Marvel's Disney+ Shows Can Bring Back (& Fix) SHIELD Season 3 Villains

Marvel's Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ show can introduce a more comic book accurate version of the Watchdogs, who appeared in Agents of SHIELD season 3. In the comics, the Watchdogs are villains who battle U.S. Agent after he becomes the new Captain America. Agents of SHIELD already used them, but there's nothing stopping them from appearing again in a different series.

First up on Disney+'s slate of MCU shows is Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which is due in fall 2020. Starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan as the titular heroes, the series brings back at least two more Captain America trilogy characters, Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) and Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp). The upcoming series will also introduce a key character from Marvel Comics, John Walker aka U.S. Agent, a prominent member of the West Coast Avengers and a hero who temporarily took Captain America's place in the late 1980s.

It would seem that U.S. Agent's short-lived career as Captain America - which is by far his biggest story in the comics - is where Marvel Studios is drawing its inspiration for Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as set photos and the Disney+ Super Bowl TV spot have confirmed that Walker will suit up as the Sentinel of Liberty. So with Falcon and the Winter Soldier adapting some version of this story to the small screen, there's a chance that it may include some of Walker's adventures as Captain America. If so, the series could bring back the Watchdogs from Agents of SHIELD, and make some much-needed improvements to the organization.

Who Are The Watchdogs In Marvel Comics?

John Walker Captain America Going Berserk in panel from Marvel Comics

Introduced in 1987's Captain America #335, the Watchdogs were a radical terrorist organization who supported far right values. The Watchdogs vehemently opposed abortion, homosexuality, and obscenity. So in response to these things, they targeted, kidnapped, brainwashed, and even murdered people who they believed went against their values.

Stopping them was U.S. Agent's first mission as the new Captain America. Accompanied by his government-appointed partner, Battlestar, Walker went up against the Watchdogs and thwarted one of their schemes. Fighting the Watchdogs brought some degree of internal conflict to U.S. Agent, because even though he wasn't a violent radical like them, he did share their conservative views about issues such as sex education, abortion, pornography, and more. Even so, after seeing their terrorist attacks firsthand, U.S. Agent didn't hesitate to defeat them.

The Watchdogs retaliated against U.S. Agent after his identity was publicly exposed and kidnapped his parents. He tried to rescue them, but they were murdered right before his eyes. Walker snapped and went into a rage, killing nearly every Watchdog in sight. U.S. Agent's conflicts with the Watchdogs were what led to his downward spiral, and the beginning of the end of his career as Captain America. It was eventually revealed that the Watchdogs were secretly funded by the Red Skull, and their actions factored into his clever plan to create chaos and pit Steve Rogers and U.S. Agent against each other. After finding out what U.S. Agent did to the Watchdogs, Steve determined that U.S. Agent didn't deserve the shield and mantle of Captain America.

How Agents of SHIELD Used The Watchdogs In Season 3

The second half of Agents of SHIELD season 3 featured the live-action debut of the villainous organization known as the Watchdogs. The classic U.S. Agent and Captain America villains were reimagined as enemies of SHIELD founded by former SHIELD agent Felix Blake (Titus Welliver). The storyline that introduced the Watchdogs occurred as the result of the Inhuman epidemic, which was set up in the season 2 finale when the Terrigen Mist was spread worldwide through fish oil pills. Blake and his group, the Watchdogs, believed that Inhumans with their unnatural abilities were a danger to society that had to be eliminated.

The Watchdogs launched attacks on Inhumans and frequently battled Quake (Chloe Bennet), Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), and the rest of the SHIELD team. The Watchdogs, driven by their hatred and fear of Inhumans, remained a threat through most of season 4 as well. The season opened with Quake hunting them down. With their vast resources and connections, they were even able to gain access to SHIELD's list of known Inhumans, making then even more dangerous. One of their leaders was Zach McGowan's Anton Ivanov, a major Agents of SHIELD villain. After Ivanov's defeat, the Watchdogs weren't seen again and whether or not they're still active in the MCU hasn't been made clear.

How Falcon and the Winter Soldier Can Bring Back The Watchdogs

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is making U.S. Agent the new Captain America, but what will happen after he picks up the shield? Depending on how much of U.S. Agent's comic story Marvel plans to adapt, it's possible that the series will incorporate the tragic death of his parents at the hands of the Watchdogs and his revenge against the terrorist group. The Red Skull won't be around to fund their operations, but Baron Zemo could fill that role instead, unless Zemo isn't actually the villain.

Being in Agents of SHIELD won't be an obstacle to the Watchdogs appearing in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Another character could form a new branch of the Watchdogs, so just like HYDRA, they can be brought back with ease. A reference to their activities in Agents of SHIELD is possible, but not necessary, if Marvel Studios would prefer not to connect the two shows.

How can Disney+'s Watchdogs be different to Agents of SHIELD's? Like their comic book counterparts, Agents of SHIELD's Watchdogs were a hate group, but the TV series notably sidestepped the politics behind these characters by making them Inhuman hunters, which is never what they were designed to be. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, on the other hand, can introduce a new version of the Watchdogs who represent the same values that they did in the pages of Captain America. If so, Wyatt Russell's U.S. Agent can go through the same moral dilemma that he faced in the comics in a story that could touch upon the current political climate.

More: Everything We Know About The Falcon & The Winter Soldier TV Series