Warning: Contains a preview for Devil’s Reign #5
One of the most dangerous powers in the Marvel Universe is the Purple Man’s ability to control people’s minds and actions but in a preview for Devil’s Reign #5 – by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Cecchetto, and Marcio Menyz – U.S.Agent proved his mental fortitude is on par with the hero he originally replaced, Captain America.
John Walker is a U.S. Army veteran who acquired superpowers from the Power Broker and joined the Universal Class Wrestling Federation, before deciding to become a hero to honor the memory of his brother. After a brief stint as the Super-Patriot, Walker was chosen to replace Captain America when the latter retired for a time (as a consequence of the Red Skull’s machinations). When Steve Rogers returned, Walker reestablished himself as U.S.Agent and joined several superhero teams, including the Avengers. Because of his hardcore patriotism and conservative views, Walker often works for the U.S. Government or other official organizations, but his time in the superhero community helped USAgent in moderating his views.
Most recently, Walker joined Mayor Wilson Fisk’s team of Thunderbolts, a group of former supervillains that the Kingpin is using as his personal strike force to keep control of New York. However, it was revealed that U.S.Agent is actually working for the FBI, trying to gather evidence on Fisk to take him down. The Thunderbolt’s latest mission is to retrieve the “Purple Children”, the sons and daughters of Zebediah Killgrave, the Purple Man. Fisk has captured Killgrave and siphoned his mind-control powers in order to win the coming mayor elections, with plans to move on to the presidency of the United States. Adding the powers of Killgrave’s children to his own could just make Kingpin’s plan succeed, and he also wants to take revenge on Daredevil, who used the Children’s powers in the past to make Fisk forget his secret identity. The Thunderbolts go hunting for the Purple Children and finally find them hiding in the house of an innocent civilian, as shown in the preview for Devil’s Reign #5 shared by Marvel Comics.
Walker is the first to go in, fully expecting the Purple Children to use their powers on him. He shows remarkable fortitude and mindpower resisting their commands, essentially acting as bait while Electro takes out everyone in the apartment with her electric powers. The Thunderbolt’s mission, however, is still not a success, as on the way out they are confronted by Jessica Jones and the Champions who are trying to free the Purple Children. It will be interesting to see how this confrontation will develop, as U.S.Agent needs to maintain his cover if he wants to collect enough evidence for the FBI to incriminate the Kingpin.
While the Purple Children’s powers are not as strong as those of their father, it was still an impressive feat for Walker to resist them, showing he is not just a Captain America wannabe. U.S.Agent‘s strong political convictions always made him a sort of pariah in the superhero community, but his connection to the Government could be just what is needed to stop Wilson Fisk’s plans. Devil’s Reign #5 will be available from March 9.
