Meet John Walker, played by Wyatt Russell.
Warning: Spoilers fromThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierseason 1, episode 1 are discussed in this article.
The world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has a new Captain America.
Marvel Studios
He’s just not the one you were expecting.
Well, maybe you were, if you’ve been keeping track of Marvel comic book lore.
In comes the U.S. government to do what the U.S. government is gonna do.
Mike Pont/Getty Images
Sorry to Steve and Sam’s feelings, but in light of the criminal activities of Betroc’s L.A.F.
andthe Flag-Smashers, the country has chosen John Walker (Wyatt Russell) to become the star-spangled hero.
“He’s a complicated character.
That’s what drew me to him,” Russell tells EW of the role.
In the comics, John, a.k.a.
Russell had some reservations about taking on a role like this.
He was flying blind during the audition because Marvel didn’t tell him who he was auditioning for.
“At first it was like, ‘Well, I love Marvel, but not that much.’
I gotta know what I’m doing,” he says.
… And even then it’s still kind of confusing.
On a deeper level, the whole Marvel of it all loomed over his decision.
“It’s a big thing,” he says, meaning it’s a massive corporate Hollywood entity.
“There’s very little producer interference,” he explains.
“[With] some of the shows that I’ve done, the producers have been the creators.
And there’s no denying the fact that there’s more in it for [Disney].
There’s still a billion dollars worth of merchandise off of these franchises.”
That perspective changed once he began the project.
He felt it was such a “creative,” “collaborative” environment when he got to set.
“Which then, in turn, made me feel so stupid,” he admits.
“Well, duh, what do you think?
It’s not just a mistake.”
“So, I had to double down on the workout just to be in the studio.
Forget acting, I guess.
Just so you can convey anything, I have to be able to wear the suit.”
The character, he notes, will be used as a vehicle to explore the idea of privilege.
And now, he’s expecting to be rewarded for that duty.
“So, John Walker is in for some rough times up ahead as a human being.”
New episodes ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soliderstream on Disney+ every Friday.
