In addition to giving the spotlight to Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes and rounding out forgotten heroes and villains like Sharon Carter and Baron Zemo, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has introduced Marvel fans to a ton of exciting new characters.
Karli Morgenthau, the leader of the Flag-Smashers, has proven to be a surprisingly sympathetic villain, while the debut of Super-Soldier Isaiah Bradley suggests that an MCU adaptation of Truth: Red, White & Black is on the way. But, arguably, the show’s most fascinating character is its ethically complex new Captain America, John Walker, played by Wyatt Russell.
He Has More Conflict Than Sam Or Bucky
Although the title characters in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier have a great back-and-forth and Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan have on-screen chemistry in spades, Sam’s characterization is still pretty bland and Bucky’s arc is re-treading a lot of familiar ground.
John Walker has a lot more conflict going on in his arc than Sam or Bucky. He’s insecure about having to live up to Steve Rogers’ legacy, he wants to work with Sam and Bucky but the feeling isn’t mutual, and he’s clearly pretty unhinged.
He Gave Episode 1 The Perfect Cliffhanger Ending
Sam and Bucky never shared the screen in the pilot episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but the cliffhanger ending unified the show’s leads in the same emotion in the same moment.
After Sam gave up Steve’s shield to be placed in a museum, the U.S. government took it upon themselves to appoint their own new Captain America — and he winks at the camera.
Episode 2 Made Him A Sympathetic Character
Following Walker’s introduction at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s first episode, a lot of Marvel fans hated him from the offset because he’s essentially an impostor to the throne.
But the show’s second episode wasted no time making Walker a sympathetic character, introducing fans to his best friend, his wife, and his uncertainty about his new job. Within a single scene, Walker was a rounded, three-dimensional character.
Wyatt Russell’s Performance Is Incredible
Although he’s received some backlash from fans who can’t separate actors from the roles they play, Wyatt Russell has been giving an incredible performance as John Walker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — possibly even the greatest performance on the show.
Walker’s villainous turn was subtle and gradual, and in his first couple of appearances before revealing his sinister side, Russell brought a likable sincerity to the character’s attempts to work with Sam and Bucky.
He’s Enigmatic
Since he was never characterized as a clear-cut hero or a clear-cut villain, John Walker has been pretty enigmatic throughout The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s run.
Walker is a mystery for fans who miss WandaVision’s elaborate puzzles. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has been more of a straightforward action-adventure series, but shades of Walker’s dark side hinted that he’d take a grim turn long before it actually happened.
The Show’s Writers Have Modernized The John Walker Character
Series creator Malcolm Spellman and his team of writers have taken inspiration from the John Walker of the comics in their adaptation for the screen, but they’ve also modernized him.
Everything he stood for in the comics is still there, but his specific characterization deviates from the comics to suit the modern world, as well as the poignant themes of the show.
He Wasn’t Overtly Villainous From The Offset
Under the moniker U.S. Agent, John Walker is a full-on villain in the comics. A lot of Marvel fans expected him to be characterized as such from the offset in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but surprisingly, Walker was a pretty solid ally to Sam and Bucky for a couple of episodes before taking a dark turn.
It would’ve been easy for the writers to telegraph from the beginning that Walker was the bad guy, but the approach they took with the character is much more morally complex.
The Marketing Kept His Role A Secret
After more than a decade of producing popular entertainment, Marvel Studios has a pretty good idea of what to include in their trailers and what to withhold to preserve the surprise.
The trailers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier hinted at a new government-appointed Captain America, but there was nothing too specific that gave away Walker's role in the story.
The Shield Smackdown Is Arguably The MCU’s Darkest Moment To Date
The fourth episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ended with the show’s most jaw-dropping moment so far, and arguably the darkest moment in the entire MCU to date. Following the death of Battlestar, an enraged Walker chases the Flag-Smashers out into the street and beats one of them to death with the shield in front of a crowd of stunned onlookers.
It’s unclear where the show — or, more specifically, Walker’s arc — will go after this bombshell, but it’s certainly taken its spot as the most engrossing story thread going forward.
He’s The Anti-Steve Rogers
Walker has done a few things as Captain America that line up with how Steve Rogers performed the role, like when he slid his shield under Battlestar to catch his fall, but for the most part, he’s basically the anti-Steve Rogers who exemplifies what made Steve such a great Cap by doing the opposite. He’s impulsive and brutal.
The shield smackdown scene called back to when Steve almost did the same thing to Tony in Civil War but ended up smashing the Arc Reactor instead. Unlike Steve, Walker didn’t hesitate.