Amph Marvel's Falcon & Winter Soldier [Disney+]

Walker's Captain America sanctioned by the United States to be the new "Captain America" and a state sanctioned "superhero" in the vein of Hawkeye and Black Widow type combatant and military agent, talented but otherwise normal humans. So was Battlestar. They are out on official government mission to stop the Flag Smashers. He and Hoskins were assigned to maintain order throughout the world, its stated very early on after they rescue Falcon and Bucky.

As the new "Captain America", he's not simply a moral booster character mascot, he's there to fight. And a point of fact that is what they at first allocated Roger's Captain America as in the The First Avenger in case anyone forgets. He was used as official propaganda mascot, there to sell war bonds and make movies which he did not like it at all . While deep down he didnt like what he was doing, he came to except it largely cause it meant he would not be experimented upon. But it was making him soft and weak. He had a particular embarrassing moment when he was overseas performing infront of the US soldiers, they didnt want him or like him, they wanted to see the girl dancers. Eventually he broke from orders largely thanks to Peggy Carter being there for him with moral and gung-ho support . And he did want he inherently yearned for and wanted to fight and do what he signed up for and prove himself in combat. Things reached its head when he was witnessing US soldiers getting wasted by Hydra and leaned Bucky was MIA.

The US Agent is on special forces/superhero missions and basically filling the void left by Captain American and the Avengers. Which is fine, since that is more to Walker's personal taste since he's a soldier.

He even mentioned early he's a regular guy wanting to to his part for his country, "I don’t have super strength. But what I do have is guts. Something Captain America always had, always needs to have, and I’m gonna need every ounce of it. Because I got big shoes to fill."

Unfortunately, he's a regular soldier being sent into to battle superbeings and potentially alien enemies, while all he has is his military training and regular human limitations. Even regular humans like Black Widow and Hawkeye are severely limited in what they can do despite their training and talented abilities and whatever plot armor allowed. On this show veterans like regular human Falcon and a guy like Bucky still get beaten pretty bad and often outclassed namely when it comes to fighting superhuman terrorists out to crate armies and destroy nations and civilization. And interestingly enough Bucky is a superhuman ex-assassin with a bionic arm and still often on the receiving end which is sometimes not very believable after watching all his previous appearances. Its kinda like he lost his edge and just going through the motions or the writing on this show dampened him to much.

John Walker is a war veteran and special operations officer and 3 time Medal of Honor recipient, am sorry but there is nothing in this show paints him in a bad way. As Captain America he's counter terrorist operative with all the backing of the United States. It was Falcon and Bucky created the rift immediately with Walker after he and Battlestar saved them in Munich. Captain America/US Agent is fighting obviously confused but very evil anarchist terrorists, who also happen to be on the deadly super soldier serum which we're always told can make them psychotic. And yeah, they killed Battlestar. I think many fail to see that Captain America and Battlestar were led into a trap to kill them both. He fought and vanquished his murderous and superhuman enhanced enemy as a US soldier and patriotic avenging warrior .

Only issue I see, is that I don't think the United States government did him any favors sending him out there without the serum in a post Avengers war torn world. He's not even given any type of special armor aside from the shield.

Plus we know the United States had already replicated a variant of the Super Soldier Serum when General Ross gave it to Blonsky. Then we also find out that they were testing subjects with a serum back in the 1950's according to this show, and at least one successful superhuman was created as an agent and Captain America replacement.

On top of that the USSR had been creating many super soldiers, successful known ones were the Winter Soldier and the Red Guardian. So its not really believable they'd just stop perfecting a super soldier serum and stop in the 1950's or after the events of The Incredible Hulk and the first Avengers movie.

Also probably should keep in mind that Banner's The Hulk was created in the MCU by being exposed to radiation from the Government's WWII era bio-force enhancement research that was to create super-soldiers. So they had ways of creating supersoldiers and in fantasy world like the MCU filled with magical and superpowered characters of all sorts, he should've been given the serum sooner.

I know walker's story in the classic Marvel comics is different and Walker character in the MCU is a lot different background despite some similarities or potential ones, but at least he got the serum sooner from the Power Broker and without all the trouble they put him through on this show with this kinda backstory and world he lives and has to fight in.

 

Also Steve was in a fight for his life with Tony and a fight for Bucky’s life. Tony in that moment could have killed them both. Steve was getting beat but rose up and over powered Tony. But it was such a fearsome battle Steve almost crossed the line and killed Tony. The difference is effort both heroes were exerting before that, and defending against, made crossing that line easier to have happen in the instant.

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Here Walker was road testing his powers for the first time against untrained civilians with the super soldier serum. They didn’t stand a chance against his training and could not standup to his attack. He brutally beat one up and then smashed him to death. He couldn’t pull back.

 

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his best friend was murdered in battle. Not a lot of people could. I don’t blame him. They are terrorists

 

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Best friend or no he bludgeoned a guy to death who wasn't the one who killed Lamar. He pursued him, subdued him, then ended his life. It was a violent extrajudicial execution at best. A lethal outpouring of rage at worst. I blame him wholeheartedly. He got to the place where he could do something like that through his own choices. He took the serum knowing what it does to people.

