During the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, it seemed we had a clear path as to who was going to be the next Captain America when Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) passed on the shield to his good friend, Sam Wilson/The Falcon (Anthony Mackie). Rogers very long-time friend and war buddy, Bucky Barnes, gave the approval. That seemed to have been settled. Until this morning when The Falcon and The Winter Soldier series premiered its first episode. We got a shot of the MCU’s next Captain America — for now.
Today’s TFATWS pilot episode ended with John Walker (Wyatt Russell) aka US Agent being activated as Captain America because of the growing issues around the world — terrorism and political agendas. The U.S. government felt they needed a new hero to replace Steve Rogers.
Early on in the episode, we hear Sam resonate the words he said to Steve in Avengers: Endgame, the shield feels like it “belongs to someone else.” That scene may or may not have hinted that Steve is no longer alive. Sam ends up donating the shield to a Captain America exhibit in the Smithsonian. A conversation with James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) digs dipper into Sam’s choice about not taking up the Captain America mantle. Later in the episode, Sam watches a new Captain America being introduced on TV.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier – Meet John Walker/US Agent
In Marvel comics, John Walker first appeared in Captain America #323 in 1986. Walker was an experiment to work solely for the United States government. He made his debut in the comics initially as an anti-hero. He gained his super powers from someone called The Power Broker and took on the name “Super-Patriot”. Walker was critical of Steve Rogers’ ideals and even confronted him many times. His way of dealing with the “bad guys” isn’t always aligned with Rogers’ way. He’s a super-patriot with a hot head adhering to brutal and violent ways to handle problems.
It’s uncertain to which version of John Walker we’re going to see in the show. Will he be friend or foe? Or both. We’ll have to wait for more upcoming The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episodes to see what direction Marvel Studios will take for John Walker as Captain America.
