Wyatt Russell, the actor who plays the new Captain America in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, has revealed what makes his character different than Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). At the finale of the first episode, titled “New World Order,” the U.S. government dramatically revealed him as the New Captain America, and thus, a new symbol of hope for post-Blip America. With a wink, he established himself as a new, complicated antagonist in the series for Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), a.k.a. the Falcon, without even saying a word.
In episode 2, “The Star-Spangled Man,” viewers learned more about the story behind the new face when he sat down at the field of his old high school for an interview with Good Morning America. The decorated military man, named John Walker, stepped into the role of the new Captain America supported by an impressive past career and his exceptional physical abilities. Right away, there were noticeable differences between Walker and Steve Rogers, whose Super Soldier career began without prior fame or status in Captain America: The First Avenger.
In a recent interview with EW, Russell revealed that the most significant difference between Walker and Rogers is the fact that the two were symbolic to different military eras. Russell also voices an important distinction between the morals of the two characters. While Rogers stepped into fights on the basis of doing the right thing, Walker explores a character that operates in the “grey areas” of war.
“What I thought was interesting about John is that Steve was a soldier from a different era. They’re both soldiers from different eras, and the era of John is very different than the era of Steve. The type of military men who are going to Iraq and Afghanistan was different because the time was different, and the grey area now, you see everything. Everything’s filmed. There’s a much different way of fighting now. You go in guns blazing first and ask questions later.”
“John’s the type of guy who’s like, ‘Look, you want me to do the job? I will finish the job for you’. Sometimes that might require things in the grey areas where you are not comfortable but I am, and I need to be able to do my job.”
It is not just Marvel fans who can observe the stark contrast between the two Captain Americas. In the most recent episode, Wilson and Barnes were both seen struggling to come to terms that their friend was so easily replaced, especially considering the government’s added disrespect of pushing the narrative that Walker holds the same significance as Rogers did. They were not afraid to voice their issues with Walker; on multiple occasions throughout the episode, the groups butted heads. At first, it seemed as though Walker was at least trying to keep the relationship civil. However, their final interaction in the episode revealed that is no longer the case, with Walker firmly telling Sam and Bucky that if they will not work with him, they need to stay out of his way.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier have introduced a plethora of antagonists for our titular heroes Sam and Bucky. Not only are they fighting a new threat known as the Flag-Smashers, a group who believe the world was better off before the reverse of the Blip, but now need to figure out how to navigate a world where they must co-hero with an imposter. Whether Walker turns out to be the hero he is supposed to be or not, it will be very interesting to explore the ongoing tension he is introducing to the story and how it folds into the fight against the Flag-Smashers.
Source: EW
Originally from https://screenrant.com/falcon-winter-soldier-captain-america-john-walker-differences/