The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is one-third of the way through its course with a second episode that took things to the next level by finally pairing up Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes for a real mission. A hardly surprising event, unlike the full-fledged reveal of new temporary Captain America John Walker.
Titled “The Star-Spangled Man,” episode two of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier starts off with John Walker (Wyatt Russell) suiting up as Captain America in the middle of a propaganda tour across the country that finally takes him to his former high school. In it Walker is presented as the ideal American hero: he was an athlete, he’s smart, in top physical shape, he’s in a loving relationship and has collected practically every military honor the Army has to offer. John Walker is the perfect Captain America replacement.
Walker idolizes Steve Rogers, he’s both excited and nervous ahead of the daunting task that is filling the boots of an extraordinary man he admired since he was a cadet at West Point. For all intents and purposes, Walker wants to do things right. He is -at this point- a good guy in almost every sense of the word. However, he does push back against Bucky and Sam when they voice their objections to him having Cap’s shield.
In this regard, John Walker’s origins differ from his comic book persona, and it’s these differences that could shine a light on exactly what Marvel Studios is trying to accomplish with Walker. When Walker and his buddy Lemar Hoskins try to aid the Falcon and Winter Soldier’s failed mission against the Flag-Smashers, viewers find out the new Captain America hasn’t been given the super soldier medicine that transformed Steve Rogers from scrawny kid to America’s hero.
Unlike Rogers, Wilson, and Barnes, John Walker also starts off with the U.S. government’s full backing, he’s a man that plays by the rules, he knows his way past the bureaucratic labyrinths of working in national defense, he’s friends with Bucky’s therapist, he’s in the zone and completely fine with the politics behind his superiors commands when on duty, at least for now.
What The Falcon and the Winter Soldier tries to tell viewers with all of this is that John Walker is by all accounts a winner. He’s not used to dealing with adversity; yet in his first full appearance, he’s already failed his first assignment and is outright rejected by the friends of the Captain America he idolized, because they see him as not worthy of his newfound role. So despite Walker really being quite deserving of his reputation and backing up his cocky demeanor, in very little time he’s gotten a pretty harsh reality check that makes the clean-shaven Walker a very different man from the guy with the scruffy beard telling Sam and Bucky “to stay out of his way”.
It’s that last part where Wyatt Russell really shines. His performance is a clever balancing act between an earnest soldier doing his best to fill Cap’s shoes and something more sinister. Russell previously played a soldier with a dark streak in Overlord, and he brings just a touch of that darkness to his role here.
With the mysterious Power Broker’s name being dropped into the plot and, considering that Marvel character is the one who instills John Walker with a dose super-soldier serum that makes him even stronger than Captain America, it’s not out of the question that Walker’ frustration drives him towards an alliance with the unseen villain.
As Captain America, Walker’s sole mission right now is to bring down the Flag-Smashers, and given his insane drive for success and recognition, it bears asking just how far he’s willing to go in order to achieve that. If Sam and Bucky are willing to talk to Helmut Zemo, there’s no reason for Walker to be above allying himself with one of his enemies.
Although The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s final goal is to find a new Captain America, the incumbent Walker has to be unseated from his position first and for that to happen it may very well take this shining prospect to turn to the dark side and perhaps adopt his Super Patriot identity from the comics in future MCU projects. Even if the show’s producers are keen on painting a different picture of Walker, his first outing was very purposeful to portray him as the hero that’s just about to burst at the seams.
As if that weren’t enough, Falcon and Winter Soldier haven’t picked their definitive villain yet with the part up for grabs between Zemo, the Power Broker, and the idealistic Flag-Smashers, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility that a WandaVision-style final action piece could feature a duel between a Sam Wilson willing to accept the legacy entrusted in him by Steve Rogers and a genetically modified Walker, regardless on whether the latter is fighting as Captain America, Super Patriot or U.S. Agent.
Walker’s character arc across the next four episodes is so enticing because rather than play off the more natural avenue of the antagonist that’s opposed against the hero from the start, there’s a chance his story could be that of falling from grace, quickly seeing his lifelong dream shattered into pieces and himself ousted from what he sees as the greatest honor in his life. Add the possibility of Wyatt Russell signing on to play U.S. Agent in future Captain America or MCU films and it’s hard not to root for things to go sour for Walker, even if he doesn’t fit the mold of an android, alien or wizard.
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