Falcon’s Wyatt Russell and Winter Soldier on becoming the new Captain America

[Ed. note: Spoilers ahead for episodes 1 and 2 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. All quotes have been edited for concision and clarity.]

The first episode of the new Marvel Cinematic Universe series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier follows a plot thread by Avengers: Endgame: The original Captain America, Steve Rogers, retired and passed his shield on to his friend and partner Sam Wilson, aka the superhero Falcon. Asked to become the new Captain America, Sam passes on the honor – and almost immediately sees the US government anoint a different Captain America. Wyatt Russell (Overload, Everyone wants some !!) plays John Walker, a former Marine who ends up with Cap’s shield, his costumes, and his pseudonym. He does not have the powers of Steve, but in Episode 2 of the series he is portrayed as a patriot who takes on the role of Captain America as his last duty to his country.

It’s a departure from the comics that inspired his arc, which gives the character a more complicated story, both as Captain America and as a character known as the American Agent. But Russell tells Polygon that he avoided reading previous versions of the character. “The problem with reading too many comics is that there are too many stories to follow,” he says. “So that doesn’t really help me find that scenario, because it’s different in each of them. That’s what makes Marvel fun and cool, that’s what’s great about the comics. But that doesn’t help me with the MCU version of the character. Following the intrigues becomes very confusing. “

Russell says he searched for John Walker on Wikipedia. “And I read for five minutes, and it was like, ‘Okay, no more, I’m more confused than when I started.’” Instead, he looked at the art of character cartoon. “It told me who he was, in terms of how to play him. He has a different vibe as a person [than Steve Rogers], and he fights differently.

Photo: Eli Adé / Disney Plus

Russell says that just reacting to co-stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan gave him some insight into John Walker’s personality, and that series director Kari Skogland and lead producer on set Zoie Nagelhout were also useful sources. “I was able to ask them questions and give them my ideas and get them to talk about what was going on. You use each other to create the best version of the story. Everyone at Marvel is awesome so I felt very confident with the staff. “

“Kari is an incredible listener. She doesn’t come with solidified ways in her head that she wants you to be. With John, there is no prior information in the MCU, so we are creating something new. And in doing so, she gave me the freedom to try out different versions of the character while we were shooting him.

One part of the story that he doesn’t seem to have committed to, however, is the series’ take on racing in America. Malcolm Spellman, chief writer and show runner, says Falcon and the Winter Soldier was a chance to explore the Black experience, but Russell thinks the new Captain America is outside of that story.

“Honestly, I don’t think he thinks about the bigger issues a lot,” says Russell. “It wasn’t something I thought about a lot when we were shooting. It’s just the person who puts on the costume to try to protect the people of the world. I think a lot of that was put on the show from events that have happened since we started filming that have been interesting and interesting to present.

Because the first two episodes of the series appear to have John gleefully step into a role that Sam was dying and replace one of the MCU’s beloved longtime heroes, fans saw John as a low-key villain. Russell is fully prepared to accept this answer. “What I liked about John in the first place was his polarizing aspect. I wanted to play that as a character. And as an actor that’s kind of what you want – I always like playing characters where what you feel for him is what you feel. Whatever they feel, I agree with them. I’m just here to do the job and disappear, and John will be living at DisneyPlusLand. “

The idea of ​​the living character raises interesting questions about his future in the MCU. When asked if he would be willing to continue playing John in the movie franchise, Russell replied, “I hope! We’ll see what happens to John. But look, I’ll never say no after this experience with Marvel. Whenever you have the opportunity to work with people like this, you do. “

He thinks like Falcon and the Winter Soldier unfolds, the role of John Walker will surprise the audience. “You will certainly learn more about him, what he went through and how he reacts to certain situations. And you’ll start to understand a bit of the inner workings of her psyche as the series continues.