This should never have happened -- none of it! And I don't want to be part of your costume party -- endangering everyone, making cosmic enemies with your unsupervised, dilettante games! It's the little guy I care about -- the little guy, the silent majority -- the people who shouldn't have to have their lives interrupted and threatened by all this super-violence that erupts without warning! Keep your congratulations! I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing -- being the guy who makes sure all the super-crooks and monsters are subject to the same damn laws as everyone else -- making sure they know that they -- and you -- are nothing special! Nothing at all! 
- —U.S. Agent[src]
History
Early Life
John Walker grew up idolizing his older brother Michael, who had been killed during the Vietnam War. He went into military service but felt he wasn't a 'hero' like his brother was. Walker underwent the Power Broker process to compete in the Universal Class Wrestling Federation. However, his agent convinced him that he should become a hero.[8]
Super-Patriot
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Super Patriot
He became the Super-Patriot, arguing that he stood for America's 'true ideals' and began to publicly discredit Captain America.[1] Three 'Bold Urban Commandos', fellow recruits from the Federation, assisted him by staging attacks and intimidating others.[9]
After a fight with Captain America at a rally in Central Park, Walker killed a terrorist named Warhead who threatened to detonate a nuclear weapon in Washington, D.C.[10]
Captain America
Captain America later abandoned his identity due to Red Skull's manipulation of the Commission on Superhuman Activities.[11] Walker took the role as Captain America, moderating his views. The man who would later become Battlestar served as his Bucky. The other two BUCs became Left-Winger and Right-Winger.[12]
Left-Winger and Right-Winger publicly revealed Walker's name[13] leading up to the Watchdogs killing his parents. Walker retaliated by killing most of the Watchdogs. He captured Left-Winger and Right-Winger and used his old 'torchsword' to ignite explosives they were strapped to, leaving them horribly burnt and in comas.[14]
Eventually there was a confrontation with Captain America who was then calling himself the Captain. Walker was stopped by Rogers.[15] The two confronted the Red Skull, who had been manipulating the Commission. In light of these events, Walker was deemed unworthy of the Captain America title due to his actions.[16]
U.S. Agent
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As a member of the Jury
Walker's death was soon faked by a member of the Commission and he re-emerged as US Agent. He wore a variation of the costume that Rogers had worn as the Captain and using his vibranium disc as a shield. Walker continued to work for the Commission. He was first seen as the U.S. Agent battling an Iron Monger, as a test for the Commission.[17] Walker was additionally placed as a watchdog of Avengers West Coast and the Vision by the Commission, as a condition to possibly get their government clearance reinstated.[18] He later rescued his former partner Battlestar from the Power Broker, and reconciled with him; John learned that his memories had been altered and that his parents were dead.[19]
Force Works
When the West Coast Avengers dissolved, his costume and shield into the Hudson River.[20] Tony Stark formed a new team known as Force Works. Initially reluctant to join however Scarlet Witch later persuaded him to join, she believed John was the team's backbone. He intended to run the team on tight military lines and the values of strength and dedication. John ultimately joined the team, wearing a new costume and using an Energy shield.[21] John remained a member throughout the team's tenure, fighting threats such as the Kree, alien parasites the Scatter,[22] the supernatural threat Ember, Slorenia's armored protectors Black Brigade,[23] The Mandarin,[24] He fought alongside Australian super hero Dreamguard against the dream-manipulating Orphan,[25] Slorenia's undead shock troops The Targoth and Volkhvy the Eternal One ,[26] They teamed up with the Avengers against the Kree commandos Excel,[27]. They later went up against intergalactic mercenary the Broker,[28] They even had to fight their security system V.I.R.G.I.L.,[29] and an alternate reality version of deceased former Force Works member Wonder Man.[30]
Working for his old Commission ties has led him into conflict with other heroes. Walker seems to have finally cut ties with them after one mission put him into conflict with War Machine and Hawkeye.[31]
The Jury
He eventually became the field leader of the Jury, a group of armored corporate vigilantes, owned by Edwin Cord, owner of Cordco. U.S. Agent again wore his original U.S. Agent uniform and used an eagle-shaped shield that could be directed in mid-air via remote control. The Jury's job was to take down the Thunderbolts, but they were defeated by the Thunderbolts and their new leader Hawkeye.[32] The Jury attempted to apprehend the Thunderbolts a second time, but instead the two groups joined forces together against Brute Force and the soldiers of the Secret Empire.[33]
U.S. Agent was later severely beaten to near death by Protocide. Due to emergency medical procedures performed on him, he was outfitted, by S.H.I.E.L.D., with an enhancing exoskeleton.[34]
S.T.A.R.S.
