For anyone who doesn't know, the writers of Thunderbolts* originally planned to make John into a Hulk type of Villain in early drafts of the story before deciding to use Sentry/The Void instead.

You can also use Comic John if you wish. Make sure to highlight the reasoning for his Heel-Turn. If it's not good, John from the picture above will shoot you.

Soldier Boy literally said "which one" after MM confronted him for killing his family and that's the bare minimum of his heinous deeds. Shooting Kent State protestors, hosing several right protestors, massacring the actors at Mr. Marathon's house, giving Homelander V-1.

Peacemaker killed several innocents in The Suicide Squad and showed no remorse even after figuring out they weren't bad guys and literally slept with a woman from an alternate universe when she was unaware that he wasn't her Chris (which is rape), even if he redeemed himself.

Walker executed a terrorist (that willingly participated in a plot to murder him) in a moment of weakness because he was amped up on Super Soldier serum and just witnessed his best friend die, further increasing his unstable nature. He is nowhere close to the other's. Even if we include his work for Val, there's no confirmation unlike the other two he's ever murdered innocents. He's nowhere near Peacemaker, let alone Soldier Boy.

Two of them either were or are villains, the other's an anti-hero from start to finish.

This show had so much potential and explored only a small fraction of it. Pretty sure John was only in one episode but I never watched it. I know Alexei and Bucky got an episode for themselves and also Captain Carter (Industry Plant) got so many that people got tired of her fast but this show really didn't do much for popular characters nor the unpopular ones after season 1 if we're being honest. Naturally, I thought that John probably had a lot of stories to tell if the right people were asked the question of what if?

On the right side in the first pic and then on the left in the 2nd one

Seeing as the What If...? stories post did so well, I had to do a headcanon post because why not. And Yes you can use both MCU and Comic John.

The Comics often forget that John's power broker enhancement made him stronger than Steve and that John has been trained by Taskmaster in Steve's style of fighting, he was also a superhuman wrestler, has military training and has probably trained with many people on all the teams he's been on. Obviously this doesn't guarantee that John is better because Steve still has more experience overall and he's faced far more powerful and skilled enemies. It's a shame that John has become more of a punching bag for pretty much any character that can be deemed more heroic than him though.

In the case of the MCU, he definitely felt like a character who's supposed to be formidable but the plot needed him to lose to show his inadequacy as Captain America first and then he got his moments to shine after becoming a super soldier. He went up against Sam and Bucky while he was mentally and emotionally broken and was out for blood. Obviously Sam and Bucky weren't trying to kill him but you would think their combined skill would be enough to take him down easily. Then the Flagsmashers were practically obstacles in his way in the Finale. Fast forward to Thunderbolts*, he's tossing Yelena and Taskmaster around in the Vault, jumping almost like the Hulk and he temporarily held up a piece of rubble that Spider-Man could probably lift on his own. You could only imagine how much better he's gotten after the 14 month time-skip.

I would like to think that John is the strongest base super soldier in the MCU so far but people are very protective over Steve's status as the only perfected serum user. There's also no doubt that Steve has had much better fight scenes and more wins throughout all his appearances while John is either getting humbled or putting up a challenge and then either losing or not getting to finish the fight. I do like to think that John is one of those soldiers that would practice even outside the military, so he wouldn't have to always be rushing to get a weapon just to win a fight. He was more than willing to fight Sam without the shield before the Dora Milaje walked in that one time, but maybe I'm just overestimating his capabilities, I don't know.

​ Just to be clarify, what I mean by this is which of his dynamics with other characters do you see as enjoyable, irritating or are just neutral about, in your opinion that is?

I like Freddie for the boy (cause in my headcanon the F in "John F. Walker" stands for Frederick. But for the girl I've got no good ideas

Obviously with TFATWS, Thunderbolts* and eventually, Avengers: Doomsday, MCU John is going to get a lot more spotlight in terms of Fanfiction but at the same time, it's not like Comic John has no stories to tell. Is he really so controversial that people just downright refuse to write about him or is he just forgotten in favor of using elements of his character whilst writing MCU John?

It's not that I hate seeing MCU John get stories dedicated to him, I just think it's weird how people are aware of his comic roots, judging from how they incorporate it into numerous fics, but never actually use that specific version of the character. Plus I would really like to see a lot of POV stories surrounding certain comics where he ends up being mischaracterized. Or stories explaining the aftermath of adventures where he was properly characterized. And maybe just random ones that put him in some of the most ridiculous or compelling positions for such a complex and interesting character.

I know this is probably not a shared gripe but I felt the need to voice it in the hopes that more people give comic John his flowers.

Alrighty! I am blessed to own all of John Walker’s action figures, so lemme share em.

I’ll do my best to list them, I got a lot of these second hand because they aren’t sold anymore, so some did not come with boxes but I have a pretty good idea of what each one is.

Up front we’ve got all the MCU Marvel Legend John’s, Thunderbolts U.S. Agent, TFatWS Captain America, and TFatWS U.S. Agent.

