Despite just seconds of screen time, Wyatt Russell’s John Walker became one of the most disliked characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the closing scene of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s opening episode introducing him as the new government-sanctioned Captain America.
In an interview with USA Today following the episode, Russell has been speaking about stepping into the shoes of Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers and admits that people – both within the narrative of the MCU show, and among the fanbase – aren’t going to be happy about seeing John Walker carrying the shield.
“People are probably going to hate it, and some people are going to love it,” states Wyatt. “[Movies and TV shows] are there to make people feel emotions, and I’m hoping that that’s what this show can do for people. Hopefully, they don’t hate me too much, [but] it would be an honor, I guess, to be disliked in the Marvel universe.”
“I don’t think there’s really been many MCU characters who’ve had quite the dilemma he’s had in terms of trying to fit into this sort of moralistic superhero world,” he continues, discussing the position his character John Walker finds himself in at the start of the series. “He’s been thrust into this role as Captain America and he’s going to do it his way, and he wants to do it right. But his way is a very specific way that he has learned through being basically a trained human hunter. I mean, that’s what Marines are. They’re not Steve Rogers, they’re not the same. They’re not like Boy Scouts anymore. They’re a little bit more gnarly.”
“There’s always an element of reality [in the show] where it’s like, well, sometimes you need that guy, and it’s not always pretty,” he continues. “It’s fun to play those characters because they’re always at odds with themselves. They’re always at odds with their own abilities and with their own moral compass. They know what is right, kind of, but they also want to win and they battle with that.”
SEE ALSO: The Biggest Takeaways from Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 1
What did you make of the new Captain America reveal? How do you think his story will play out across the season? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier features a cast that includes MCU veterans Anthony Mackie (Falcon), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier), Emily VanCamp (Sharon Carter), Don Cheadle (War Machine), Daniel Bruhl (Zemo) and Georges St-Pierre (Batroc) alongside new additions Wyatt Russell (Overlord), Carl Lumbly (Doctor Sleep), Erin Kellyman (Solo: A Star Wars Story), Adepero Oduye (The Big Short), Desmond Chiam (Now Apocalypse), Miki Ishikawa (The Terror: Infamy) and Noah Mills (The Brave).
