The writing was there on the wall for everyone to see since The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s first episode. Maybe it was something about the way he smiled, or perhaps it was the fact that John Walker seemed just a tad too good to be true from day one, but Captain America has fallen from grace for all of the world to see.
For comic book fans, it’s no surprise to see Walker turn dark as they’re familiar with his background, it was only a matter of how he would get there. Like many other MCU productions, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier took a few creative liberties to introduce who for the meantime is its onstage villain, at least until the Power Broker’s identity is finally revealed.
Marvel Comics’ Walker grew up idolizing his brother who died while serving in the Vietnam war, which prompted him to enlist in the Army only to be discharged without the kind of glory he craved. Modern John Walker is first presented as the exemplary military officer until a first tiny glimpse of darkness is seen when he and Lamar Hoskins finally part ways with Sam and Bucky, as the series heroes could never tolerate him replacing Steve Rogers.
While comic book Walker’s quest for recognition is what drives him straight to the Power Broker, in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s it’s his frustration and grief that finally prompts him to take Wilfred Nagel’s super-soldier serum. This John Walker starts off with everything he could possibly want as he looks to emulate his idol, Steve Rogers, and although he’s as much of a formidable fighter as Sam Wilson, he clearly is no match for Bucky or even the Dora Milaje.
In episode three Walker almost fires off when a potential witness spits on him and disrespects him; here, he’s humbled by defeat at the hands of the Wakandan women, yet he remains intimidated by the idea of what the super tonic could do to him. In an intimate conversation with Lamar over the horrors that they experienced together in war, his best friend tells him that he believes he has all that is needed to harness real superpowers in a responsible way, but even then he remains hesitant because it’s a decision from which there’s no going back.
There are still some similarities between Rogers and Walker. They both rely on their closest friends, but unlike Rogers who was left mostly unharmed by World War II and thus not driven to insanity at the sight of losing Bucky, Walker is far too unstable after his deployment. That is not to say Steve Rogers was the perfect hero, but even Zemo can see the qualities that made him extraordinary, so much that Walker can't stand the thought of not coming close to fulfill his legacy.
By having The Falcon and the Winter Soldier be a six episode affair, fans are treated to more character development for Walker than they usually get for almost every other villain. He goes from perfect Captain America prospect to frustrated government operative as his flaws and “strike first, ask questions later” philosophy start to show off more; the same competitive drive that put him at the top of his field in previous moments of his life is what causes him to consider nabbing a dose of blue steroid for himself.
Regardless of Walker’s more aggressive behavior, it’s the trauma from his past experiences in the army and the realization of losing the one person that understood what he’d been through that causes him to flip, he’s no longer in a field of battle of he can win in so he must use the only weapon he has that gives him a fighting chance against the Flag-Smashers and the Winter Soldier.
Of course, it’s never good to make life-changing decisions in a fit of rage and Walker’s superpowers are used to kill one of the Flag Smashers in a gruesome way, which signals that the guy with the vibranium shield is now the most dangerous man out there, something Sam ought to be concerned with if he's to take it away from him. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is far off from featuring Mortal Kombat levels of violence, but Walker using Cap’s shield to beat another man to death might just be the MCU’s bloodiest scene with Lamar getting the life taken away from in with a single punch right up there too.
The next episode will reveal what’s the aftermath of Walker’s actions after they hit social media and the MCU’s WHIH news network and that could very well be what defines Wyatt Russell’s role in future Marvel productions. With such a shocking reveal it would appear unlikely that Walker’s stint in the MCU will be over once the series is over, as he’s simply turned out to be too good a character not to use him in the future, even if Marvel loves to get rid of its villains rather quickly.
For its next two episodes, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has to redeem the legacy of Captain America and that means Sam and Bucky rescuing the shield from Walker's hands and put it to good use just like Rogers would have wanted. From Zemo's perspective, Walker's reveal is yet another superpowered individual that threatens his worldview, one that he might even feel responsible for. And lastly, for fans, it means that either the Power Broker or John Walker is here to stay for good in the MCU, although maybe with slightly different names.