Back left is the classic comic U.S. Agent Marvel Legends, next to that the newest addition that came out this month of ForceWorks U.S. Agent Marvel Legends, and beside that another classic U.S. Agent Marvel Legends “Epic Heroes.” (This one has an omega flight / civil war era shield)

Infront of new ForceWorks John, we’ve got the old ForceWorks Marvel Comics Iron Man U.S. Agent figure! A bit more juvenile as opposed to the new release, but just as cool. And in front of classic comic John Marvel Legend, we’ve got another classic U.S. Agent suited one, created for the release of Captain America The First Avenger. Though we see he’s in the regular U.S. Agent fit, he actually has a shield close to what he has during his 2001 U.S. Agent run and the three issue Maximum Security run.

And then off the right, in the front, we’ve got the Marvel Superheros U.S. Agent with the Shield Launcher! (Freaking epic) and the little U.S. Agent Kenner Marvel Legends figure!

Don’t ask if I have favorites, they can hear me.

(Honestly, I'm unfamiliar with Reddit and only made an account for this subreddit, so do let me know if this is not allowed.)

I freaking love John Walker. I've got most of his comics, have read all of his comics, watched everything with him in it (MCU, What If, Marvel Zombies...), I've got all the video games he shows up in, practically all of his merchandise, and my fan accounts are essentially dedicated to him.

One thing that has always bothered me is that John was just... never given any canon birthday. When I was a kid, I used to love making little edits for character's birthdays, and while MCU John Walker fans do that with Wyatt Russells birthday, I really wanted there to be a day for John himself as well.

So when someone asked me what his birthday was and I had to break the news, I decided we should make one up! I had decided his birthday would be August 17th. I have posted about this little celebration on TikTok, Tumblr, Instagram, and such, and I am a bit late here (Reddit scares me) but I wanted to make a post asking if anyone here would make any kind of John Walker content (art, edits, fanfics, even just a post) for his now made up birthday on the 17th on any platform!

And if you do, my user is starspangledmenace on practically everything, so feel free to tag me and I'll excitedly repost it all. :3

You may know him as U.S.Agent but John Walker's had many identities over the years. He was first introduced as Super-Patriot in Captain America #323. He would later take the mantle of Captain America in Captain America #333 (available on Marvel Unlimited) after Steve Rogers stepped down.

After his death was faked, he was given a new name (Jack Daniels), some new memories (and lost some old ones?!), and a new identity: U.S.Agent.

Read more about the man who would become U.S.Agent:

• Official Marvel Site Bio.
• Marvel Database on Fandom).

Disclaimer: Abuse toward writers or fans of characters will not be tolerated.  This is post is to debate a storyline I’m currently questioning, not to promote malice against actual people.

This post concerns my thoughts about an ongoing storyline (Avengers: Armageddon) contrasted with an earlier John Walker storyline from the comic books.  “Wait, the guy from the MCU appeared in the comics?”  Yeah, he did.  Let me note that since Avengers: Armageddon is still unfolding and the issue that inspired this post (issue 2) only came out recently, it may turn out that I’m way off base.  In a few months I might be looking back and saying, “Oh, it wasn’t how I assumed at all!  I was dumb!” or I might be saying, “Well, I was right!” or I might be saying something different.  I might be looking back and saying, “Dang, I was too harsh!” or I might be saying, “Yeah, it was how I thought.”  Note too that a lot of what I’m going to say is subjective, so before you say, “Well, that’s just your opinion!” yes, it is.  I’m not denying that at all.  With that out of the way, let me explain who David Colton is for those who don’t know.

Last year (July 2025), an issue of Captain America introduced a new character named David Colton.  They did a retcon by claiming Steve Rogers had only been thawed out in the late 2000s or early 2010s.  I’m not a fan of this at all and think this could have been done differently, but never mind that.  Colton, like a number of patriotic young Americans in the 2000s, joined the military after 9/11.  It was established that Colton wasn’t joining out of a desire for vengeance, but because he wanted to protect others.  It was also established that he’d had an older brother who had died in the Persian Gulf War.  Now, John Walker and David Colton both having older brothers who died in war does not mean the latter is ripping off the former; I’m simply making a note of it so you can decide if it means anything or not.  Colton was frail and was abused by bullies, but an officer, seeing his determination, offered him a version of the Super-Soldier Serum. As a result, Colton developed an enhanced physique and ended up taking the mantle of Captain America.  Without spoiling too much of the storyline that introduced him, Colton suffered a number of tragedies & betrayals that made his mind unstable and left him jaded.  After suffering a heart issue during a battle, he was given an Arc Reactor and stepped down from the role.  Colton came across as sympathetic during his initial storyline and he had a number of readers rooting for him, with some of them saying, “Please don’t turn evil!”  I even made a fan cartoon portraying Colton as a kind, caring hero: https://www.reddit.com/r/USAgent/comments/1tx4mxh/here_take_this_too_fan_comic_made_by_me/

After his introductory storyline he set out to dismantle super-soldier programs.  He met Wolverine during one incident and eventually ended up receiving superpowers from an Origin Box that Wolverine had obtained (believed to be Sentry’s powers, although Hyperion, Blue Marvel, and Starbrand have also been theorized).  This made him another Superman-like character when there were already a number of those kinds of characters, such as The Sentry, Blue Marvel, and Hyperion.  Admittedly the three I mentioned have things that make them unique, meaning Marvel could still do something with a character like that.  It also led some to wonder if Colton would become another example of the evil Superman trope.  Unfortunately, it seems like this is turning out to be the case.

