The first episode of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, which premiered March 19 on Disney+, ended with a major twist. The U.S. government revealed the new Captain America to the world, and it wasn’t Sam Wilson. John Walker ran out to a roaring crowd as the new Captain America, complete with a similar suit and Cap’s shield.
So, who is this new Captain America? Who is John Walker? From the character origins to what you can expect from John Walker in the 6-episode series, HollywoodLife has 5 key things you need to know about this new Captain America.
1. John Walker is played by Wyatt Russell.
Wyatt Russell, 34, is an actor best known for his roles on Lodge 49 and recently The Good Lord Bird. He also starred in films like 22 Jump Street, Ingrid Goes West, and more. Wyatt is also the youngest child of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn.
2. John Walker is from the Marvel comics.
John Walker is primarily known in the comics as U.S. Agent and first appeared in 1986 as Super-Patriot. According to Marvel, U.S. Agent is “a patriot and American zealot who stops at nothing to protect his country.” John has superhuman strength after the Power Brower’s experiments. He’s also “extensively studied and imitated the original Captain America’s fighting style.”
3. Is John Walker really the new Captain America?
For now, yes. At least in this storyline for The Falcon & The Winter Soldier. In the comics, John Walker does become the new Captain America after Steve walks away from his post. After a confrontation with Red Skull, the Captain America uniform is returned to Steve. Steve initially refuses to accept it, but John urges him to reconsider. John later resurfaces as U.S. Agent.
4. Is John Walker a villain?
As we all know, Steve passed his shield on to Sam at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Given that the government has named John Walker the new Captain America instead of Sam, there’s bound to be tension between Sam and John. “John Walker wouldn’t be in this series if he was causing everything to go well,” Wyatt told USA Today. “There’s a dynamic he adds that somewhat complicates the relationship of everybody involved.”
Creator and head writer Malcolm Spellman said in the same interview that “Walker speaks to this idea of American exceptionalism and the necessity we have in questioning it.” The Captain America shield, and who is wielding it, will be a crucial aspect of Falcon & Winter Soldier. “The shield doesn’t itself represent something that’s singular. It represents what somebody puts on it,” Wyatt noted. “So one guy puts his own version of what Captain America is on it and another person puts a version of what it is.”
5. ‘Falcon & The Winter Soldier’ is the MCU debut of John Walker.
John Walker has not previously appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, unlike his co-stars. Whether or not this is the beginning of a long arc for John Walker in the MCU remains to be seen. Future Captain America projects in the MCU have yet to be announced.