 

Oh I know it’s totally something Steve wouldn’t do, but I get it. Plus I have a feeling by the end of the series all the super soldiers minus Isaiah and Bucky will be dead so not like it will matter

 

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It's not even about how Steve would have handled the situation differently. That whole scene was about the abuse of power. Walker decided that he was judge, jury, and executioner. It was a parallel to police brutality being carried out by the national poster boy.

 

I have personally known many people who's military uniform is decorated with a large sum of awards for service. And some of them were among the worst people I have ever met. Walker is not only an example of this but he has an anger problem and that problem will be exaggerated via the serum.

 

Wow,

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I figured NewCap would become CrazyCap, but to go full Homelander... not what I expected. I thought I'd missed something with people talking about him injecting the serum. What if he hasn't yet? I'd always saw him as twitchy and I don't think it was the serum that made him commit such a brutal murder, I think that's just him broken. I can see him taking the serum now, thinking he might redeem himself by being super powered and only becoming more monsterous, thereby giving Sam the needed push to take up the shield and save the day.

 

That’s a great theory, he sure is broken.

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There were two visual cues that show he took the serum:

He bent a thick pipe like it was a toy, and when Walker jumped and landed onto that car, the force of impact (car caving in) was almost identical to the Winter Soldier jumping from the causeway onto a car below from CATWS.

Something else I noticed about Walker: He’s surprisingly crap in close quarters combat (which could explain his dependency on firearms and the shield.) Plus, he seems to hate knives.

 

Also, in re: Steve being a soldier and that making it okay to fight and that somehow applying to Walker:

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This episode was a parallel. It should be noted that Steve did have his very best friend killed on a mission, and he still completed the mission and brought Zola in alive -- after a trap specifically laid for him. Just like in this episode. This episode was chock-a-block full of references to show just how John Walker would have handled differently exact scenarios Steve was in: losing your best friend in a trap specifically for you, beating another superpowered guy with your shield and having the option for mercy or death, trying to talk someone down vs. fight them... it's the Anti-Cap.

 

@dp4m Nice!

I could be mistaken about the Wakadans superior fighting styled too

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but I see a Sparta-like training style for the Dora Milaje (*please correct me if I am wrong*). The Dora look like they have had years of training in their combat style (as seen how they work together, flow etc.).

I really like that we are seeing highly trained non super human warriors, etc. who can not only stand toe-to-toe against the super powered cousins, but also take them down (the disarming of Buck was so, so good and fun.)

I have no doubt the Dora will still be able to defeat Walker with the serum, because they have a martial artist mindset along with that fighting prowess.)

 

yeah and he sent Tony a letter saying as much at the end of the movie.

i've seen people comparing Steve and what John does but Tony wasn't a terrorist, and Steve was never going to kill him so they are quite different situations. Actually comparing Tony and John's sitatuations is more applicable

 

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Yeah Scott had been operating under the self-assumption that he was the best of the best. That fight against the Dora proved that he was merely good, not great. He crumbled with that realization further proving the point.

 

No doubt that’s partly why he was so crushed.

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The pointy sticks comment was so.... (And it’s very much of the supremacist mindset that Zemo was talking about. Not to mention the RL supremacy bullcrap.)

Walker clearly is no match for anyone in the room -and being constantly compared to and failing- to live up to Steve in every way is breaking him.

Regarding the Dora Milaje training, I quite like your idea. It makes perfect sense, especially in light of Ayo mentioning the Dora loss and shame in failing to protect T’Chaka to Bucky. I really like Ayo. She’s revealed so much of herself, yet so little. I hope we get to see more of her and the Dora Milaje going forward.

@The2ndQuest I definitely see the Dora coming out the victors in many melees.

Going back to the Dora martial arts mindset, they were disarming almost everyone in that room (Sam, Buck, Lemar and John), looking to the most swift resolution with the least harm done. So, like Sam, they are proving that might doesn’t make right.

I think they will remain in complete control of their feelings and act as T’Challa did once they get Zemo too.

 

I'm almost at the point of hoping that nuCap doesn't get redeemed. He's no better than Lt Calley of the My Lai massacre. Throw him to the wolves.

 

Have we gotten Zemo’s reaction to the Snap, Return and fallout?
I can get not wanting any super soldiers but how does he expect the world to survive a Thanos or threat like him?
Also what about civilian casualties during his time with the Sokovia military?

 

Really good episode, with Walker going full Homelander.

I remain wary as to how they follow through on all this for the final two eps.

Oh yeah, Karli needs to go.

 

I don’t think so...the only comment he made was

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talking about how the city (presumably Riga) is not what he remembered from his childhood. He admits he was not aware of politics then.

That said, his

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opinion on no more “gods” or “super soldiers” is even more clouded because of the Snap. More people endured what happened to Sokovia as a result of the Avengers.