Captain America 4 Star Danny Ramirez Compares Sam Wilson To His Top Gun Mentor Maverick

Danny Ramirez’s franchise characters have been under the tutelage of some of the big screen’s most iconic faces. Ramirez made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as Joaquin Torres, a United States Air Force Intelligence officer who works hand in hand with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) on various post-Avengers: Endgame missions. The following summer, Ramirez took back to the skies in Top Gun: Maverick as Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia, learning under Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise).

Since Torres officially ᴀssumed the Falcon mantle in Captain America: Brave New World, comparisons between his airborne superhero and the sky-based Fanboy have run rampant. The parallels between the pair go beyond the fact that they both fly, particularly in the realm of their mentors.

ScreenRant spoke with Ramirez to discuss the distinctions between having Captain America and Maverick as role models as well as what avenging future could lie in Torres’s future.

Ramirez Compares Learning From Captain America To Maverick

“Joaquin Has Said That Sam Is His Hero…”

Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres has big shoes to fill, and he fortunately has an Avenger guiding him on how to properly tie his laces.

“Joaquin’s looked up to Sam from the jump,” Ramirez told ScreenRant in an interview conducted at Nellis Air Force Base. “Although Joaquin knows his history and knows who the OG Cap is and kind of who Isaiah was from the onset and there’s this respect that’s there, I think I’d go compare Joaquin and his love for Sam Wilson to Fanboy and Maverick.”

The Torres and Wilson dynamic has consistencies with Fanboy and Maverick’s relationship in Top Gun: Maverick.

“I think Fanboy is also someone that knows the history of the Navy and would definitely have heard of and has heard of Mav and all the accolades he’s done,” Ramirez continued. “So it’s comparable. I think outright, Joaquin has said that Sam is his hero, and so instantly I think I’d go that way.”

While the two pairings have their similarities, one thing that sets the Torres and Wilson dynamic apart is that it strictly operates as a duo. Fanboy is one pilot among a larger team. Torres has the potential to follow suit down the line, as Falcon has regularly been a member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but in the present moments of Captain America: Brave New World, he serves as the star-spangled man’s right hand.

Will Joaquin Torres Join The Avengers?

“Anything Goes In This World…”

Even though his role in Nick Fury’s super secret boy band remains to be confirmed, Ramirez has ambitions to join the Avengers’ ranks.

“I hope so. I haven’t gotten the call yet, so I always keep my phone near me just in case that call comes. But I hope so,” Ramirez said when asked about his potential Avengers: Doomsday future. “I think I’ll pitch myself real quick. I’m just kidding. It’s an exciting prospect. Obviously, anything goes in this world.”

As for the status of his Earth’s Mightiest résumé, Ramirez teased that Torres’s path to the Avengers may become clearer after the events of Captain America: Brave New World.

“Hopefully, when you go and watch this movie, I think hopefully it gives an answer. But maybe it doesn’t. Who’s to say.”

It’s worth noting that since Falcon was introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), he has shown face in every Avengers movie. Sam Wilson attended the Avengers’ cocktail party and was recruited to the Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff-led squad in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). He then went on an Avengers mission in Captain America: Civil War (2016) and stood side-by-side with various Marvel heroes in the Battle of Wakanda and Battle of Earth in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), respectively.

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