By Zach Johnson
Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) wields the shield in Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World, a thrilling action-adventure that thrusts the title character into a global conspiracy—and a high-stakes showdown with Red Hulk (Disney Legend Harrison Ford)!
After captivating global audiences in theaters—and becoming the fourth highest-grossing film of the year domestically—the movie is now streaming on Disney+. Set after the events of the Disney+ Original series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021), Captain America: Brave New World also features Sam’s new wingman: Joaquin Torres. In outtakes from the Spring 2025 issue of Disney twenty-three (available exclusively to D23 Gold and Gold Family Members), star Danny Ramirez shared a behind-the-scenes look at the film and also opened up about taking over as the MCU’s new Falcon.
Before he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)—long before he even tried on an actual EXO flight suit, in fact—Ramirez seemed destined to soar next to Captain America.
“When I was little, my grandma in Mexico put these plastic [objects] on my arms that kind of looked like airplane wings. She tied them on with a string and assumed that I would run around the front of the house and pretend I was flying. Instead, I ended up jumping out of a second-story railing, thinking I could fly, and knocked myself out,” Ramirez told Disney twenty-three with a laugh. “I guess I’ve been testing prototypes of the Falcon suit for years.”
Ramirez made his MCU debut in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, playing a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force who helped Sam investigate the Flag Smashers. But it wasn’t until Captain America: Brave New World that his character literally spread his wings.
“Marvel assured me, ‘You will get the wings,’” he said. “But Joaquin couldn’t take flight right away; that wouldn’t feel real. By the time you see him in the movie, some time has passed; things have progressed off-screen at the same pace that they would’ve in real life.”
During that time, Sam and Joaquin’s friendship deepened as well.
“Anthony and I had so much fun on set. We were ragging on each other right off the bat— making jokes that you can only get away with if you really know someone,” Ramirez said. “As much as there was a structure and a rhythm in place, we also got to play around after a few takes. Anthony would surprise me with a line, and then I’d surprise him—and vice versa. After a couple of runs, we’d figured something new out: ‘I’m going to say this, which pairs well with this line you just ad-libbed.’ So, we were able to build off things organically.”
Ramirez learned a lot from Mackie, whose own journey in the MCU mirrors that of his character’s. “I’d seen how Anthony—and Sam—processed becoming Captain America, so for me, as Joaquin, to take over the mantle as the Falcon, I knew I had to make it my own,” Ramirez said. “The lesson I learned from Sam is that it’s his version of Captain America; you can’t ever be the exact same as the person before you. It’s like in football; if you replace one player with another, it’s a different football team. You can wear the same jersey, but you’re going to play different. That made [my own process] feel rather simple.”