Spoiler alert! This article contains spoilers for Thunderbolts*.
the MCU timeline, but that might just be what makes him fascinating.
John Walker is not a villain in the traditional sense, nor a hero fallen from grace. He exists in a morally grey space that the MCU doesn’t often dwell in. He’s a man who stepped into a role that was never meant for him, tried to mold it to his image, and then shattered everything it stood for – and he did it all while insisting he was the good guy. That brand of delusion, entitlement, and self-pity doesn’t exactly scream “fan favorite,” but it does make for a uniquely human — and surprisingly captivating — addition to the MCU.
John Walker Was Meant To Be Steve Rogers' Captain America Replacement
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, John Walker is introduced as the government’s hand-picked successor to Steve Rogers. A decorated war hero with multiple Medals of Honor, Walker is clearly no stranger to sacrifice or battlefield valor. But being Captain America is about more than credentials — it’s about character, restraint, and moral clarity. Unfortunately, Walker never understood that.
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Initially, he tries to live up to the role. However, cracks start to show early. He’s impatient, insecure, and deeply uncomfortable being second-guessed — especially by Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, two men who knew Steve personally. That insecurity reaches a breaking point after repeated failures against the Flag Smashers, culminating in the death of his best friend, Lemar Hoskins.
Consumed by grief and desperate to assert control, Walker takes a stolen vial of the super soldier serum. Not long after, he brutally murders one of the Flag Smashers — not the one responsible for Lemar’s death, just one who happened to be there. He does it in broad daylight, with Steve’s shield, and in full view of horrified civilians. In that moment, the symbol of Captain America is tainted — not by an enemy, but by the man meant to uphold it.
Why John Walker Is So Unsympathetic
There’s a reason audiences recoiled from Walker almost instantly. He’s not evil, but he’s the kind of guy who thinks his resume entitles him to unquestioned authority. He has the potential to be a hero, but his worst impulses — pride, arrogance, emotional fragility — always get the better of him. He couldn’t handle not being “special,” and when that frustration boiled over, innocent people paid the price.
Interestingly, Walker’s outfit in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has no white, as white represents purity in the US flag. This was a subtle hint that Walker was not worthy of Captain America’s mantle.
Even after being stripped of the shield and dismissed from the Captain America role, Walker spirals further. He builds his own knockoff shield, insists that he is Captain America, and lashes out at anyone who challenges that delusion. By the time he reappears in Thunderbolts*, he's not just a disgraced soldier — he's a broken man clinging to a version of himself that no longer exists.
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One of the more quietly devastating aspects of his Thunderbolts* flashback is the implication that he’s lost his family. He snaps at his wife, neglects his child, and seems utterly consumed by his own self-loathing. It’s not hard to imagine that he drove them away — not through some dramatic betrayal, but through the slow, steady erosion of empathy that comes with untreated trauma and unchecked ego. That, in many ways, makes him even harder to root for. He did this to himself, and he still acts like the world owes him something.
Why John Walker Being Unsympathetic Is A Good Thing
Still, there’s something undeniably compelling about John Walker — precisely because he’s so hard to like. In a universe filled with gods, wizards, and billionaires, he’s just a guy who couldn’t cope with being ordinary. His failures are painfully human. He grieves, he spirals, and he makes terrible decisions not out of malice, but out of desperation to be seen as good and heroic — even when he’s clearly not.
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The flashback sequence in Thunderbolt*, induced by Bob’s powers, shows a man drowning in regret. He’s haunted by the blood on his hands and the family he’s lost. The mask of control slips, and we see something raw underneath — depression, grief, possibly PTSD. He doesn’t know how to ask for help, so he just keeps doubling down on the worst parts of himself.
Walker isn’t a role model. He’s not even a cautionary tale in the traditional sense. Rather, a reminder that not every broken character needs to be redeemed with a grand gesture or forgiven with a witty one-liner. Some people are just messy, complicated, and difficult. Maybe, in a franchise as shiny and heroic as the MCU, that’s exactly what makes John Walker stand out in Thunderbolts*.
Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
- April 30, 2025
- Runtime
- 127 minutes
- Director
- Jake Schreier
- Writers
- Eric Pearson, Lee Sung-jin
- Producers
- Scarlett Johansson, Jason Tamez
Cast
Bucky Barnes
Yelena Belova
- Franchise(s)
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
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