How Falcon And Winter Soldier Just Set Up MCU Thunderbolts

What Happens To John Walker After He Becomes U.S. Agent

While the MCU's incarnation of John Walker differed somewhat from the version seen in the comics, depicting him as a war hero with a deep respect for Steve Rogers, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's finale has put the character on a similar path to the one he undertook in the source material.

During Mark Gruenwald's seminal run on Captain America, Walker replaced Rogers as Cap once the government tried to exert more control over him. Walker, already seeing Rogers as outdated, and also being a lout with a fondness for jingoism, was seen as the ideal replacement, and was easily manipulated by his masters while serving as Captain America. Walker's declining mental state eventually leads to the government reappointing Rogers as Cap; they then fake Walker's death, with the character later returning as U.S. Agent in a uniform Rogers had previously worn when he went by the identity of The Captain (during one of his trademark "I'm not Captain America anymore!!" moments).

Walker would continue to work for the government as U.S. Agent, and also continue his pattern of violent behaviour while liaising with with the Avengers West Coast, however, slowly but surely, a hero was starting to emerge. Or at least just an anti-hero. Walker is clear about his intentions to be a better hero, and though he doesn't always succeed, he's far from the antagonistic presence he was initially introduced as.

This same journey of redemption looks set to take place in the MCU as well, although in what form is unclear. Walker clearly isn't above doing ethically dubious work, given his new partnership with La Contessa, and her plans for him more specifically are yet to materialise.

Equally, we can probably rule him out joining the West Coast Avengers, given the global reach of the default team in the MCU, and also because it's clear Val prefers to work from the shadows. Either way, my guess would be she's recruiting people with Walker's background and skillset; it's likely he's not the only one on her list, and there are a few other likely candidates who could be.

Before I get to that though, there are one or two other things to consider. While Walker has never been an official member of the Thunderbolts in the comics, he fits the profile of someone who could run that team. He's not an out and out villain in the MCU, but he's also in need of a second chance and has a ruthless streak to him that would not only preclude him from official Avengers membership, but also come in handy when it comes to keeping other villains in check.

He also has a history with the team in the comics, assisting the group while serving as the warden of the Raft which, as we all know, is where Marvel's biggest Earthly villains are incarcerated, and also where the Thunderbolts has pulled its ranks from in the past.

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