John Walker in the MC2

Marvel Studios is set to release the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry with the Thunderbolts* movie. What better way to get into the spirit of things than to look at the most patriotic of the film’s protagonist characters through this blog’s usual MC2 lens? Today, we’ll take a brief look at U.S. Agent aka John Walker in the MC2.

 

Johnathan ‘John’ Walker first appeared in the pages of Captain America #323, first as Super-Patriot, assuming the mantle of Captain America in Captain America #333 before taking on his long-standing role as U.S. Agent beginning in Captain America #354.

 

Now that we’ve briefly brushed up on the Main Marvel Universe or Universe-616 John Walker, let’s transition over to John Walker in the MC2…sort of. When the newly reassembled Avengers team’s investigation into the last mission of the original Avengers leads them to an alternate universe ruled by Doom and the threat posed to all universes by his Universal Cube. It is here we learn that many of the Avengers died during their final mission, with Iron Man (among the few to return) declaring there were no other survivors (A-Next #7).

 

However, when the new team of Avengers arrive in the alternate world, they discover the rumours of Captain America's demise were greatly exaggerated. Cap reveals he chose to stay behind and aid the rebel underground, allowing his teammates to add his name to the list of the dead to discourage any would-be rescuers (A-Next #10).

 

Captain America details the history of this alternate world (which the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 designates as Earth-9907) which was roughly identical to their own until World War II. Whereas on the Main Marvel Universe and MC2’s Earth the Red Skull was trapped in suspended animation within a hidden bunker until the modern era, on Earth-9907 he escaped and killed Adolph Hitler and led the Axis Powers to victory, killing Captain America and conquering the entire planet. Many years later, the Red Skull spared a young Victor Von Doom, making him his heir only to be murdered and replaced as ruler by him. Needing new worlds to conquer, Doom spent billions to produce a Universal Cube capable of opening portals to other realities which led to the original Avengers team becoming aware of this universal threat (A-Next #10).

 

The rebel base is attacked by members of Doom's Thunder Guard, including the twisted version of John Walker known on this world as the SS Agent, forcing Cap to order the rebels and Avengers to retreat before he destroys the jump portal to cover their escape. When Steve tries to send the new and inexperienced Avengers team home to save them, believing they are not prepared for the upcoming battle, the heroes refuse, declaring they are staying (A-Next #10).

In A-Next #11, Captain America leads the Avengers in a mission to stop Dr Doom's use of his new Universal Cube. The team separates into groups and combat the various members of the Thunder Guard, with Cap, Thunderstrike and American Dream's aiming to destroy the Cube itself. When American Dream is pinned by Walker, Cap throws her the shield of his deceased counterpart, allowing her to free herself and knockout SS Agent. In the end, Doom is defeated when Crimson Curse sacrifices herself to banish him.

Shannon Carter aka American Dream would later be recruited into the ‘Captain America Corps’ by one of the Elders of the Universe known as That Ki aka The Contemplator. Alongside other time-displaced patriot heroes including Earth-616’s Captain America aka Steve Rogers from World War II, Earth-616’s James ‘Bucky’ Barnes during his time as Captain America, the 25^th Century’s Kiyoshi Morales aka Commander A, the MC2 or Earth-982 Shannon Carter aka American Dream also works with Earth-616’s John Walker aka U.S. Agent who is taken from a point in time shortly after his brief stint as Captain America (Captain America Corps #1).

 

This is notable as this U.S. Agent shares the same history as Shannon’s own John Walker on Earth-982. In fact, Captain America Corps #3 depicts the moment John was recruited by The Contemplator which includes an editors box specifying it occurs ‘circa Captain America #360’. For reference, here are the relevant scenes as depicted in the original story alongside U.S. Agent’s aforementioned ‘recruitment’ by Tath Ki (Captain America #360-#362).

 

The Captain America Corps are tasked with stopping an Entropy Wave from wiping out all of existence. The Entropy Wave is the result of someone excising various Steve Roger’s from across the multiverse before he could join the Avengers, causing unnatural alterations to those realities. The Corps find themselves on the altered Earth-11418, where the Americommand rule over a dystopian America thanks to the manipulation of the time travelling Deidre Wentworth aka Superia. Liberating the incarcerated superhuman population, the Captain America Corps lead an attack against Americommand and with the aid of Tath Ki, the team set reality back on its natural course (Captain America Corps #1-#5).

