The Star-Spangled Man by Geoff Jackson

In anticipation of the new Marvel movie coming out next month, THUNDERBOLTS*, I thought I’d write about a little known side character called the USAgent — one I’ve followed in the comics since high school.  You’re forgiven for probably having zero knowledge about who this character actually is.  He’s a deep cut, D-lister who’s usually out of place and in ancillary roles.  You might recall I wrote about Captain America last fall around the time of the Presidential election; I mentioned the USAgent in passing as an alternate Captain America who went bonkers and couldn’t handle the mantle he aspired to.  If you watched the Disney+ show, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, you’ll know John F. Walker is the alternate ego for the USAgent.  His story arc is tragic.

Walker was always destined to fail.  No one could live up to the performance of Chris Evan as Captain America in the MCU, or the ideals of goodness, truth, and justice his character personified.  I liken this to when radio personality Howard Stern went off the air — corporate media bosses shoved David Lee Roth into Stern’s old time-slot and Roth, too, failed specularly.  Some acts are just too tough to follow.  In the case of the USAgent, fans of the TV show immediately hated both the character and the actor, Wyatt Russell, for portraying him.  

In the way of background, Walker gets no support from the public when appointed the new Captain America.  He goes on to lose his ill-prepared sidekick to a sense-less death, and then loses his mind when proven incapable of handling international terrorists.  On camera, in front of the world, the USAgent commits a graphic execution with Cap’s iconic red, white, and blue shield — a bloody decapitation that shows ugliness, lack of restraint, and no personal valor.  Walker’s a thug who’s been trained to “make the sausage” and do what needs to be done.  That’s why the government installed him into the role in the first place.

Some speculate Captain America is how we see our Country, but the USAgent is how we actually behave.  The antics and circus-sideshow of our current US President and Congress do lend credence to this opinion.  

In exile, Walker gets a hold of the super soldier serum to gain strength and abilities on par with his predecessor.  The serum also augments underlying character traits of the person who takes it.  So — while Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers became more righteous and noble, Wyatt Russel’s John Walker becomes more unstable and less predictable.  

And that makes the character interesting.  

As a plot device, it gives comic book writers a lot to work with — seediness and mistakes, but also redemption and growth.  In that Disney+ show, Walker redeems himself in the last episode by finally doing the right thing, heroically saving a busload of kids from certain death.  

So it’s with great anticipation I’ll watch THUNDERBOLTS* for this one dark character in particular.  I hope you’ll join me and dialogue further in the weeks ahead.