Sam Wilson may have made his name in the comics and Marvel Cinematic Universe as Falcon, but he has flown just as high during his time as Captain America. With Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson officially taking up the vibranium shield for his first theatrical outing as Captain America in Captain America: Brave New World, he is leaving his old callsign behind.
However, it doesn't mean Captain America is going to be without his longtime friend and sidekick in the skies to aid him as he works to unravel a new conspiracy involving President Ross and the mysterious Red Hulk. Falcon will still be taking flight in Brave New World, with actor Danny Ramirez picking up the wings as Wilson's close friend Joaquin Torres.
And much like the MCU's take on Torres, the character is a relatively more recent addition to Marvel Comics.
Taking Flight
Torres' first appearance in the comics coincided with the start of Sam Wilson's run as Captain America in Captain America: Sam Wilson #1 from October 2015.
Readers were introduced to the teen from Arizona while he lived a relatively quiet life with his mother and grandmother, with most of his time spent focusing on studies or providing aid to those crossing the border from Mexico into the U.S. It was during one of these aid trips, though, that he would be abducted by Karl Malus and the Sons of the Serpent and transported to New York City as part of the groups mutation experiments.
His abduction was brought to Wilson's attention by Torres' family, and the hero quickly began investigating as he had already been looking into the newest version of the Sons of the Serpent. The investigation led Wilson to the Sons' lab in New York City where he discovered Torres had been turned into a human-falcon hybrid using Wilson's longtime avian friend and partner, Redwing. It left Torres with wings, allowing him to fly, and regenerative capabilities thanks to Redwing's unique vampiric genes.
Unfortunately, it also meant the condition could not be reversed.
Torres would remain in Wilson's care for the foreseeable future while research was done to try and reverse the young man's condition. Rather than letting it get him down, though, Torres would put his new abilities to use to help Wilson as he took down the rest of the Sons of the Serpent and greater Serpent Society.
Once the pair's fight against the groups were over, Wilson decided to keep Torres on as his new sidekick, giving him a new suit and bestowing his old name of Falcon on the young hero.
Champion of Justice
It would not be long after officially becoming Falcon that Torres would be welcomed into the Champions as one of its newest members, though admittedly not under the most ideal circumstances.
The young hero joined the team during the events of 2017's Secret Empire storyline, which saw Hydra successfully take over the U.S. government. This was thanks to a rejuvenated Steve Rogers, who was revealed to be a sleeper agent for Hydra that slowly infiltrated SHIELD and the greater government to aid Hydra's takeover.
During the takeover, the Champions would end up separated as Viv, Amadeus Cho, and Miles Morales fell in with the large resistance group dubbed the Underground. The other three members were otherwise displaced as Nova was stuck outside Earth's planetary defense shield, Ms. Marvel was helping free Inhumans taken prisoner on the moon, and the time-displaced Cyclops was sent to the newly-formed mutant nation of New Tian.
Viv, Amadeus, and Miles' time with the Underground wouldn't be in vain, though, as the young heroes met other young heroes keen to join the Champions in the fight against Hydra. This would lead Ironheart, Nadia Van Dyne, Rayshaun Lucas, and Torres to join the team to bring the Champions back to full strength.
The group would later join Black Widow's new Red Room and train in espionage as part of her plan to assassinate Captain America. However, this would fail and ultimately lead to the group being captured and held by Hydra for most of the remainder of Secret Empire. The Champions would be freed shortly before Hydra's final defeat, where it was revealed the Captain America that aided in Hydra's takeover was from an alternate universe as the original Steve Rogers returned to bring down his villainous counterpart.
Spreading Wings in the MCU
While he may have been introduced as a teen in the comics, the MCU took a decidedly different route when introducing Torres into the universe.
Audiences got to first meet Torres in the 2021 Disney Plus miniseries The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, where he is noticeably older than his teenage counterpart from the comics. He is an active member of the U.S. Air Force where he hold the rank of First Lieutenant and serves as an intelligence officer for his longtime friend, Sam Wilson.
Torres is also revealed to have survived Thanos' snap from Avengers: Infinity War and has been updating Wilson about everything he's missed during the five years he missed after being dusted. This includes the birth of the Flag Smashers, a new terrorist group that formed after Thanos defeat that believed things were better because the Blip forced nations to drop their borders and animosities in an effort to aid everyone who was not dusted.
While Wilson and Bucky Barnes would see most of the action against the group and even the new Captain America, John Walker, Torres would have a close encounter with the Flag Smashers while in Switerland. He would survive the encounter with an enhanced individual from the Flag Smashers, though not without a few injuries to show for it.
It was later insinuated that Torres would take up the Falcon mantle after being left Wilson's previous wingsuit and then witnessing his friend's speech to several world leaders in his first outing as the new Captain America.
He is also confirmed to be returning in Captain America: Brave New World, with Torres in attendance alongside Wilson for a presentation by President ‘Thunderbolt' Ross that ends with an apparent assassination attempt by Isaiah Bradley in the film's first trailer. He is later seen in the trailer flying momentarily alongside Wilson in his own wingsuit as the new Falcon.
Flying Toward the Future
As to what may lie ahead for Torres on the screen and comic page, it would not be surprised to see some convergence of the two versions into something similar.
It isn't uncommon for one iteration of a character to affect the other, especially going from the film and TV screen back to the comic page as a character becomes more popular in one particular medium. One example within Marvel is the Guardians of the Galaxy which, following the success of the first film in 2014, saw the comic iteration of the team become closer to the version audiences saw in the MCU.
Torres could go a similar route in the wake of Captain America: Brave New World if the character is well-received by audiences as the new Falcon. This could lead to the comic version of Torres joining the Air Force, himself, and taking on a role within the military or even SHIELD akin to his intelligence role when first introduced in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
Captain America: Brave New World is scheduled to release in theaters on February 14, 2025.
Follow Us
Subscribe
