Falcon and the Winter Soldier has been a compelling show, and one of the biggest things it’s done is replace Steve Rogers as Captain America with John Walker. Steve Rogers was one of the greatest heroes in the MCU and anyone replacing him is going to have a hard time. Many people weren’t happy about Rogers’s retirement and even less are happy with his replacement, in large part because of his actions.
John Walker’s actions have done a lot to hurt Captain America’s place in the MCU, both with fans and in-universe, making people miss Steve Rogers even more and question if John Walker was the right choice as a replacement.
SPOILER WARNING
10 He Keeps Getting Beat Up
John Walker, unlike Steve Rogers, wasn’t given the super soldier serum when he became Captain America. While he is a skilled soldier, being Captain America means being thrown up against some of the greatest threats around and those threats often have superpowers. In his battles against the Flag Smashers, John has been getting beat like a drum, even with the help of Cap’s vibranium shield.
Seeing Cap getting beat on doesn’t do much for the reputation of Captain America. Steve Rogers didn’t win every fight but he won most of them. The same can’t be said of Walker.
9 He Has An Inferiority Complex
Steve Rogers is a very hard act to follow and John Walker feels that acutely. While it’s quite understandable, the fact is that his inferiority complex is extremely obvious. Every interaction he has with Falcon and Bucky drips with it and it’s not a great look for him, especially not for someone carrying the shield.
This has always been a big part of Walker’s character in the comics as well and it was one of the biggest detriments to him getting respect as Captain America. MCU Walker is following this to a tee and it makes him feel like a bad choice to be Cap—Captain America has to be confident and Walker is anything but.
8 He Has A Bad Attitude
Walker’s time as Cap so far has been full of failures and that’s affected him pretty badly. It’s made him rude and mouthy, as well as quick to anger when things aren’t going his way, which has been most of the time. This is not a good look for someone in the Captain America costume because they represent more than just themselves.
Compare his attitudes to Falcon’s—Falcon’s temperament makes him much more suited to being Cap than Walker. Steve Rogers, even on his worst day, never had as bad an attitude as Walker and if he needed to vent, he did it in private, whereas Walkers always seems like he’s going to blow up on someone.
7 He Throws His Weight Around
Walker used his connections as Captain America to get Winter Soldier freed from a police lock-up and while this seems innocuous, it’s actually something that’s pretty bad. Bucky was arrested for violating his probation and the whole thing could have been fixed on its own but Walker intervened. He wanted people to realize he had pull now and was important.
This seemingly innocent act says a lot about Walker and how he does things. Winter Soldier is a lot of things, but he would never use his status to get his way, making him better suited to be Cap than Walker. Walker’s willingness to use his new position this way isn’t good.
6 He Thinks The Costume Makes The Man Not The Other Way Around
Walker seems to believe that just being Captain America makes him worthy of special treatment. So far, it seems like he believes that the costume imbues him with sort of authority, that just because he is now Captain America, everyone should respect him and do what he says. He trades on the name instead of his actions.
This is using the mantle in a way that it shouldn’t be. Walker has done nothing to warrant any kind of special treatment, yet he constantly acts like he’s the new hotness because he got chosen to wear a costume.
5 He Doesn’t Have A Heroic Bearing
Steve Rogers, almost from the get-go, carried himself as a hero should. There was just something about him, a certain something that screamed hero. It was a big part of why he was so good at being Captain America. His very presence demanded respect but his demeanor was of someone who earned it.
Walker doesn’t have that quality at all. There’s just something about him—when he walks into a room, it feels like an empty suit has walked into a room. His interactions with people show just how much he’s not ready for the position he’s in. He just doesn’t have the heroic bearing he needs to be Captain America.
4 He Doesn’t Have An Air Of Command
Steve Rogers was the kind of person that anyone would follow anywhere. Look at the last battle of Avengers: Endgame—everyone in that fight had fought a losing battle against Thanos and his forces, with many of them dying in that fight, but followed Rogers into battle. Everyone respected him and his abilities as a leader.
No one respects Walker in the same way. He doesn’t have that sort of air to him. Captain America is meant to be the leader in any situation he’s in, but Walker just doesn’t have that and it makes his Captain America look bad.
3 He Has An Anger Problem
As Walker has spent more time as Captain America, his anger problem has become more and more pronounced. There are a lot of factors contributing to it, of course—he’s not as respected, he keeps getting beat down by the Flag Smashers, and Falcon and Winter Soldier talk down to him to his face—but Captain America should be able to overcome such things.
The fact that Walker lets his anger get away from him is a very bad thing, especially when wearing that costume. Captain America can’t be a surly, angry person.
2 He Uses Guns
While Steve Rogers used guns a bit during WWII, they weren’t a large part of the repertoire outside of the war. He really didn’t need them, when it comes right down to it—he was strong enough to take down most threats and his shield was useful for long-range assaults. Walker’s lack of super strength and background as a soldier means he’s more comfortable with guns, but it’s not the best look for Cap.
Captain America isn’t about gunning down bad guys but fighting against evil. He’s more than a soldier and while soldiers are honorable, Cap needs to be different. Using a gun makes Cap seem more common than he should.
1 He Murdered A Man In Cold Blood In Public
At the end of the last episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Lemar Hoskins, Walker’s partner who is known as Battlestar, is seemingly killed in battle with the Flag Smashers and Walker loses it. To an extent, his anger is justified—his friend was just killed in front of his eyes. However, what he does next makes Captain America look terrible.
He goes after one of the Flag Smashers, who had nothing to do with the attack, and brutally kills him in public, using the shield to bludgeon the man to death. He was surrounded by witnesses and the man was begging for his life. Walker, as Captain America, killed a man in cold blood while he was helpless and this action was a massive blow to Cap’s reputation.
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