Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 4.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier just killed Lemar Hoskins/Battlestar, John Walker's sidekick and good friend — why? Introduced in episode 2 as one of the closest people to the new Captain America, the show made it clear that the partners have a strong bond with each other. Throughout Walker's arc in the show thus far, Hoskins has been there to offer any kind of support. But now, he has to move on without his trusted ally which makes him more dangerous.

After operating separately following their first encounter, Sam and Bucky and Walker and Hoskins were reunited in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 4, "The Whole World Is Watching." As with the last time, Walker tracked down the heroes in order to get any new information about the Flag-Smashers. While neither team wanted to work with the other, they decided to try and put their differences aside. That's until Walker insisted on his way, causing them again to splinter. In the final battle against the terrorist organization, Karli Morgenthau accidentally shoved Hoskins too hard which sent him flying towards a building column. This killed him and sent Walker into an anguished rampage.

Related: Is John Walker Evil In The Comics?

Considering how significant Hoskins is to Walker, killing him in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was an interesting creative move. However, his importance to the new Captain America was exactly why he's killed off. Ever since Walker assumed the superhero persona, he has been compared to Steve Rogers. While Walker was mostly decent when he was first introduced, not to mention being a decorated soldier (making him the government's pick to be the next Captain America), there's always something off-putting about him. The death of Hoskins functioned as a litmus test for him to prove that he's worthy of the position. Like John Walker, Steve also lost his best friend during battle; in Captain America: The First Avenger, a mishap on the train that transported Zola caused Bucky's fall into his apparent death. Steve couldn't save his friend in a similar way, but that didn't change him. He didn't seek revenge or took it out on anyone else; he grieved, but he did it quietly and without hurting anyone.

Battlestar is killed in Falcon and Winter Soldier

This moment crystallized why Walker is ultimately unworthy of the Captain America mantle despite his achievements in the military. Blinded by rage, the more powerful Walker who injected himself with super-soldier serum hunted down Karli but only caught up with one of the Flag-Smashers members. It didn't matter, however, as he totally lost it, using the shield to hit his victim repeatedly until the Captain America cover was stained with blood, effectively killing the guy. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier previously provided hints that Walker has the tendency to be aggressive, and being Captain America only emboldened that. He presumed that just because he wields the shield, he should be respected and followed, but things don't work that way.

What makes Walker's meltdown in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier so much more interesting is that as he was tinkering on the possibility of taking the super-soldier serum, he was scared that it would change him. But Hoskins eased his concerns by saying that the "power makes a person more of themselves," hinting that he truly believed that his partner is a good man. However, if that logic holds true, seeing how Walker reacted after Battlestar's death reveals that the new Captain America may not the good person he thought him to be.

More: Steve Rogers Was Never Perfect As Captain America (And That's The Point)

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