Walker eventually appeared in Texas working on behalf of the US Government as leader of S.T.A.R.S. to arrest Piledriver for attempting to escape to Mexico and act as international representative of US interests.[35] Walker acted as the leading figure on behalf of the US government in their cooperation effort with the Avengers, but was greatly disliked due to his abrasive behavior and domineering personality. Walker convinced a number of alien convicts to fight on his behalf for their freedom and led the charge against the Kree and Ronan the Accuser. Walker stalled Ronan while the Avengers stopped his plan to use Ego the Living Planet as a weapon by assimilating the Earth After the Kree were defeated, the Avengers tried to thank Walker but he rebuffed them and rebuked them for letting the alien threat be drawn to Earth in the first place before leaving.
The Invaders
Walker joined the new Invaders squad acting as its Captain America; he in fact demanded to be called by that name.[36] Those Invaders who knew the real Captain America refused to do so. He claimed that today's world requires a tougher symbol of America to battle terrorism.[37] Alongside the Invaders he battled Axis Mundi. When the Human Torch (Jim Hammond) was killed, most of the team disbanded.[38]
Civil War
John favored the Superhuman Registration Act,[39][40][41] and was assigned to Canada as an official liaison and reluctant leader of Omega Flight - A number of powered villains, including the Purple Man, attempted to cross the border into Canada to escape the act and then the Wrecking Crew who came to Canada to continue their life of crime without superpowered opposition and ended up freeing the Great Beasts[42][43]
During this time U.S. Agent was also given the responsibility of training Guardian (Michael Pointer.[citation needed]
Mighty Avengers
He was recruited without warning by a seemingly recovered Scarlet Witch to a new team of Mighty Avengers. The Scarlet Witch was actually Loki in disguise.[44][45]
Retirement
_from_Thunderbolts_Vol_1_145_001.jpg){kind=link}
retirement
Sent into battle against Norman Osborn's black-ops Thunderbolts team in Asgard, Walker's left arm and leg were severed by Thunderbolts leader Nuke/Scourge[46]. Retired from active duty and fitted with a metal hook for a prosthetic hand (refusing better prostheses because he didn't want to become a cyborg like Nuke), Walker became the warden of the super-villain prison the Raft.[4]
Back in Action
While transporting the Dark Avengers back to the prison, their transport went down and Walker and the team woke up in an alternate version of New York, divided in various territories controlled by heroes.[47] While knocked out, June Covington who had managed to gain control over Hank Pym and had free rein in a laboratory, bonded Walker with that world's Venom Symbiote which had its higher brain functions removed. Being bonded with the symbiote restored Walker's lost limbs.[48]
Leading the Dark Avengers, Walker attempted to find out what had happened to New York and reality. They found out from Reed Richards that A.I.M. were behind the alteration of reality, creating a distorted reality pocket to test potential scenarios and salvage technology created by the denizens of the pocket.[49] The Dark Avengers managed to open a portal into the real world, where they crushed the A.I.M. agents. With the mission completed, and the Dark Avengers free, June used her powers to influence Walker into allowing them to remain free, and to lead them on further adventures.[50]
_(Earth-616)_from_Avengers_World_Vol_1_16_001.png){kind=link}
Doctor Doom's Avengers
John joined Doctor Doom's Avengers, and battled the now-evil Scarlet Witch who arrived to Latveria to have revenge on Doctor Doom.[51] The Avengers fought the Scarlet Witch and saved villagers trapped in the crossfire. 3D Man managed to get hold of the Witch and take her to a machine Doctor Doom had created to specifically canalize her abilities. Soon after being put into the machine, the Scarlet Witch escaped and set out to find Doom, leaving the Avengers behind. After condensing a portion of Scarlet Witch's powers into the device, Valeria Richards informed the heroes their job was done.[52]
Confronting Sam Wilson
Months later, John Walker rejoined the U.S. Army, and was sent on a mission in unknown locations in the Middle East taking down terrorist cells. After a raid at a terrorist compound, he got a call from the U.S. Senate.[53] Soon after the mission was done, John went back to United States where he met with Keane Industries president, Paul Keane and Texas Senator Tom Herald in Manhattan. They explained to him that the reason he been contacted was to reclaim Cap's shield from Sam Wilson since he was not deemed suitable for the title of Captain America by the public. Keane and Herald also showed him news footage of Sam supposedly attacking the Americops.[54]
