LOS ANGELES — Actor Danny Ramirez has been named one of The Associated Press’ Breakthrough Entertainers of 2025, announced Dec. 10. The recognition follows a stretch in which Danny Ramirez became Marvel’s new Falcon, appeared in HBO’s “The Last of Us” and stepped onto a global sports stage as a World Cup draw co-host, Dec. 18, 2025.
In an AP profile of Ramirez’s fast-moving rise, Ramirez, 33, traced his entry into acting to a soccer injury and a chance invitation to be an extra during production for Mira Nair’s 2012 film “The Reluctant Fundamentalist.” “I always say that the universe is the best writer, the most efficient writer,” Ramirez said.
Danny Ramirez turns a fast rise into a staying-power year
On the big screen, Danny Ramirez’s most visible leap came in “Captain America: Brave New World,” where he plays Joaquin Torres as the new incarnation of the Falcon, released Feb. 14, 2025. In an interview published by Marvel.com, Ramirez said the role’s impact has been personal: “The part that’s been really powerful has been the response I’ve seen from kids that reminded me of myself.”
Television brought a different kind of scrutiny. Danny Ramirez joined Season 2 of “The Last of Us” as Manny, stepping into a franchise where fans measure every performance against the source material and each other. A season guide from Entertainment Weekly said the seven-episode season premiered April 13, 2025, and introduced Manny among several key characters drawn from the video game’s sequel.
Outside Hollywood, Danny Ramirez’ year also included a rare pop-culture crossover tied to his athletic roots. FIFA highlighted his role in the sport’s biggest calendar moment in a FIFA.com interview about co-hosting the World Cup draw, a ceremony that put him in front of the global soccer audience that once shaped his own ambitions.
What’s next for Danny Ramirez
The AP Breakthrough Entertainers honor is built on volume as much as flash, and Danny Ramirez is not slowing down. The AP profile said he recently wrapped filming on “Avengers: Doomsday” and is developing a slate that includes a “Scarface” reboot, the Jean-Michel Basquiat biopic “Samo Lives” and his own film “Baton,” rooted in a soccer player’s drive to go pro.
For audiences tracking his ascent, the throughline has been visible for years. In a 2021 Men’s Health interview during “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” Danny Ramirez talked about what it could mean for viewers to see a Latino hero with real narrative weight. And after “Top Gun: Maverick” pushed him into the blockbuster conversation as Lt. Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia, Danny Ramirez described the movie’s life-changing ripple effect in a 2022 Military.com interview.
Now, with AP’s Breakthrough Entertainers of 2025 stamp, Danny Ramirez has a shorthand label for what the past year already showed: He can move between franchises, genres and stages — and still read like a performer building his career on craft, not luck.