Following the Captain America Corps return to their respective points in time and space, only Bucky, Shannon and Kiyoshi retain memories of the event, having occurred in the past from their perspectives. Much like the young Steve Rogers returning to April 1941, John Walker is returned to the past, to the instant he left and recalls none of what transpired.

 

And with that, it’s a cap on John Walker in the MC2. Hope you didn’t mind that I cheated somewhat!  Special thanks to my buddy Jesús Arias for the spark that ignited this one, like a thunderbolt from the blue. 😉

 

Until I get my name from an alcoholic drink, I remain

 

frogoat

What to Watch Before Thunderbolts*

 

With Marvel Studios latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thunderbolts* mere days away, I thought it would be fun to take another quick break from my usual content and make a guide for anyone wanting to catch up or refresh before it hits theatres. Here’s What to Watch Before Thunderbolts.

 

First things first, in 2011 Captain America: The First Avenger introduced the world at large to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Captain America, but more relevantly brought us Sebastian Stan in the role of James ‘Bucky’ Barnes. Best friend to Steve Rogers aka Captain America, Bucky would seemingly perish on a mission against Hydra during World War II.

 

Thankfully for the many, many Sebastian Stan fans, three years later in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), in modern times the defrosted Captain America would face off against the eponymous Winter Soldier in his mission to take down the secretly surviving Hydra among S.H.I.E.L.D. Who is the Winter Soldier? None other than a brainwashed and super soldier serum enhanced Bucky.

 

A post-credit scene in the 2015 film Ant-Man would lead directly into events seen in Captain America: Civil War. The third entry in Cap’s solo film series, Captain America: Civil War (2016) featured a full-blown physical fight between the various Avengers, with Iron Man leading a team against Captain America when Bucky is framed for a terror attack by Helmut Zemo. Following the fallout from this film’s finale, the Avengers disbanded, and Bucky would stay in Wakanda to have his brainwashing deprogrammed.  

 

Another post-credits scene, this time in 2018’s Black Panther lets us know Bucky is feeling better and his skills are required for a fast-approaching fight. 2018 properly marked Bucky’s return in Avengers: Infinity War, where Steve’s team of former Avengers come together in Wakanda to hold off the forces of the Mad Titan named Thanos in an effort to prevent the death of the Vision in Thanos’ quest for the Infinity Stones. With the Avengers still disassembled, they would all fail in their efforts, and Bucky was among half the universe’s population to be erased from existence with a snap of Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet adorned fingers.

 

Pivoting now to a prequel film of sorts, and another 2018 release; Ant-Man and the Wasp debuted Ava Starr as the intangible antagonist Ghost. Set short before the events of Avengers: Infinity War, we learn Ava’s abilities are deteriorating and killing her. Fortunately, she is saved by the intervention of Janet Van Dyne who utilizes energy obtained from her time trapped in the Quantum Realm to stabilize Ghost.

 

Avengers: Endgame in 2019 saw the likes of Bucky returned to life thanks to a united Avengers team succeeding in their ‘Time Heist’ mission. And it was a good thing too, because everyone was needed to fight off the army of a time-travelling Thanos and prevent total annihilation. The victory would come at the cost of three of the Avengers original members: Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow, Tony Stark aka Iron Man and Steve Rogers aka Captain America. A now elderly Steve Rogers would hand off the Captain America Shield to Sam Wilson aka The Falcon.

 

We all skipped a year, then 2021 saw the release of the Disney+ series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Catching up with Bucky, we learn he has been cleared of prior charges and is attending court-mandated therapy and attempting to atone for his past actions as The Winter Soldier.  When a terrorist group called the Flag-Smashers emerges, both Bucky and Sam are surprised when the US Government assigns a new Captain America aka John Walker the task of stopping them. While dealing with their own animosity toward one another, Sam and Bucky find themselves on the same trail and are forced to step up to the occasion when a freshly minted super soldier John Walker publicly murders one of the Flag-Smashers in cold-blood with Captain America’s Shield, losing the mantle in the process. At the end of the series, John Walker is dubbed U.S. Agent and recruited by the mysterious Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

 

Meanwhile on the big screen, 2021 also brought us the much-delayed and long-overdue Black Widow movie, a prequel to Avengers: Infinity War. This film revealed Natasha Romanoff’s origins and introduces her surrogate family of Russian spies including ‘father’ Alexsei Shostakov aka the super soldier Red Guardian, ‘mother’ Melina and younger ‘sister’ Yelena Belova. Natasha brings down the Red Room and in the process frees the various Black Widow agents around the world from the control of the sinister Dreykov. It’s also revealed that Deykov’s daughter, Antonia survived a previous attempt on her father’s life and had been turned into the assassin Taskmaster by him. During a post-credts scene set after Avengers: Endgame, Yelena is recruited by Valentina to take down her sister’s supposed killer, Clint Barton aka Hawkeye.

