There is an obvious Captain America Easter egg in to his friend Sam Wilson. However, Sam did not feel he was fit to take up the mantle, which resulted in him handing the shield over to the government.

Army Captain John Walker was appointed by the U.S. government to be the new state-sponsored Captain America, but his stint as the hero was extremely short-lived. Walker became disliked by the public for his polarizing attitude, and it all came to a head when he publicly executed a man with the Captain America shield in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier. John has never been a straight-up villain, but he definitely has a tremendous way to go if he wants to be considered a full-fledged hero.

John Walker Repeats Steve Rogers' 'On Your Left' Line In Thunderbolts*

The Line Is A Running Gag Between Steve And Sam

Walker is supposed to be a character that MCU fans dislike, which is why there is such an intense reaction whenever he’s compared to Steve. However, there is one moment in Thunderbolts* that seems like a clear reference to an iconic Steve Rogers’ quote. When Yelena, Ava, Walker, and Bob were trapped in Valentina’s self-destructing vault, they came up with a plan for Ava to phase through the wall so that she could open the door from the outside. However, they would have to break a and cut the power to whatever was dampening her powers first.

While the others plan a methodical approach, Walker steps up to smash it with his shield. Before doing so, he warns that he’ll be moving past them by saying “on your left.” Sharp-eyed MCU fans will recognize this line from Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a running gag between Steve and Sam. Steve first says it to his new friend to show how much quicker he is at running than the average human, then Sam repeats it when Steve’s recovering from his injuries in the hospital after his fight with Bucky.

Wyatt Russell Explained Why John Walker Said 'On Your Left' In Thunderbolts*

The Line Was Not A Planned Reference

“On your left” is symbolic of Steve and Sam’s partnership, with the line even coming up again in Avengers: Endgame when Sam returns from the Blip to fight Thanos alongside Steve. It’s a well-known running gag even with the more casual MCU fan, which is why Walker saying it in Thunderbolts* seemed like such a clear Easter egg. However, actor Wyatt Russell revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the reference was not on purpose, and the Captain America Easter egg was the result of a coincidence. Read his full quote below:

"That was a line I didn't want to say," Russell its. "Jake felt like we needed something to say in ADR. That was an ADR-ed line. That is not connected at all. It was just something to fill a void." — (via EW)

At the beginning of the interview, Russell wasn’t even aware that he had made the reference in the film. After some clarification from costar Sebastian Stan, he recalled that the line wasn’t something said on set. Director Jake Schreier felt like something had to go in the silence of the scene, and the “on your left” line was added later with ADR. Fans were clearly going to take such a reference and run with it, especially since Walker is seen as the failed Captain America, so it’s baffling that it wasn’t a planned Easter egg and happened entirely coincidentally.

John Walker Never Should've Been Allowed To Say 'On Your Left'

Steve’s Legacy Has Already Been Tarnished By John

Even when it seemed like the Captain America callback was on purpose, the line didn’t feel right coming out of Walker’s mouth. He tarnished Steve’s legacy enough by being an unlikable public figure and eventually killing someone with the shield. The quote was Sam’s way of telling Steve that he had his back in every situation and vice versa. It didn’t feel right as an intentional Easter egg since it wasn’t a line that was specific to Captain America, but to Steve and Sam’s friendship, to which he wasn’t privy.

The fact that the line wasn’t an intentional reference somehow makes the moment hit even worse. “On your left” is instantly recognizable to MCU fans. If it was included on purpose, the least you could say is that Marvel didn’t realize how the line would sound coming from Walker. However, since it wasn’t intentional, it means Marvel wasn’t even paying attention to their own film. Not only did they fail to catch the reference in Thunderbolts*, but they failed to even recognize why it would feel out of place at all.

MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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  Avengers: Doomsday

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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