Anthony Mackie and Danny Ramirez talk the bond between Captain America and Falcon in Brave New World – and how it mirrors real life

Captain America has always had close allies at his side, and the situation is no different in Captain America: Brave New World. This time, Anthony Mackie's new Cap will be jumping into action alongside Danny Ramirez's Joaquin Torres, building on the bond we first saw when Joaquin was introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV show.

When we met with Mackie and Ramirez in London to talk about the new Marvel Phase 5 movie, we asked how they built on this friendship from when we saw their characters last.

"It's easy with Anthony, honestly, he sets the tone of how to be on set," says Ramirez. "And so obviously, our dynamic being one of the main reasons why Joaquin was even written, so even from the audition sides, that bond and that relationship was the North Star of Joaquin, in regards to he gets to live his dream by partnering with one of his heroes and by going out there and kicking ass with him. And so it's been easy, at least for me."

As for Mackie, he explains how that dynamic of a new hero joining the fold is mirrored by the actual dynamic on set. "It's been amazing," he says. "If you look at this movie, you have three actors in three different points in their careers. You have Danny, who's fresh, young, starting his career, doing great work, and you can see it building massively. Then you have me, who's been in the game 25 years, in the middle of my career, with the hopes of one day reaching the pinnacle of success and artistry like Harrison Ford.

"I learned so much just by being on set with Danny," Mackie continues. "You can get jaded, you can get in this business, and after doing it for 25 years, it's like, 'Oh, it's another fucking movie, here we go.' But the reality of it is, when he comes to set, the amount of excitement, the amount of appreciation, the amount of work he's done before he got there, the eagerness to be successful in creating that character and making a good movie, that only affects me.

"Because when I see that, I'm like, 'I remember that kid. I remember being that kid.' And just being infected by that and having to relive that makes the experience and the opportunity that much more rewarding. Because it's like, 'Wow, he's really enjoying this moment. He's happy to be here. Why am I not?' So it's that feed off it opportunity, because just like it's his first movie, it's my first movie, too, you know? So it's just that idea of excitement."

Captain America: Brave New World is in theaters this February 14. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows for everything else the MCU has in store, or prepare for a marathon with our guide to watching the Marvel movies in order.