This week saw the release of a number of pieces of concept art for the upcoming Disney Plus show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. They revealed cool new looks for Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson, as well as showing us the debut of Wyatt Russell’s John Walker/US Agent. Judging by the art, the character seems to be wearing a version of Steve Rogers’ classic World War II uniform, indicating that whoever designed it is attempting to capture the same vibe.
But though he may look like one of the MCU’s greatest heroes, US Agent is anything but. In the original comics, he debuted as the Super Patriot and was intended to demonstrate the dark side of nationalism and American exceptionalism. Over the course of his time as the ‘official’ Captain America, he gradually lost his mind, becoming more and more violent until having to be taken down by Steve Rogers. The rest of his story in the comics has seen him flit between antiheroism and villainy, but he’s never lost his unpleasant streak.
Based on the character being present, it’s possible to surmise what the broad strokes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s plot will be. We already know that the US government doesn’t want Sam Wilson as the new Captain America and based on US Agent’s appearance, it seems obvious that he’s being positioned as the next Steve Rogers, with Sam probably having to prove he’s worthy of the mantle by taking him down when he goes rogue.
Of course, we also have to factor Bucky into this, who’s no doubt feeling somewhat slighted by the snub. However, I’d imagine he’ll be offended enough by Rogers’ image dragged through the mud by US Agent that he’ll team up to stop him. Whatever the case, it’ll be neat to see a villainous Captain America who embodies the very worst of the USA rather than the best.
We don’t have a release date for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier just yet, but it’s expected in late 2020. Watch this space for more.