Wyatt Russell's portrayal as John Walker, aka the new Captain America, has infuriated MCU fans since The Falcon and The Winter Soldier premiered over four weeks ago.
Many users on social media have referenced the famous "how dare you stand where he stood" line from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Rather than scorning Snape for standing where Dumbledore stood, fans are outraged Walker is trying to fill in Steve Rogers' shoes.
Even before he took the super-serum and murdered a man in front of a crowd of people , fans hated him just for existing. Many want to see Sam Wilson take back the shield and keep it this time after previously returning it to the government, even though Rogers handpicked him to inherit it.
One of the more jarring aspects of Wyatt's rendition of Captain America is the fact that he often uses a pistol along with the shield. Wyatt has just shed some light on his character's weaponry of choice.
CAPTAIN AMERICA'S MILITARY BACKGROUND
In a recent interview with BBC Radio 1 , Wyatt Russell explains why John Walker's "modern military background" leads him to use a pistol in action. Russell first made it clear that it was a deliberate choice by Marvel Studios to make fans feel "uncomfortable:"
"Marvel does a really, very good job at throwing those things at you. Making you feel uncomfortable because they know. Those were conversations we talked about."
Russell then alluded to the fact that Steve Rogers used a pistol in Captain America: The First Avenger and that back then, "it was less of a gray area culturally:."
"But this guy that is now playing Captain America, Steve Rogers was World War II, it was less of a gray area culturally, we all knew Nazis were bad, let's go kill them. There was nothing wrong with it. There was no one saying, 'Maybe not.'"
Furthermore, Russell explained that military tactics are debated a lot more than back in World War II, saying that "lots of people have different opinions after the way it is now:"
"Now it's a different day and age where we fight existential wars. This is where this guy came from, we're going to hit them before it happens. Is that the right thing to do? Is that the right way to go about it? It's very difficult, people have different opinions. Lots of people have different opinions about the way it is now and our military is very different than it was. So this guy coming from a modern military background is going to be very different to Steve Rogers of old."
Russell further explained that his character wouldn't have accepted not using a firearm as he's "worked [his] entire career with a weapon:"
"And so it was almost like 'Well he's got to have a gun.' He would say to the brass, "Are you not going to give me a gun? I've worked my entire career with a weapon. You have to give me a weapon.' So I thought they did a pretty good job of writing the line, 'He's not going to use it all the time, but he's got one.'"
STEVE ROGERS VS. JOHN WALKER WITH A PISTOL
When Steve Roger first became Captain America, he used a gun to help defeat the enemy. The same thing can be said for John Walker. While it was never explicitly said, it was implied that when Rogers came out of the ice, he didn't feel the need for a firearm; the shield was enough to defeat his foes. Also, arguably, it looks way cooler to use the shield as a projectile, not just a protective piece of vibranium.
Especially considering until the latest episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Walker had no enhanced physical abilities, using a gun made sense. Furthermore, as Russell pointed out, he was a member of today's MCU military. This means he was likely using a lot more heavy-duty artillery than a pistol. Despite his skill with the shield, it is hard to blame Walker for using a weapon he is more familiar with.
Steve Rogers was the First Avenger and will always have a special place in MCU fan's hearts. Even though many don't picture Rogers using a gun, it was a part of his character. What's new is a modern Captain America using a gun, but this could continue even if the Falcon takes the mantle as Sam Wilson has been locked and loaded during his entire career as an Avenger.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is streaming now on Disney+.
The full interview with Wyatt Russell can be seen below:
