For the most part, the majority of new faces to have been introduced throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s Phase Four so far have instantly achieved beloved status, which is of course entirely by design.
Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop, Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez, John Krasinski’s Reed Richards, Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi, Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie, Owen Wilson’s Mobius, and Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight are just a few examples, but Wyatt Russell’s John Walker exists at the complete opposite end of the adulation spectrum.
In what’s a testament to the actor’s performance in The Falcon and the Winter Solider, viewers absolutely hated the government’s hand-picked candidate to replace Steve Rogers as Captain America, even if death threats were taking things a little too far. The final episode of the Disney Plus series left the door wide open for a return, and Russell briefly addressed his MCU future in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’ll do a crossover with anyone they tell me to do a crossover with. I really enjoy playing the character and my experience working with Marvel was an unbelievable working experience and collaborative, working with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan and Kari Skogland.
The teams they have there are unbelievable, it’s why they make great things. So, anytime I get the opportunity or hear about the chance to reprise a character or work for Marvel again, it’s very exciting because the people are wonderful. So, hopefully, I’ll get to do it again. We’ll see.”
Based on how The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ended, an association with Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is the most likely avenue, which may or may not evolve into full-blown Thunderbolts membership. As Russell said, though, we’ll just have to wait and see.
