With The Falcon and the Winter Soldier footage revealing a tiny bit more about the USAgent, John Walker, it makes sense that fans are speculating whether the character will actually serve as a new MCU hero or perhaps as a villain.
It’s obvious that this is a federally funded approach to the superheroes of the next decade, as the U.S. government looks to find their own suitable replacement for Captain America. Here’s 5 reasons why that replacement is the next enemy and 5 why he could be an ally.
VILLAIN: ZEMO PROJECT
Zemo is a known manipulator. He’s already turned the Avengers against one another and in his last appearance he seemed pretty chuffed with his placement in prison. It was almost as if it was all part of the plan. There’s no telling how deep his roots go into the government.
There’s every chance that Walker is actually one of Zemo’s projects. Perhaps he had a hand in creating the new super soldier so that when the time came he could turn the symbol of Captain America into something corrupt and villainous.
GOOD GUY: PATRIOTIC
John Walker does seem like he’s incredibly patriotic and actually wants to represent the United States. We don’t currently know the background of the character in the context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but it’s easy to guess.
The probability is that Walker’s background is just as patriotic as his current gig. He likely served in the U.S. military and came back as a war hero, much like Steve Rogers before him. Perhaps all he wants to do is simply represent and serve his country.
VILLAIN: CORRUPT GOVERNMENT
The government has had some mixed representation throughout the MCU. There have been high up White House officials that have been members of Hydra, and there are military generals like Thunderbolt Ross that have ulterior motives when it comes to super heroes.
There could be a corrupt part of the government that is responsible for the creation of the new Captain America and wants to use him to further their own causes. Perhaps his creation helps the government financially, helping to lobby more for firearms. Or maybe it’s a PR stunt.
GOOD GUY: HEROIC SYMBOL
No matter who wears the star and stripes, they stand as a heroic symbol. It’s exactly what Falcon is trying to achieve when he dons the suit and it may also be what John Walker wants to do. He could be very happy as a symbol of hope and justice.
There’s potentially a naivety to Walker, since in his career even Captain America had to make morally dubious decisions. However, Cap’s character could never truly be questioned. Walker might mean well and want to represent the same things, but might not have what it takes.
VILLAIN: SERUM SIDE EFFECTS
It’s previously been shown to us that other versions of the super soldier serum can actually have severe mental consequences on the users. There’s been so many variations of the serum and their various side effects.
From extremis experimentation, even to Bruce Banner trying to replicate the process with gamma rays. Past patients from the Soviet Union were shown to be incredibly violent and unstable. Maybe U.S. Agent will suffer from one or many of these consequences.
GOOD GUY: ALLY IN FACE OF DANGER
Even the most questionable of characters can be good backup in a fight; especially when the old enemy of my enemy adage is relevant. John Walker might separate himself from the alternative Captain America but could serve as an ally when the time is right.
They may have different ideals and relationships with the government, but when it comes down to it, Falcon, Winter Soldier and U.S. Agent could stand side by side to face whatever threat is terrorizing the country they love.
VILLAIN: JEALOUSY
There’s an emotional aspect to this story that is yet to be considered. If John Walker looks up to Cap and wants to aspire to be him, he may feel jealous that Rogers has chosen his own successor. Especially if Falcon is better at it.
U.S. Agent could feel jealous about the public perception to him compared to that of the new flying Captain America. If this is linked to the mental instability caused by some kind of serum, then these emotions may just flow over into physical conflict.
GOOD GUY: COMIC PARALLELS
There are plenty of comic parallels already to be made between the MCU version of the character and the one from the page. With government sponsorship launching them into the hero game, there may be many similarities to the source material.
If this is the case and that the on screen version of the character mimics that of the comics then it’s safe to say that after a tumultuous journey, John Walker will find himself genuinely fighting on the side of good.
VILLAIN: POLITICAL BACKGROUND
The political background of John Walker might be quite controversial. As of yet it’s not completely clear what he could stand for. It’s likely that Marvel Studios wants to tell a politically charged story, paralleling perhaps real world scenarios.
It may be that both Walker and the government cannot get behind the new Captain America being of an African American background. Or perhaps some of the causes he has fought for in the past may not have been as heroic as the public would expect.
GOOD GUY: FUTURE AVENGER
It’s happened in the comics though and maybe it’s where the MCU is heading. The U.S. Agent has served as a key player in the Avengers on a number of occasions. Perhaps the new take on Captain America really is a future Avenger.
What would be even more exciting is if he played a part in creating a new team of Avengers to help combat other threats. Something like the West Coast Avengers could be created just from this character being introduced to audiences.
