John Walker Proves He's The Captain America The US Really Wants

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 3 shows that John Walker (Wyatt Russell) truly does represent what the United States wants from Captain America. He hasn’t been wielding the shield for very long, but his behavior thus far is already giving audiences an impression of what kind of symbol he’s going to be for the country moving forward.

In the pages of Captain America in the 1980s, Steve Rogers gave up his title and the shield, only for the U.S. government to hand them to John Walker. For more than a year, Walker was Marvel’s Captain America replacement. His MCU counterpart is now filling the same role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which saw Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) agree to give up Captain America’s shield. To the shock of both him and Bucky (Sebastian Stan), the government is entrusting it to Walker, who is now going on missions against the Flag-Smashers with his crime-fighting partner, Battlestar (Clé Bennett).

Scenes with Walker and Battlestar in episode 3 are indicative of who he is under the mask. Driven by his determination to succeed in his career as Captain America, Walker was shown giving in to his frustration during his encounter with a man who he believed was secretly harboring their target, Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman). After being spit on, Walker attacked him needlessly, and yelled “do you know who I am?” as if he expected to be treated better than others just for being Captain America. Later, he expressed an interest in doing something that Battlestar called “off the books.” He explained that he doesn’t think the government cares about “how” they get the job done so long as the job is finished.

This “whatever it takes” mantra that Walker believes in may be unorthodox in comparison to Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), but to the United States, it’s unlikely to be seen as an unwelcome approach. As someone’s who’s being touted as a symbol of national might, Walker’s ideas aren’t hard to get behind. Despite his flaws, Walker is indeed a person who cares deeply about doing his job well and keeping the country safe. Plus, he comes off as someone who’s fully devoted to fighting for his country, and this must be an appealing quality to the government and much of the public. In addition to that, Walker’s decision to embrace the fame that comes with wearing the costume demonstrates that he’s the Captain America the U.S. wanted in the first place.

The country may be pleased with him for the time being, but episode 3 included a telling sign of what Walker may eventually evolve into in the MCU. His angry response to being spat on hinted that his temperament could become a problem. That would be right in line with the comic book version of the character, whose overly aggressive nature angered Captain America. Steve developed the opinion that Walker was ruining his image, and depending on what course he takes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the same thing could happen in the MCU.

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