Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson have been taking the world by storm in Marvel’s The Falcon And The Winter Solider. As their story goes on, Bucky and Sam are realizing how much the world has changed since the blip and see how deeply the people of the world where affected by it.
Plus, the death of Captain America has left everyone in pieces. From these two situations, two “villains” emerge: John Walker, and Karli Morgenthau with the Flag-Smashers. The two both have their dark moments, but it is hard to tell who is the true antagonist of the show without looking a little deeper.
10 John Walker Fighting Sam & Bucky Because He Didn’t Want To Admit He Was Wrong
A lot of stuff goes down in the fifth episode of The Falcon And The Winter Solider, titled “Truth.” One of the first scenes is Bucky and Sam battling a very stressed and anxious John Walker in an abandoned building. In the previous episode, John had just killed a man who he thought killed his partner, Battlestar.
But John got the wrong guy, and when Sam tried to tell him that, John went ballistic. This is simply a show of John’s emotions flying high, which is partially understandable. But the fact that his mind first went to fighting is a hint at his darker side, which at the time, was showing up more and more.
9 Karli Working With Criminals
In the beginning of the show, when Karli and her goals were first introduced, she kind of made a bit of sense. Saying that a world where everyone is free to interact without borders is more beneficial than one with borders up is easy to agree with.
But things got out of hand, and Karli did not care. In the episode “Truth” she even started working with a criminal with an intent to kill Sam Wilson and she didn’t even think twice. Her mission was not initially to kill Sam or Bucky but to have an attempt at a better world. This went off the rails (as did Karli) making her a bigger villain.
8 John Walker Going Against Government Orders
After he lost control, John Walker had to face serious repercussions and was brought to court to both explain to government officials what happened but also see what his consequences were. The court had basically stripped him of the tittle of Captain America and hewas no longer allowed to be in service to the government.
John got so mad at this that he ended up making his own shield, while wanting to get justice on Karli. This is a serious villain move; not letting go and forgetting what is done, and a solid thirst for revenge. Together these two things show that John Walker is more of a villain than was originally thought.
7 Karli Putting Innocent People In Danger
One of the staple moves as a villain is not looking out or really caring for the well being of others, and Karli did just that. At the beginning of the show, Karli and the Flag-Smashers needed a place to hide out. They were welcomed in by a man and his wife, offering them food and shelter, a lovely gesture and a good show of support for Karli’s original plan.
But sooner or later, John Walker found out about where Karli stayed and interrogated and pushed around the man who helped her. She did not even think about what would happen to him, as long as her mission was getting done. She did not care who get hurt, and John Walker hurt the man who helped her.
6 John Walker Will Do Whatever It Takes To Be Captain America Again (& Not In A Good Way)
Of course being fired from the role of Captain America is going to take a toll on anybody, but this just created a villain out of Walker. After creating his own shield, and putting his Captain America uniform back on again, he went out in search of Karli, to get rid of her once and for all.
This revenge definitely has big villain energy, and the fact that Bucky and Sam had a hard time stopping him shows how he had been blinded by vengeance.
5 Karli Betrayed The People Who Where Helping Her
The last episode of the show definitely revealed something big, and that was that the infamous Power Broker (who had been name dropped all season) was actually Sharon Carter. Early on in the show it was said that the Power Broker was the one giving Karli the super solider serum, meaning that Sharon was helping Karli.
But in the final episode, during the showdown between Karli and Sharon, Kari ended up shooting Sharon (though not fatally). Really, only villains attempt to kill the people they work with. Karli did not hesitate for a second, despite the fact that she has Sharon to thank for the super solider serum she has running through her veins.
4 John Walker Brutally Beat A Man To Death
One of the darkest moments of the whole show was at the end of “The Whole World Is Watching,” where John (as Captain America) beat a man over and over again with the shield in front of a bunch of people.
This is not something a hero would ever do, yet in the heat of the moment, John did not even wait to go after the man who he thought killed Lamar. Only a villain would kill a man so brutally, and really not have any remorse over it, because a part of John thinks he did a good thing by avenging the death of his friend. It also showed a major disrespect towards what the shield was supposed to stand for and that John wasn’t worthy of it.
3 Karli Going As Far To Threaten People
What makes a villain is the amount of fear they can put into people, and one way a villain can do that is through threats, which is what Karli did not hesitate to do. In the fourth episode, Karli goes as far to threaten Sam’s sister, Sarah, and Sam’s nephews.
The reason she did this was to get a chance to talk to Sam again, but the threatening was to ensure that nothing went wrong, which is definitely a strong villain move. This once again demonstrates Karli’s determination and going to the extreme, which is just another path to become a well hated villain.
2 John Walker Lying About What He Did (In Terms Of Lamar’s Death)
In the fifth episode, John tells Lamar’s family that his partner died a hero and that John supposedly killed the person who killed Lamar. A life for a life. Lamar’s family was sad, but took comfort in knowing that their son died with honor and that he was avenged.
But at this point in the show, John knows what he did was wrong and has had the time to accept that mistake to himself, but it is clear that he does not want to really admit it to anyone else— so he doesn’t. He lies to his ex-partner’s parents, knowing he is telling them a huge lie.
1 Karli Blowing Up A Building With People Still In It
Throughout the show, it was easy to see how Karli had little to no thought for anyone else who was not going to join her cause, thus turning herself into one of the main enemies in the show. For instance, when she and the Flag-Smashers went to steal supplies for their gang, her and her friend blew up a building with people still inside.
But she did not care, as long as her needs were fulfilled. She even thought the people inside deserved it because they were working for “the wrong cause.” This just goes to show how dangerous of a person she was, proving herself to be a villain indeed.
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