Say what you will about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but it certainly got people talking, and we can owe most all of that conversation to Wyatt Russell‘s performance as John Walker. Indeed, when your turn is so provocative that the MCU fandom’s more deplorable side end up sending you death threats, you know you’ve done your job.
Putting aside how asinine it is to send such threats to an actor who played a television character, it’s perhaps the ultimate testament to just how excellent of a job Russell did with the character, and as the Multiverse Saga marches forward, the only way is up for the pot-stirrer. As Thunderbolts draw closer and closer, the hopeful masses of r/marvelstudios can’t wait to see how America’s ugly mirror unfolds as one of the franchises most complex characters.
Some users argued that the many threads of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was biggest disservice to the character, as his characterization fell victim to the overstuffed plot; a tragedy that hopefully won’t be repeated in Thunderbolts.
Another responder pointed out how U.S. Agent’s moral compass, one that largely attributed to the fandom’s hatred of him, was arguably better than Tony Stark’s, who remains the most beloved character in the entire franchise. Perhaps the wildly different receptions of the two characters will end up underlining just how much of a maverick Walker really is.
Of course, with Walker gearing up to mingle with a plethora of other antiheroes in Thunderbolts, it will be interesting to see just how prominent his nuances end up being when he’s put in a room with the MCU’s grayest of gray, to say nothing of his imminent reunion with Bucky Barnes.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is available to stream on Disney Plus. Thunderbolts, meanwhile, is due in theaters on July 26, 2024.