The new Captain America in Falcon and Winter Solider is a problem in the comics

The first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes your time reminding us of all the things that happened to Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes recently – a Civil war, a five-year nap, Captain America’s retirement, etc. But the debut of the Disney Plus series did not forget to end with a bang.

The final scene of episode 1 revealed a character who is new to the Marvel cinematic universe, but who has a 30-year history at Marvel Comics. Let’s take a look at the comic book themes that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is playing with this particular superhero.

[Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.]

Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images for Disney

In the last scene of TFatWS at the premiere, Sam Wilson and his sister Sarah watch a US government official reveal a new Captain America. The guy is even wielding the Steve Rogers shield, a few days after Sam gave a speech at the Smithsonian’s new exhibition.

“Although we love heroes who put their lives at risk to defend the Earth,” says the announcer, “we also need a hero to defend this country. We need a real person who embodies America’s greatest values. We need someone to inspire us again, someone who can be a symbol for us all. ”

The episode hasn’t given us that new name for Captain America yet, but from the cast’s information, we know that the guy in the suit is actor Wyatt Russell, and he’s playing the role of John Walker – known in Marvel Comics as US Agent.

Who is the US agent?

Image: Mark Gruenwald, Kieron Dwyer / Marvel Comics

John Walker started out as an average American brother who grew up idolizing his veteran brother, but his own military service failed to give him the feeling of being a hero he really wanted. After making an initial payment on a dead-end superpower program, he landed a job as the corporate-backed superhero, the Super-Patriot, and spent much of his time arguing that (in the mid-1980s political environment) 80) he was a better representative of American values ​​than Captain America.

Around that time, Steve Rogers was no longer furious Captain America (which he does all the time), and just like in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the US government appointed John Walker to be the new Captain America. The idea was that he seemed easier to intimidate into doing what they wanted than Steve “I could do this all day” Rogers, but Walker’s management as Cap was shameful and tragic.

After his secret identity was revealed live on television, far-right terrorists murdered his parents, which led to a mental breakdown in which he killed or mutilated all those associated with his escape and his murders. Eventually, he resigned as Captain America so Steve could return, but things only got worse.

The same government officials who named him Captain America in the first place faked his death, brainwashed him into forgetting that his parents were dead and turned him into the US Agent, a patriotic superhero who would do everything the government ask without argument.

Image: Disney Plus

US agent was never a villain exactly, but as a superhero he leaves much to be desired – there is a limit to how much a reader can sympathize with how exploited he is by his government and traumatized by his experiences, simply because he is an obstinate and obstinate idiot.

Its introduction in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier it was brief and without much context, so there is no way of knowing how much of his comic showrunner Malcolm Spellman will use in the series. We’ll have to wait and see what happens in the next five episodes of Marvel’s latest TV series.

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