From the start, it could be put like this, fans and viewers of the show didn't see John Walker as a hero from the moment he got out of the building as the new Captain America in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, with all the hate and rage on his character, he could easily be a villain in anyone's perspective. But with the events of the previous episodes, is he now a full-fledged villain in the canon series?
Warning! This portion may contain spoilers for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Read at your own risk!
Is John Walker a Villain Now in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier?
With his introduction as the new Captain America in Episode 1, John Walker has received so much hate from the fans and viewers until the previous episodes that he had to be defended as he even received threats. Still, come on, it just proves his character is effective as a villain and despite wearing his Captain America costume and carrying the shield, admit it, he is a villain in the story from the viewer's perspective.
From the very first second of his appearance, despite his intentions not being said, he has been a villain all along. Even when he tries to think of himself as a hero, his shortcomings are telling that he is not who he thinks he is which makes him dangerous not knowing where to stand in a line drawn between the good and the bad. From the start, Walker is on that line, unaware he could fully step on either side.
The very presence of his character has been seen as a threat to Sam's journey of embracing the call of Steve as he gave him the shield and chose him to be the new Captain America, a legacy hero to continue what the shield and the title stand for. With Walker on the way, we definitely got annoyed with almost everything he did throughout the series.
In Episode 4, The Whole World is Watching, we see Walker turn into a villain in the eyes of the whole world as he killed in public a member of the Flag Smashers with the shield despite the guy's plea for his life. It is, to say the least, bad for his image, and it gave the fans a stronger conviction that he is no hero, to begin with.
Come Episode 5, Truth, the government itself stripped him off of the title of Captain America, and despite his efforts of proving himself, no one would listen except maybe his wife, and a woman who sees his actions as right, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, even seemingly giving him an idea of making his very own shield as seen in the mid-credits scene in Episode 5.
Still, what if his character is working backward? From being the villain of the story, he comes out to be the good guy, only wanting to prove himself that he can be a hero of his own narrative, in the comics, the US Agent is known to be an anti-hero/ vigilante who means well but is just more violent and brutal. He has good intentions but his ways are not what a hero would do, kind of something like the Flag Smashers, right?
Throughout the series, Walker has risen only to fall and with almost nothing left to lose, he's back on the line, now aware of what he wants and what his intentions are, it's up to him whether he'll side the good or the bad. He may have started as a villain in the eyes of the fans and the viewers but maybe, somewhere along the way is a redemption story waiting for him.
Do you think he remains to be a villain in the narrative? Let us know your thoughts!
John Walker returns in the season finale of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier arriving on Friday, at 3 AM, only on Disney+.
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