The Downward Spiral of John Walker:
- Jordan Croft
- Apr 8, 2021
- 4 min read

It’s fair to say that the new Captain America John Walker (Wyatt Russel) has not been well received by fans and our heroes during Falcon and The Winter Soldier. That being said the character of John Walker is unique as he hasn’t actually done anything wrong, anyone who would take the mantle of Captain America would likely face some backlash and Walker is the prime example of this. This pressure of being the new Cap is something Walker has to deal with as his missions are harder and much easier to fail on, something which Walker has never experienced. As such as the series continues the fear of failure and disappointing everyone will consume Walker and new methods will have to be taken which will cause a downward spiral for the new Star Spangled Man.
To understand why Walker’s character will begin a darker path we need to understand his backstory. Mentioned in episode 2, Walker has a record for 3 medals of honours and has led missions against terrorists and in hostage rescue. Also MIT tested his body and results came back showing he was off the charts on every level. His record speaks for itself and its clear why he was selected to by Cap. Moreover, Walker isn’t looking for attention, instead he just wants to get the job done in the best way he knows how which justifies the choice for him as the new Captain America.

It is important to understand that Walker is the suitable choice because that is what will make his turn much more shocking. We begin to see this in smaller stages during episode 2 when cracks begin to show. Firstly, it’s clear to see that he is nervous in the role because he as he says he doesn’t want to fail anybody. This again makes Walker feel relatable but as he isn’t accustomed to failure we begin to see a different side to Walker.
Losing in a fight against the Flag Smashers and not actually putting up any real fight, this will have been a shock to the system for Walker as he will have always been the big gun in the fight. Fighting enhanced individuals is something which Walker will need to adapt to but will he be able to cope with his opponent’s strength. As such there may come a point when Walker realises that he cannot get the mission done how he used to and may be forced to be more brutal. When he shot one of the Flag Smashers we got our first tease for this, but when the fear of failure clouds his judgement even more we could get to a point where Walker massacres someone.

While episode 2 only laid the seeds for this, episode 3 sprinkled some more fuel to the eventual darker turn for Walker. Trying to catch the Flag Smashers has been proving hard work for Walker and when he screams “Do you know who I am” at the man whom gave the group refugee, we begin to see how frustrated Walker is getting. Not being able to catch Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) is making Walker more and more angry as time passes. Furthermore, if we remember when Walker said he doesn’t want to fail anyone, well that’s exactly what he has been doing. This is easily the biggest fear Walker has and the question is emerging what he will do if he keeps failing.
After discovering of Zemo’s (Daniel Bruhl) escape, Walker tells Lemar Hoskins (Cle Bennett) that they need to keep this off record. Allowing for Sam (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) to work with one of the most wanted men in the world is not something you would expect Captain America or the military man John Walker to allow. As such realising that he cannot get the job done alone has resulted in allowing for a criminal to be on the loose. We know this isn’t the biggest dark turn Walker could have taken but what it has done is given us out first sign that Walker is willing to adapt in unconventional ways in order to prevent failure.

As the series progresses, Walker’s downward spiral are likely to escalate even further and many are theorizing that Walker at some stage may brutally murder someone. I can see this happening as the fear of failure fully consumes the new Cap. However, I also like the theory which could see Walker gain enhancements from the Power Broker like in the comics. Not being able to physically compete with the Flag Smashers may see Walker’s desperation lead him to be tested on and receive some version of a super soldier serum which can allow him the match his opponents physically.
Whether these theories come true or not, we know that Walker is on a downward spiral and that doesn’t look likely to change until his mission is complete. But, how far gone will Walker be once the series concludes and will he be able to return to the man whom originally earned the mantle of Captain America. We are excited to see what Walker will do next and fully expect something big to happen as a result of the fear of failure that Walker has.
Images:
Marvel Studios
Disney+
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