Falcon & The Winter Soldier: The Tragedy Of John Walker Explained

The crimes he committed were ones trained into him, ones approved and rewarded by the military. Though he deserves to take responsibility for his actions, it seemed that everyone making the decisions that led him to his downfall didn't have to face the same consequences.

Adding insult to injury, despite his dedication and all he suffered under the military, he receives nothing in return. Though he earned punishment, it's telling that the very personal tragedy he and Lemar Hoskins's family experience seems brushed aside by the government. It's also important to note that his apparent PTSD symptoms, which were worsened by the serum and Lemar's death, seemed to have been disregarded entirely in both deploying him on missions and their eventual sterile condemnation of him.

John Walker is undeniably a villain, but also a victim of powers as heinous as (or perhaps more so than) himself. He receives the lion's share of the blame, despite doing basically the same thing he'd been doing since the beginning, when everyone cheered him on as the new Captain America - seeking out and eliminating whatever the American government counts as a threat.

His actions cannot be excused, but his story is, regardless, a tragic one.