The debut of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is right around the corner and the new series hopes to continue the success WandaVision started by bringing the MCU into the television format. Excitement for the series is high with the various trailers and images teasing an action-adventure on the scale of the MCU’s movies. The show also looks to delve deeper into the characters of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes who had been supporting characters in the MCU up until now. However, with the show so close to airing, there is still one important character that has yet to be revealed in any advertising for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: US Agent.
One of the earliest casting announcements for the show confirmed the actor Wyatt Russell would be appearing as the character John Walker. While fans have seen plenty of the other main characters in the show, they have been very coy with revealing Walker. Some trailers have shown glimpses of a character wearing the classic Captain America uniform that can be presumed to be Walker, however, the trailers have never shown his face. Of course, Marvel is known for its secrecy and keeping the audience in the dark as much as possible, but to hide a key character from the show from all of the publicity thus far suggests there is something special about this character in particular. And Walker’s comic book origins could hint at the interesting ways the show will explore his character.
In the comics, Walker was a patriotic soldier who volunteered for a program that would turn him into a super-soldier similar to Captain America. In fact, Walker proved to be such an impressive specimen that the government decided to make him the next Captain America replacing Steve Rogers. However, Walker proved to be a more brutal and corrupt crime-fighter than his predecessor and even faced off with Rogers on several occasions. Walker eventually became known as U.S. Agent and he continued to struggle between being a true superhero and a violent vigilante.
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers stepped down from his role as Captain America and passed his shield on to Sam. While that seemed to confirm Sam would be the new Captain America, this show looks to through that into question in an interesting way. While Steve has chosen his own replacement, the government looks to be not as keen on Sam stepping into the patriotic role. Walker looks to be the government-approved Cap which would be an interesting way of politicizing the mantel of this hero in a way that Steve would certainly not approve of.
The show is also said to be more political than other MCU, even touching on race in America and Walker could play an important role in that aspect as the government seems to be more comfortable with a blonde-haired, white man as Captain America rather than a Black man. The political aspects could also explore Walker as a more problematic crime-fighter. He is a man who takes his power and authority to some dangerous levels, often appearing as more of a villain than a hero. While Zemo has been promoted as the big bad for the series, the show might be concealing Walker as a key villain as well.
Phase 4 of the MCU looks to largely be about coping and moving on from the events of Avengers: Endgame. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is certainly about the aftermath of Steve Rogers moving on. With the glimpses of Walker in the Cap costume, it could be just a bit of bait-and-switch marketing to make some fans wonder if Chris Evans might be turning up in this series after all. However, it is more likely that the show is setting fans up for a very different version of Captain America.
Walker certainly looks like the all-American boy scout and fits the iconic costume well. When fans see him in that uniform and wielding that shield, it might give them hope of a new hero to look up to. But John Walker is no Steve Rogers, and the gradual reveal of that fact could make for the most interesting aspects of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It allows the show to explore the notion of a supposed superhero who abuses his power. It allows Sam to forge his own path as a hero, knowing that the title of Captain America can be tarnished in the wrong hands. And, though he is gone from the MCU, it also further cements Steve Rogers’s legacy as a hero. It was not just the super-soldier serum and the shield that made him Captain America, but who he was as a man.
Whatever the reasons for John Walker being kept a mystery, fans won’t have to wait too much longer until he is revealed. Time will tell if the character plays a larger role in the MCU going forward, but he certainly promises to be a very exciting addition to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will premiere on Disney+ on March 19.