While personally disagreeing on Wilson's political views and disapproving on how they influenced his actions as Captain America, Walker refused to confront Sam. However, they were interrupted by Steve Rogers, who asked to talk to John privately. Steve told John that the pressure of the job was causing Sam to go out of control as it did to John, and asked him to confront him personally. Walker then went to the scene of the fight and ordered Sam to hand over Cap's shield. Sam refused, and the two began fighting, with Walker's much greater physical strength giving him an early advantage. Sam managed to turn the fight around by forcing Walker into a dark tunnel and using his powers to get the aid from owls that lived in the tunnel, defeating him and leaving him on the pavement. Unknown to anyone involved, Rogers' history had been altered to make him an agent of Hydra from the start, and had engineered the whole conflict. The following week, it was reported that John went missing on a mission in Syria.[55] He would resurface later on, as one of the countless heroes fighting Hydra's forces in Washington, D.C., following their takeover of the United States.[56]Attributes
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Powers
Power Broker Enhancements: US Agent possesses various super human physical attributes as a result of undergoing the Power Broker's process:[57]
- Superhuman Strength: US Agent is superhumanly strong and is capable of lifting about 10 tons.[57]
- Superhuman Stamina: US Agent's muscles produce far fewer fatigue toxins than the muscles of ordinary humans during physical activity. He can exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before fatigue begins to impair him.[57]
- Superhuman Agility: US Agent's agility and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the human body's natural limits.[57]
- Superhuman Reflexes: US Agent's reaction time is enhanced to a level that is beyond the human body's natural limits.[57]
- Superhuman Durability: The tissues of his body are somewhat harder and more resistant to injury than the body of an ordinary human. However, he is not invulnerable and can sustain injury in many of the same ways as an ordinary human. However, he can withstand impact forces and trauma that would severely injure or kill an ordinary human with mild discomfort.[57]
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Bulletproof costume, formerly Avengers Identicard.[57]
Captain America's UniformWeapons
Transportation
Notes
- Walker carries around a picture of his parents, usually taped to the inside of his shield.[37]
- John Walker featured in the Marvel Illustrated: The Swimsuit Issue.
- Walker has displayed racist sentiment towards indigenous peoples, being very dismissive towards Talisman, rolling his eyes when she referenced manifest destiny, referring to her as 'Pocahontas' and telling her to 'lay off the peyote'.[58]
See Also
- 390 appearance(s) of Jonathan Walker (Earth-616)
- 15 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Jonathan Walker (Earth-616)
- 20 minor appearance(s) of Jonathan Walker (Earth-616)
- 17 mention(s) of Jonathan Walker (Earth-616)
- 10 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Jonathan Walker (Earth-616)
- 238 image(s) of Jonathan Walker (Earth-616)
- 28 quotation(s) by or about Jonathan Walker (Earth-616)
- 8 item(s) used/owned by Jonathan Walker (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Captain America #323
- ↑ Captain America #333
- ↑ Avengers (Vol. 3) #2
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Thunderbolts #145
- ↑ Civil War: Choosing Sides #1
- ↑ Captain America #335
- ↑ Dark Avengers #184–185
- ↑ Captain America #328–329
- ↑ Captain America #327
- ↑ Captain America #332
- ↑ Captain America #332
- ↑ Captain America #333–334
- ↑ Captain America #341
- ↑ Captain America #347
- ↑ Captain America #336–339
- ↑ Captain America #341–351
- ↑ Captain America #354
- ↑ West Coast Avengers (Vol. 2) #44–45
- ↑ Captain America #376–378
- ↑ Avengers: West Coast #102
- ↑ Force Works #1
- ↑ Force Works #2–3
- ↑ Force Works #4–5
- ↑ Force Works #6–7
- ↑ Force Works #8–10
- ↑ Force Works #11–12
- ↑ Force Works #13–14
- ↑ Force Works #15
- ↑ Force Works #20
- ↑ Force Works #21–22
- ↑ Force Works #12
- ↑ Thunderbolts #23
- ↑ Thunderbolts #32
- ↑ Captain America (Vol. 3) #33–34
- ↑ Maximum Security #1
- ↑ New Invaders #1
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 New Invaders #2
- ↑ New Invaders #3–9
- ↑ Civil War: Choosing Sides #1
- ↑ Civil War #7
- ↑ Civil War Battle Damage Report #1
- ↑ Civil War: The Initiative #1
- ↑ Omega Flight #1–5
- ↑ Mighty Avengers #21–25
- ↑ Mighty Avengers #27–31
- ↑ Thunderbolts #142
- ↑ Dark Avengers #179–183
- ↑ Dark Avengers #184–185
- ↑ Dark Avengers #186–188
- ↑ Dark Avengers #189–190
- ↑ Avengers World #15
- ↑ Avengers World #16
- ↑ Captain America: Sam Wilson #11
- ↑ Captain America: Sam Wilson #12
- ↑ Captain America: Sam Wilson #13
- ↑ Secret Empire #9
- ↑ 57.00 57.01 57.02 57.03 57.04 57.05 57.06 57.07 57.08 57.09 57.10 Heroic Age: Heroes #1
- ↑ Omega Flight #3–4
- ↑ Civil War Battle Damage Report #1
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 12