get the full scripts while we were shooting. It was just like, whatever scene I was in was as far as I knew what was happening. Every week I've been surprised with how it's turned out.

What do you hope people will take from the series?

I think, from the show, it's just that this conversation needs to be had, the conversation Sam is having throughout with Bucky, but most importantly with Sam and America. I think it's incredibly important for that just to be a conversation that is more accessible to be had. I think the show leading us through this adventure, and grappling with this conversation simultaneously, is hopefully giving people a context and the language to continue actively participating in the conversation.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier flies into its finale this Friday on Disney+.