 

We wouldn’t have to wait long for Yelena to return, showing up in the 2021 Disney+ series Hawkeye for Episode 4, 5 and 6. There she would meet the young archery protégé Kate Bishop and learns from Clint Barton himself the truth of what happened to her sister Natasha. We also see via flashback that Yelena was among those ‘snapped’ out of existence for five years by Thanos.

 

We learn quite a bit about the mysterious Valentina Allegra de Fontaine during 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The film reveals that Val is the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, that she was formerly married to Wakandan ally and fellow CIA Agent Everett Ross and that she has ambitions of obtaining the rare metal Vibranium. Ross loses his job and finds himself arrested for working with the Wakandans, who shortly afterwards break him free. Val, on the other hand, remains as Director of the CIA.

 

Finally, 2025’s first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, Captain America: Brave New World featured a cameo from James ‘Bucky’ Barnes wherein he comes to show his support to his friend Sam Wilson aka the new Captain America. It’s also established that Bucky is running for Congress which sets him up for his new status quo in the Thunderbolts* movie.

 

As a bonus, Avengers Tower was first established to have been sold during 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, and its evident from the Thunderbolts* trailers we will finally see that little plot thread come to bear.

 

Barring any unforeseen surprise cameos or post-credits reveals, that should be all you need to get a deeper appreciation out of the Thunderbolts* movie.

 

Until I get my face emblazoned on a Wheaties box, I remain

 

frogoat

 

Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the MC2

 

With Marvel Studios latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise looming on the horizon, now is finally the time to look at an oft underestimated character from the annals of the MC2. Yes, Thunderbolts* will feature Julia Louis-Dreyfus once again portraying none other than ‘Val’, or as she is known in the pages of Marvel Comics the Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. This is Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the MC2.

 

The Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine first appeared in 1967’s Strange Tales #159 in a Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.  story by writer and artist Jim Steranko. She would eventually reach a high ranking status with the spy organisation, even being appointed as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. upon the apparent death of her on-again, off-again lover Nicholas Fury (Captain America #449).

 

As for her counterpart in the MC2, the Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine of Universe-982 debuted in Amazing Spider-Girl #9. Valentina led a team of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Carnage story arc. Agent Maria Hill tasks Special Agent Arthur Weadon and his team of former villains led by Kaine with safeguarding the transport of an item referred to only as 'Specimen 297' (actually a piece of the Carnage symbiote) through New York City. When the transport convoy is attacked by the faction of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and the Specimen accidentally let loose in the city by Spider-Girl, Carnage is reborn.

 

Nick Fury makes his first on-panel appearance in the MC2 - albeit shrouded in shadow-when he assures President G.W. Bridge the situation would be resolved despite the complications as he has his best Agent on the case. After an attack by Carnage at Café Indigo, Hill dispatches S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Weadon’s team to track down Spider-Girl for questioning about her involvement (Amazing Spider-Girl #10-#11).

 

After evading both groups, Spider-Girl is reacquired during a battle with Carnage, with Maria Hill sending Weadon’s team and S.H.I.E.L.D. after her once more which results in Carnage attacking all of them. Fortunately, Spider-Girl manages to save everyone involved, but her baby brother Benjy, now merged with a part of the Carnage symbiote, is taken by the villain. Hill calls for emergency aid before following them to Midtown Medical Center (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).

 

 We learn through the investigative work of Kaine and Darkdevil the true plot: the United States was unwilling to destroy the Carnage symbiote despite the United Nations stance on the use of bio-weapons, G.W. Bridge and Nick Fury organised for Valentina’s team of disguised S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents to 'steal' the Specimen, setting up Weadon's team to fail.  This was all to demonstrate the dangers to the congressional committee wishing to keep the symbiote for bio-weapon research under the guise of finding a cure for cancer (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).

 

Maria Hill reports back to Nick Fury that Specimen 297 has been fully neutralized. Despite the operation not going as planned, the situation was salvaged thanks to Spider-Girl's intervention, providing the President with a sound rationale to convince the congressional committee to destroy the remaining Specimen (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).

 

That’s it for Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the MC2. She’s still doing shady operations for S.H.I.E.L.D. even if she can neither confirm nor deny them.

 

Until I stop enjoying writing ‘Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’ in full, I remain

 

frogoat