Why The US Pardoned John Walker (Despite His Crimes)

Warning: SPOILERS for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier ending.

Despite his crimes, John Walker (Wyatt Russell) was seemingly pardoned in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier finale but his turning into the U.S. Agent is more complicated than it appears. Walker joined Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) to defeat the Flag-Smashers in New York City, and the former Captain America displayed heroism by trying to save an armored car full of hostages from plunging into a construction site.

In The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 5, Walker was other-than-honorably discharged and stripped of his role as Captain America because he publicly murdered one of the Flag-Smashers in Latvia. Walker was then approached by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss), who holds some shadowy sway in the annals of governmental power. But John also appeared to be on a downward spiral and mentally unbalanced, perhaps as a result of taking the Super Soldier Serum. Walker forged a new shield for himself but he refused to relinquish the idea that he was Captain America. Considering his undesirable status, it doesn’t appear to make sense that Walker’s crimes are forgiven and he’s now the U.S. Agent at the end of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier but there’s a trajectory to Walker’s uphill climb from his despair.

Related: U.S. Agent Explained: John Walker’s New Superhero Name And Costume

First, it wasn’t stated at any point in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s finale that John Walker was pardoned or reinstated. At the end of the finale, Walker receives a black but otherwise identical uniform from Val, who renamed him the U.S. Agent and promised things are “about to get weird”. So, Walker’s official status isn’t clear but he certainly now works for Valentina de Fontaine and whatever unnamed organization she represents. Val is obviously powerful and influential enough to bring Walker aboard and can pull governmental strings. But regardless, Walker’s days as the official Captain America are over and that role (and the shield) now belong to Sam Wilson.

If Walker did get back in the government’s good graces, it’s because he publicly joined the fight in NYC and helped stop the Flag-Smashers. There were numerous witnesses and lots of TV coverage that placed Walker at the scene and John was heavily targeted by the Flag-Smashers, who wanted revenge because he killed Nico (Noah Mills). But Walker fought side-by-side with Barnes and looked like the hero he was supposed to be as Captain America, so John scored goodwill. Walker didn’t get to save the armored car full of Global Repatriation Council hostages because the Flag-Smashers ambushed him, but his heroic efforts didn’t go unnoticed.

It’s also possible that Walker was personally recruited by Sam Wilson. As he was flying into New York, Sam radioed Bucky and said he “called in some backup”. Barnes then immediately ran into Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), who got onto the scene incognito, but Sam sounded as surprised to hear Carter was there as Bucky was to see her. So if Sharon wasn’t the backup Sam referred to, then it’s possible Wilson contacted Walker offscreen to ask him to join the fight against the Flag-Smashers and Walker took the opportunity to redeem himself. After they were victorious, Walker and Bucky were chummy and Sam also nodded to John with respect.

Of course, Walker may have just been putting on an act for Sam and Bucky’s sake because he was working for Valentina de Fontaine all along. Whether or not John Walker’s military discharge was reversed or not seems to be irrelevant since he works for Val, not the government. Meanwhile, de Fontaine seems to have the pull to get Walker absolved of the crimes that made him lose the Captain America role even if she didn’t garner him a full pardon. While The Falcon and The Winter Soldier‘s ending didn’t answer all the questions surrounding John Walker, the biggest question to be answered is where and when the U.S. Agent will appear next?

Next: How Did Marvel Get The Falcon And The Winter Soldier So Wrong?

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