The Real Villain Of 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' Is the Desire For Power
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Earlier this week, we looked at a few fan theories that tried to figure out who, exactly, this Power Broker dude is in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Because this show is nearing the too-many-villains problem. (Made famous by Spider-Man 3.) You have Zemo, who's good sometimes but pretty bad otherwise. Karli Morgenthau and the Flag Smashers. The Power Broker. Now? Looks like we can add John Walker to that mix.
In Episode Four, which debuted on Disney+ this Friday, Walker had a hell of an arc. His no-patience thing might've ruined a possible hug-and-forgive moment with Morgenthau. Then, he gets his ass whooped by the Dora Milaje. Fun fight! Feeling a wee bit emasculated by the beatdown, he stumbles on a stray bottle of super-soldier serum and promptly injects it into his veins off-screen. In the episode's final showdown with the Flag Smashers, Morgenthau kills Lemar Hoskins. Walker... does not like that. He chases down a stray Flag-Smasher and beats him to death with the same shield Steve Rogers fought Thanos with—in front of a crowd of people, no less. Looking at John Walker/US Agent's run in Marvel Comics, let's see if we can guess what's going on with our favorite beacon of insecurity in this episode.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has actually stayed relatively faithful to the comics, especially in this episode. He similarly loses his shit and kills a foe in the heat of the moment—only it's a right-wing extremist named Professor Power. After that happens, a terrorist group gets revenge by killing his parents. Now, John Walker has a long, long history in the comics, but he does, at various points, become a member of several superhero teams, good and bad. So he could really go anywhere in the MCU.
Comics aside, we can probably find more answers in the episode itself. In the middle of the episode, when Walker's secretly debating whether or not to take the serum, Lemar tells him that "power makes you more of yourself." It's a very Captain America-y riff on what we see when our elected officials run rampant when they get into office. (Just look at what's going on in Georgia.) But as far as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier goes, it's possible that whatever's inside Walker (the insecurity, PTSD, maybe something we don't know yet) has been unlocked by the serum. And that's what we saw when he used the shield to smash a Smasher's face in. It's an interesting contrast to what the serum's power made more of in Steve Rogers, Bucky, and the Flag-Smashers. In Rogers, the power seemed to double his heart, making him strong enough to lead a team of super-humans. In Bucky, the serum might be the only way to make him powerful enough to right his wrongs and truly become a hero. The Flag Smashers are currently in a bit of an identity crisis, but given their feelings of anger and being wronged by the government—the serum has empowered them to truly try to take back the resources they feel will help people. In the serum, the show gives a reminder that power is a means to become something more—but sometimes, what's inside you already might determine what you do with what you've been given.
Now, we have two episodes left. That's plenty of time for Sam to calm Walker down in Episode Five, in time for an Episode Six redemption moment. Or not! The dude might be doomed already—just look back at that "power makes you more of yourself" line. If that happens, it'll be interesting to see who, exactly, is fighting whom in the season finale, between Walker, the Flag Smashers, and the Power Broker.
In the meantime, can we humbly ask for a few fan theories that'll answer how John Walker gets that blood off of his shield? Warm water? Tide pen? Can you dry-clean a Captain America shield? Answers, please.
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