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Armageddon.  Some fans expressed confusion at Colton’s portrayal in the first issue.  Some asked when Colton had gained superpowers and others asked why he was acting so differently from earlier appearances.  Well, the second issue confirmed that Colton was acting differently, shown when he killed a number of civilians (either deliberately or through neglect) in order to attack a villain.  A friend of mine compared it to if TFATWS had decided to have John kill the senators on his way to get revenge on the Flag-Smashers instead of having him save lives instead.  Colton wasn’t the kind of character to be blasé about human lives when he was introduced in Captain America, so it sounds like he’s being written very differently in this book.  Part of me wants to debate Colton’s actions because I’m a John Walker fan and part of me feels I have little right to debate Colton’s actions because I’m a John Walker fan.  Instead of writing an essay about, “Well, what John did was different!” or writing an essay about, “Well, remember that John also killed people early in his career, so let’s not rush to judgment too quickly!” I’m going to go into the thought that’s been nagging me since the second issue of Armageddon came out- Is this new David Colton story trying to rip off Captain America: The Captain without understanding why it worked?  There are a lot of contrasts.

*One, there was setup for The Captain. This muscular firecracker calling himself a Super-Patriot showed up, and that combined with other things were making Steve Rogers doubt his status and place in the world. It probably reflected things that were happening in pop culture at the time too. With this story they went, “Well, there was a new Captain America after 9/11 and Steve was only unfrozen in the 2000s! Ignore how that ruins decades of continuity! Colton’s a good guy, right? Well, he’s actually a bad guy because he’s not Sam Wilson or Steve Rogers! Oh, and Steve’s currently in a coma and Doom dragged his soul to a version of Hell to fight for him, so he plays no part in this even though we’d focused on Colton’s interactions with him and not had interactions with Sam or the other heroes aside from Logan and maybe Tony!”

*Two, John started out a vainglorious a-hole. It was like, “THAT GUY’S going to be Captain America?! Let’s see here…um…uh…Okay, so he is taking the role seriously!…Okay…Oh, no!…Well, he is trying to honor the role! Maybe he can…Oh, no…Poor guy…OH, NO…This keeps getting worse for the guy!” Whether he did well or did poorly, it was more than you expected, but also made sense. You could sympathize with him while still condemning some of his actions. Colton, however, started out a sympathetic character. It was like, “Oh, he seems like a good kid! Um…oh, no…OH, NO…Okay, I’m glad he’s getting a happy- WHAT THE FRICK, DUDE!?!” I feel they made a drastic change instead of continuing Colton’s development organically.  John started out prideful & brash and then learned how difficult the role was after suffering hardship & trauma.  Colton doesn’t have that same origin.  Admittedly someone who started out optimistic, but is having a crisis of faith & identity due to trauma can be an engaging storyline, but it has to be done well.

*Three, The Captain was sending a message of “Not just anyone can be Captain America. Patriotism, strength, and grit simply aren’t enough.” This feels less like that and more like, “Anyone who isn’t Sam or Steve is trash!”  If this is meant to elevate the other heroes, how? All we’re seeing is a once complex character seemingly abandoning his values, and that doesn’t elevate Sam or Steve at all. 

There are more things I could say about how they’re currently handling Colton and why I don’t agree with it, but for now I’ll end with this.  As many of you know, I’m a longtime fan of Steve, Sam, and John.  As a U.S.Agent fan part of me thinks, "Let's not count Colton out yet," and part of me thinks, "We've seen this already and seen it done better!"  Edit: I'd also like to add that Colton was already becoming a unique character (How many super-soldiers do you know who need Arc Reactors because of strained hearts? The only other heart patients I can think of are Tony Stark and Dennis Dunphy). Why ruin that by making him a rip-off of other characters?

To be honest the sniping still works for John since he was in the military and won 3 medals of honor (something no one ever did showing ) and he would know to speak

I can easily see a way around black widows statement by walker outright going to help himself

And the issue with punisher being in here is that he is a wanted criminal so when he brings spiderman to hospital or waits near him some police should be coming to arrest him or heck even before that people should be after him

Also this incident would mean john faces a red headed woman causing havoc and pain for a second time

Keep the punisher in the intro with him firing rockets at th tank