As soon as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s premiere episode introduced Wyatt Russell as John Walker, supposedly “the new Captain America,” Steve Rogers-loving Marvel fans were outraged by this impostor to the throne. After showing glimmers of his dark side in the first few episodes, Walker became a full-blown villain in the fourth episode, “The Whole World is Watching,” when he beat a Flag Smasher to death with Cap’s shield.
The finale seemed to suggest that Walker will return in the future, likely under the guise of “U.S. Agent.” There are a few ways that Marvel could proceed with Walker’s promising MCU arc.
Becoming U.S. Agent
This one seems pretty obvious, since it was practically spelled out in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s finale episode and it’s the natural conclusion to Walker’s origin story from the series.
Based on his new threads, the Contessa has seemingly recruited Walker to become U.S. Agent, which is essentially a lawless, authoritarian version of Captain America in the comics.
Fighting Clint Barton And Kate Bishop In Hawkeye
If Wyatt Russell is going to reprise his role as Walker in any of the upcoming Disney+ solo series, it’ll probably be Hawkeye. Clint Barton will pass on his mantle to Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld, and U.S. Agent could be one of the villains they face in the show’s grounded, street-level action.
It’s possible that Walker is being primed for a major role in Hawkeye, and he’ll kill Clint to end Jeremy Renner’s MCU stint and motivate Kate to truly become a superhero.
Working As A Private Mercenary For The Contessa
One of the most pleasant surprises in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ cameo appearance as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Almost everything about the character remains a secret, except that she has a job for Walker.
It’s possible that she’s hiring Walker as a private mercenary to do her dirty work, going where she tells him to and killing or capturing whoever’s name she gives him.
Leading The Thunderbolts
Ever since William Hurt’s Incredible Hulk character General “Thunderbolt” Ross was reintroduced into the MCU’s fold in Civil War, fans have been expecting Kevin Feige to assemble a Thunderbolts team. In the comics, the Thunderbolts are a team of reformed supervillains, and there are a bunch of candidates from the MCU: Ghost, Abomination, Baron Zemo – and John Walker.
Led by Walker as a sort of Rick Flag figure and the Contessa as a more duplicitous Amanda Waller, the Thunderbolts have the chance to become the MCU’s Suicide Squad.
Battling Skrulls In Secret Invasion
One of Marvel’s most explosive and mind-boggling storylines is being adapted in Disney+’s Secret Invasion series. Told through the eyes of Nick Fury and Talos, Secret Invasion will reveal that a large portion of the Earth’s population has been taken over by Skrulls in disguise.
Marvel has yet to confirm which other MCU characters will return besides Fury and Talos, but given the magnitude of the plot, it’s fair to say a few familiar faces will be showing up.
Forming A New Super-Soldier Army
The last couple of Falcon and the Winter Soldier episodes heavily implied that Walker took some of the Flag Smashers’ knock-off Super-Soldier Serum (either that or he developed superpowers by sheer coincidence).
While Zemo’s butler killed the remaining superpowered Flag Smashers on their way to prison, there are surely more serums out there. Walker could lead his own army of super-soldiers.
Working As A Watchdog For The West Coast Avengers
After the Avengers disbanded in Endgame, it seems likely that Earth’s mightiest heroes will resurface as a few different squads, like the Dark Avengers and the Secret Avengers and the West Coast Avengers. The current Avengers HQ is in upstate New York, which is a long drive for the San Francisco-based Ant-Man and the Wasp.
With Cassie Lang taking on her superhero mantle as Stature, it seems likely that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will set up a West Coast Avengers team. In the comics, the Commission appointed John Walker as a watchdog for the West Coast Avengers when their government clearance was on the rocks.
Helping To Rebuild Hydra
After Captain America: The Winter Soldier shockingly revealed that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been secretly controlled by Hydra since World War II, Steve Rogers teamed up with his closest allies – except for Bucky, who was under the influence of brainwashing at the time – to take the organization down and restore S.H.I.E.L.D. to its former glory.
In the comics, the Contessa is also known by the alias Madame Hydra, which could suggest that she’s recruited Walker in her ongoing effort to rebuild Hydra and topple S.H.I.E.L.D. once more.
Being Redeemed As An Antihero
Now that Walker has shown the extent of his dark side, Marvel has a choice to make with the character: redeem him as a sort of antihero who realizes he made a grave mistake, or double down on the villainy.
At some point, he’ll have to choose between being a full-on villain and a redeemed antihero who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty in a world with increasingly complicated morals.
