Falcon and the Winter Soldier Article - April 2020
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In its final moments last week, Disney+’s Premiere of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ended with Sam Wilson watching U.S. Government officials pass on Steve’s shield to a stranger, mere days after Sam himself refused the title and the responsibility that came with it. Fans were in an uproar and took to social media to express their disdain almost immediately, with hashtags like #NotMyCap, or expressing hope that Sam’s joke theory that Steve is on the moon did have some truth to it. It left the audience with one of the biggest questions for the series: just who is the newcomer who dared to take Steve’s spot?
The answer is Jonathan Walker, a U.S. Army veteran, portrayed in the series by Wyatt Russell (Overlord, 22 Jump Street). In the comics, Walker is a soldier raised in the rural south in a military family who was given most of Captain America’s abilities. Afterward, the government recruited him to take up the role of Captain America after Steve’s departure. He loves his country dearly and follows any orders given by the government to the best of his ability, without question. He’s also a Christian with right-wing beliefs. He’s a perfect foil to Steve, who had a complicated relationship with the government at best and fought the idea of the government trying to regulate superhero activity. Walker also spends most of his time denouncing Steve's actions for the country.
It will be interesting to see just how true to the comics his television counterpart will be and if audiences will get to see what he’s been up to in the years leading up to being handed the shield. Walker often toes the line between anti-hero and villain, leaning more towards the latter. He also constantly butts heads with Sam. It’s yet unclear just how involved Walker will be in Sam’s story, and if the two stay true to their comic counterparts and be at odds, he’ll be a reluctant ally.
Russell, in the meantime, is loving all the chatter: “People are probably going to hate it, and some people are going to love it. [Movies and T.V.] are there to make people feel emotions, and I'm hoping that that's what this show can do for people,” he told USA Today, “it would be an honor, I guess, to be disliked in the Marvel universe.”