I'll be honest, when it comes to Disney/Marvel, I didn't exactly see a path forward for them after End Game. Spider-Man's character offered a glimmer of hope, but to be honest, I think there's a creeping sense of fatigue with this character, too. 

To be clear, I don't believe the idea that there's "superhero fatigue," as successful superhero movies still pop up from time to time. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 came out when talk about the aforementioned "fatigue" was at its height, and it fell short of a billion dollars by $150 million. It's not the superhero people are tired of, the character. 

After End Game, Marvel felt like basic cable. It had so many characters to the point of feeling overwhelming, and people only really cared about a handful of them. Sadly, those characters felt abused, badly written, and tired. Thor: Love and Thunder was an awful movie that turned Thor back into a joke of a man who was trying to find himself, Hawkeye was being upstaged by his female counterpart, Ant-Man was pure CGI-slop, and Sam Wilson had taken on the mantle of Captain America and despite Anthony Mackie doing his best to fill the role, I can't help but reach the conclusion that it's just not for him. 

Nothing is landing... except one character, and it's a character we were supposed to hate. 

The character appeared out of the blue during Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and was written as a hateable villain who wore the Stars and Stripes. His name was John Walker, and after Wilson refused the shield, the U.S. handed it to Walker in order to carry on the morale that Captain America brings. 

Despite my initial distaste for Walker, he grew on me as the show went on, even as the writers did their best to make me detest him. For some reason, he felt real, and far more honest than all the other characters, and by the end of this horrible series (that had its moments), he was the only character I wanted to see more of. They did indicate his return as U.S. Agent, and now he's a part of the Thunderbolts, Disney/Marvel's upcoming attempt at their own Suicide Squad. 

Walker's popularity is quiet, but it's there. Comics surrounding U.S. Agent skyrocketed after Wyatt Russell's portrayal of Walker, merch sales also went up, with action figure releases, and even Funko Pop! models were flying from shelves. Forums and Reddit posts popped up discussing the character in positive terms. 

And I tend to agree with a lot of what I see. 

Walker is so interesting because he's the most believably written character, with believable flaws, and believable motivations. While other characters are either riding out past glories, trailing already trodden paths, or are just plain boring for one reason or another, Walker's character is the most relatable. 

He was supposed to be Captain America. On paper, he was the absolute best choice. He was a decorated soldier, incredibly talented physically and intellectually, and he even had that corn-fed, all-American, blond-haired, blue eye'd look.  

But the big difference between Walker and Steve Rogers was that Walker was always having to chase the mantle of Captain America, while it always came to Rogers naturally, even if Rogers gave it up. Walker's job had him trying to fill shoes he couldn't fill, and the pressure of such a monumental role was so great that you could see his mental fortitude deteriorate over time, to the point where his physical appearance started to suffer. 

By the time you reach the midway point of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Walker's mental fortitude has been more or less demolished, and he ends up killing a domestic terrorist who surrendered. Given, he'd just watched his best friend, Lemar Hoskins, die at the hands of these terrorists, but the moment is treated as if he'd done something very wrong in the heat of the moment. 

From there on, Walker is stripped of the Captain America title and dishonorably discharged from the military. 

However, this doesn't stop Walker. In an effort to regain his honor, seek justice for Lamar, and prove himself, he builds his own shield and confronts the domestic terrorist group. After originally showing up just to get revenge, he ends up dropping the shield in order to save people's lives, symbolically showing that he's actually become more like Captain America through his actions than the title ever did. 

The thing about it is that, through this entire journey, Walker was kind of an everyman on a spiritual level. He was a man who had expectations put on him, and despite his best efforts, he never quite felt like he was measuring up. To be sure, he wasn't, but no one told him that's okay. Everyone told him he was supposed to be Steve Rogers, despite him making it clear he wasn't. Moreover, when things truly collapsed around him, the same people who elevated him tossed him aside when he reacted in a way that was true to life. Even after that, he still got back up and pressed forward. 

The only other character who had that journey is Barnes, who I also think is one of the few interesting characters Marvel has left.

I don't think he should have the Captain America title back, as Walker is still no Steve Rogers (I think it should belong to Barnes now, but I digress), but I do think Walker is a great representation of America today. 

We're constantly looking back, taking hits of nostalgia like it's the only thing that takes the edge off. People are always talking about how it used to be, and to be sure, we've entered an age where things have gotten more confusing, complicated, and ridiculous. We want that old glory, simplicity, and common sense, but it's gone now. We can only try to create a new future while wearing the same Stars and Stripes we always have. We can only do the best we can in this new era of globalism, interconnectivity, and pressure. We're getting knocked onto our back, a lot, and hard, and we make big mistakes that are oftentimes painful as a result, but even so, we get up and try again with what tools we have. 

We are John Walker, and if Marvel is smart, they'll see this character as the symbol that he is in this day and age. 

Moreover, I think Marvel should see itself in Walker, too, and in many ways. They're trying to chase a former glory, and fill boots that are impossible to fill. They're so focused on it that they're not evolving like they should, and they crash out constantly. 

If Marvel were to turn their eyes to Walker, and focus in on him, I really think they could build something fantastic. They're so busy trying to wow people with big names like the Fantastic 4 and reintroduce nostalgia bait that they're not looking at what potential they could have if they would just embrace what's great about what they have. 

But as it stands, it seems Marvel is still caught up in an age that they should have left a while back, and some of its more interesting characters may stay in the shadows, relegated to side-roles while more politically correct, name-brand characters give people a less relatable, mediocre, but safe time. 

We'll see if Thunderbolts gives the people something meaty to chew on. Seeing as how both Walker and Barnes are featured in it, it's the only showing from Marvel that looks remotely interesting, for me at least. Once it releases on May 2, I'll go see it and let you know if it's worth the ticket price.

But this is Disney/Marvel. I wouldn't get my hopes up. 

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