Captain America in the MCU: Who’s next?

Credit: Marvel Comics

John Walker (AKA U.S. Agent)

We know that the supervillain prison The Raft exists in the MCU, overseen by General “Thunderbolt” Ross. Hawkeye, Falcon, Ant-Man, and Scarlet Witch have done time there. It’s also been referenced in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D tv series and Netflix’s Jessica Jones.

What has never come up is The Raft’s one-time Warden, John Walker. Walker was a hero called Super Patriot who replaced Steve Rogers when the original became disillusioned with the politicization of his mission. During Walker’s time as Captain America, he was prone to using excessive violence and suffered some mental instability.

Eventually the original Cap came back, and Walker adopted the U.S Agent identity, continuing to work for the government in various roles. In addition to being the warden of The Raft, he’s also been a member of various superhero teams, including The Thunderbolts, a group of reformed villains paying their debt to society.

If Disney/Marvel did want to do an edgy version of Cap, this could be the way to go. In addition to dealing with mental issues, the character has also lost limbs in the line of duty, both are all too real costs that soldiers live with.

Pros:

John Walker doesn’t exist at all in the MCU, so they could re-envision the character as best fits Phase Four of the movies. There’s lots of raw material in the comics to work from–and repackage for sale. A fresh actor with a marquee name could be given the role, to keep casual fans excited and curious once Evans and the other top MCU stars leave.

Cons:

It’ll take a lot of heavy lifting to create a new character that hasn’t been seeded into any of the previous movies. John Walker’s character, despite his arc, is still intertwined with villains like The Red Skull. If the MCU wants to address the cost of being a superhero at all, they’ve probably said as much as they want to with James (War Machine) Rhodes’ paralysis.

These are just a handful of ideas, there’s no end to the directions the MCU could take with a new Captain America. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Evans come back on a film-by-film basis, much like Robert Downey Jr. has.