The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has a new Captain America. Now that Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) has chosen the simple life of a husband and retiree in Avengers : Endgame, a new character had to inherit the famous shield of the most patriotic of Marvel superheroes. This is also one of the main themes of the new series of Disney+ and Marvel Studios: Falcon and the Winter Soldier whose weekly broadcast began on Friday March 19, 2021 instead of WandaVision which has just concluded.
In the movies, it is Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, who is the rightful heir to the famous superhero. It’s not for nothing that an aging Steve Rogers told him about his brand new shield after the Avengers win over Thanos? But in this first episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam can be seen refusing to take over from Steve. He returns the shield received a few months earlier. Despite some shots that show that the character really wonders about this opportunity to take over … He refuses. Both because he does not feel the shoulders and also because he knows that the American government would not necessarily want him in this role. The series will likely touch on these themes of self-confidence, heritage, patriotism, racism, and diversity in American society in future episodes.
But, little surprise at the end of this pilot episode: the US government presented the media (and viewers) with a new Captain America, with the shield and the uniform that goes well. A complete stranger to MCU fans, but those who have read the comics are familiar with this character. This is John Walker. Connoisseurs know him under several pseudonyms: Captain America, U.S. Agent or Super Patriot. He has superpowers thanks to the treatments of the Power Broker or literally the Power Seller, a villain of the comics who should make his arrival in the MCU via this series …
A conservative symbol
If John Walker is not a villain in the comics, he is clearly presented as a pawn in this series and an illegitimate heir to Steve Rogers, merely present to be a government puppet. In the comics, he’s a hero in his own right and has much of the same superhuman powers as the original Captain America: strength, speed, agility, resistance … He’s often portrayed as a hero who abides by the rules and the hierarchy, but he remains a second-rate hero who never really takes the light. It is also a former veteran who acts for the memory of his brother. He often defends the Republican, Christian and conservative values of the American right.
While this character appears and disappears from comics regularly, it’s unclear what Marvel plans to do with him in the MCU. In the comics, he has already confronted more or less directly Sam Wilson precisely about the shield of Captain America against a background of conflict in the Middle East, elements that seem to have inspired the writers of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He was also recruited by Loki who was disguised as Scarlet Witch in another story arc and we know that the series Loki is going to air soon and that Wanda Maximoff is very much on the minds of fans right now …
What seems fairly certain for now is that John represents a white, conservative, politician-aligned Captain America in Washington. Sam could be a symbol of freedom and diversity. These two facets of America will compete for the legacy of Captain America and it would not be surprising if Marvel and Disney choose a clever synthesis to convey a message of unity and reconciliation thanks to this TV series and these two characters …
