US Agent is the MCU’s latest star, but the Ultimate version of the character led a different life, serving as both the jailer and savior of mutants.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has introduced U.S. Agent John Walker into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the rocky history of one of Marvel’s more controversial Captain Americas may be known to most fans, the Ultimate Universe’s version of John Walker is far more obscure.
Ultimate Walker first appears in issue 9 of 2012’s Ultimate Comics X-Men by Nick Spencer, Paco Medina and Juan Viasco as Major Walker of Camp Angel. Before the series began, Magneto’s devasting tidal attack on the world in the Ultimatum event caused anti-mutant sentiments to an all-time high. The U.S. Government’s response to this was to lock every mutant away in camps, claiming it was as much for mutants’ safety as it was the public’s. The most prominent of these camps was Camp Angel, where Walker was assigned.
The series introduces Walker in a complacent role rather than a heroic one, allowing the soldiers stationed at the camps to enjoy watching Colossus being tortured for information. Walker remains on the sidelines of right and wrong throughout the issue as he accompanies Colonel Lake through the Sentinel guarded camp. The first signs of Walker recognizing the wrong going on is when he refers to the interred mutants as “prisoners” instead of going along with Lake’s insistence that the facility was a “containment camp.”
All is quiet at the camp until the news breaks that the U.S. Government is responsible for the creation of mutants. This prompts the mutant mediator of Camp Angel, Storm, to abandon her peaceful role and destroy all of the Sentinels that guard the camp. This causes all the mutants in the camp to riot, taking control of the camp and discovering all the horrific experiments done to them. The mutants are prisoners no longer — that role belongs to their former oppressors.
Walker, like his fellow comrades, is held captive by the mutants of Camp Angel. Stacy X, an outspoken mutant with more extreme views, thinks that they should execute the soldiers, Walker included. Storm steps in, saying that no such thing will happen. The issue is put to a vote, which results in a tie. Colossus emerges, claiming the deciding vote. Storm is relieved at first until he reveals that he votes against her, killing Lake with his bare hands.
Before the killing can continue, a different sort of massacre occurs. Stryker’s Nimrod Robots, originally created by the government to control mutants, arrive at the camp and begin to decimate everything and everyone in sight. This is the point where John Walker goes from complacent jailer to a true hero.
Walker snaps a frozen Storm out of the horror of what she’s seeing and focuses her on what really matters. Where his comrades hesitate to trust the mutants, Walker only cares about getting everyone out, telling Storm to get as many kids out as she can. As Walker leads them to safety, he shows an active distaste towards the attitude Lake had towards the treatment of mutants.
The Ultimate Universe version of Walker is a condensed version of what Earth-616 John Walker went through on his heroic journey. It tells the story of a soldier assisting in the less savory and morally grey activities of the U.S. Government before taking a stance as a true hero.
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