Who is John Walker? Sam, Bucky, and I are asking this after Falcon and Winter Solider Episode 2. Yes, this is a spoiler warning.
In the episode following the series premiere, we learned that John Walker, the new Captain America, has a deep background in the US military.
In the second episode, the Good Morning America host said that Walker had earned three Medals of Honor and carried out counterterrorism and rescue missions. But there is something about the performance of Wyatt Russell, the actor who supposedly plays the character of John Walker, that makes him seem like a U.S. agent. And U.S. Agents were not the good guys in the comics.
Episode 2 of Falcon and the Winter Soldier had some interesting things to say about Walker's background. His partner, Battlestar (aka Lemar Hoskins), said he has a tendency to "hit to get out of trouble," which suggests he has anger issues.
Since it has been announced that Wyatt Russell will play a U.S. agent, let's look back at the character in the comic. There, John Walker worshipped his brother Mike - who died in service to his country as a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War. John enlisted to carry on his legacy. However, he was a member only in peacetime and did not go to war.
Looking for a way to become as noble as his brother, Walker turned to a source called the Power Broker, who literally gave him superhuman strength. We know that the Power Broker is involved in this episode because that Power Broker appears to be hunting down Flag Smasher.
Walker then becomes a corporate-sponsored Super Patriot (after aspiring to be a professional wrestler) and at one point attacks Captain America. Through these incidents, we see Super Patriot/Walker as a more violent version of Cap, someone who cares little for the safety of the public.
However, when Steve Rogers abandons his shield and costume to report to the Superhuman Activities Commission, Walker is later selected as the new Captain America. And after numerous adventures, Steve Rogers becomes Captain America again, and Walker takes the name U.S. Agent. All along, the Transhuman Activities Committee has been pulling strings as to who should assume which name.
With that in mind, one wonders what the real story behind this "new Captain America" is. Hence, dear reader, I cannot wait for Episode 3 of Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
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