Also known as the Super Patriot, John Walker is a character in the world of Marvel that isn’t someone you want to see Cap come in contact with. Described as a “patriotic villain,” U.S. Agent feels almost too on the nose for 2020, and yet we have confirmation that Wyatt Russell’s portrayal of Walker in Disney+’s upcoming The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series is heading down the U.S. Agent road.
This isn’t exactly new news. We knew that’s where this was heading, but new toy packaging confirms our suspicions. ComicBookMovie.com shared the toy that has John F. Walker labeled as “Captain America,” and so, let’s talk about why that’s actually terrifying.
U.S. Agent was, in a lot of ways, created to be the same symbol for America that Steve Rogers was—an upstanding citizen who embodied what people love about America. The problem is that what made Steve Rogers the Captain America we know and love is that he was, at his core, a good man, whereas John Walker is not.
He’s trying to emulate Rogers and be the man that Steve was, and it doesn’t work out because Walker is a lot more brutal about how he wants to uphold the “American way.” What I think is going to be interesting about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is that Sam isn’t being respected as the official new Captain America—the man that Steve Rogers chose. The government seems to be making a statement that Sam isn’t worthy, and I, personally, cannot wait to see Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes f**k up the U.S. government.
To say this series feels “timely” isn’t exactly accurate because this has been an aspect of the U.S. government that has been a problem for years, and now The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is capitalizing on calling out the way our government functions, who they deem “worthy” of official positions, and what they’ll condone as they position themselves as a force for good. John Walker is no Steve Rogers. He’s no Captain America. And it’s a beautiful story of how those who feel entitled rarely are, and it’s time for those who truly do deserve things to get their due. (A.k.a. give Sam Wilson his SHIELD.)
There’s an incredible page from Sam Wilson – Captain America #13 (2016) written by Nick Spencer that I do hope ends up in the series.
Fighting John Walker, fighting the people (a.k.a. the government) who put him up to take on the shield, Sam Wilson takes back what is rightfully his and sends a very clear message: He IS Captain America and people need to get used to it. (Yes, I am crying thinking about this because Sam Wilson deserves this and so much more.)
Sam Wilson deserves to be Captain America. He’s MY Cap. But I also don’t think that John F. Walker is going to hold the title for very long, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will explore the government and their ideas of patriotism … and I cannot wait!
(image: Marvel Entertainment)
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