Falcon & Winter Soldier’s Wyatt Russell Was Very Confused About MCU Lore

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a complicated storyline that has confused many, including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's Wyatt Russell. Russell is a recent addition to the MCU; his character, John Walker, debuted at the end of Falcon and the Winter Soldier's first episode as the U.S. government announced that he would be the new Captain America. The scene came after Sam (Anthony Mackie) decided to give up Cap's shield so it could be showcased at the Smithsonian Institution. But instead of staying a museum piece, the shield was instead passed on to Walker so he could become the new symbol for America's military.

Although he now wields the same piece of star-spangled Vibranium as Captain America, Walker hardly seems to stand for the same ideals that Steve Rogers once preached. As a celebrated soldier with years of service, Walker is the perfect person to push the U.S.' military propaganda – a role that Steve profusely rejected. While his full character arc in the MCU still remains to be seen, he certainly came off as antagonistic in the show's most recent episode.

On top of being a possible antagonist, Walker also feels decidedly out of the loop when it comes to Sam and Bucky's (Sebastian Stan) currently dilemma. As it turns out, this separation with the main characters actually mirrors the confusion that Russell felt in real life as he tried to catch up with the MCU lore. Russell recently spoke on Jimmy Kimmel Live! about how he was completely lost when it came to the storyline, which lead to various crew members helping him catch up. He mentions being embarrassed about his lack of knowledge, but points out that it works in his favor because his character is similarly ignorant to what is going on. You can read Russell's full explanation below:

"I didn't grow up knowing much about comic books. My heroes were athletes so when I came on set, I was asking like, 'Well, what does that mean? Who is that person? How do they fit in?' Finally, Sebastian was like 'Dude, stop asking questions. you're gonna get more confused than you are. When you get answers, it's gonna be worse.'

They showed me a picture of the guy and I was like, 'Oh, alright! Yeah!' And then they start running me through the stuff, like, 'So, you know, when Thanos snaps his fingers...' and I'm like, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah.' And then, finally, 15 minutes into the explanation of why I am who I am, I had to look at her and go, 'I'm really sorry [producer] Zoie [Nagelhout], I don't know any of this. You'll have to start from the beginning.' And she ran me through everything and they were super nice about it...

...It kind of works for the character, because he's new and he's not part of the old universe. But it was semi-embarrassing to be in the Marvel office, going, 'I don't know.'"

It is understandable that Russell would feel embarrassed about being behind, but his experience is not uncommon. By design, the MCU is a vast and complicated, with a large array of stories and characters for fans to follow. Then add the fact that the MCU has a habit of retconning old storylines and it's no wonder that people feel lost trying to keep up with all the information. Luckily for Russell, he had experts like Nagelhout and Stan to help him.

Given that Walker clearly seeks the approval of Sam and Bucky, there could be a character transformation in store for him, especially considering the two main characters are also up against the Flag-Smashers and, now, Baron Zemo. Or he could remain an antagonistic force, which may help spur on Sam until he finally takes on the shield that Cap left for him. As of right now, there are still four episodes left of Falcon and the Winter Soldier and plenty of story to cover, so fans will hopefully get answers soon – just don't ask Russell for any clarification, because he may not be the person to ask.

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Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live!