As is par the course for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there's a lot of secrecy surrounding Disney+'s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The show's cast is full of supporting actors playing undisclosed roles, which includes more recent additions like Danny Ramirez. With outlets describing his role as "pivotal," it seems there's a real possibility Ramirez is playing Joaquín Torres, the character who takes up the Falcon mantle after Sam Wilson becomes Captain America.
Introduced in Captain America: Sam Wilson in October 2015, Joaquín is a Mexican immigrant who came to the U.S. when he was just a kid. When he's older, he's captured by the Sons of the Serpent and transformed into a human/falcon hybrid, which grants him a psychic link to Sam's falcon companion, Redwing. After Sam, now serving as Captain America, rescues him, they team up to battle and defeat the Serpent Society. Wanting to continue doing good, Joaquín stays on as Sam's sidekick and becomes the new Falcon.
While the character's backstory would surely be tweaked for the MCU, much like Sam's was, Joaquín should fit right into the story of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The series will pick up sometime after Steve Rogers passed the Captain America shield over to Sam in the final minutes of Avengers: Endgame. However, for reasons that may include the fact that Sam sided with Steve in Captain America: Civil War, the U.S. government doesn't approve of Sam being the taking on the moniker and has its own choice for the position: John Walker, aka. U.S. Agent.
Sam's arc in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will likely be driven by his conflicting desires to fulfill Steve's final request and uphold his legacy as Captain America, but also his hesitancy to abandon the Falcon moniker and make sure the mantle isn't taken by someone who would fail to carry over the values he stood for. Joaquín is very much the type of person the MCU's Sam would trust to do just that, allowing him to embrace his new position as the new Cap.
Ramirez is older than Joaquín is portrayed as being when he becomes Falcon in the comic books, but is still a rising star who's on his way to becoming a bigger name thanks to his role as the pilot "Fanboy" in the upcoming Top Gun: Maverick. He would be a strong choice to serve as a member of the next generation of superhero cast members in the MCU, joining the likes of Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani.
On top of that, it makes sense for the MCU to introduce Joaquín sooner rather than later. The character has only been a part of the Marvel Comics Universe for five years, so he has a lot less baggage, so to speak, than other characters who've been around for much longer. If Joaquín makes his grand entrance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Marvel Studios would have a much easier time coordinating his storyline in the comics with whatever happens to him in the MCU over the next few years.
Directed by Kari Skogland, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Noah Mills, Carl Lumbly and Daniel Brühl. The series debuts on Disney+ in 2021.