Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, streaming, TV | Tagged: aaron eckhart, bleeding cool, cable, captain america, chris evans, christopher nolan, Clé Bennett, falcon and winter soldier, Harvey Dent, John Walker, Lemar Hoskins, steve rogers, streaming, television, the dark knight, the falcon and the winter soldier, tv, two-face, Wyatt Russell

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Had Its Dark Knight Moment [OPINION]

If you been following The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, you know one of the main characters in John Walker, played brilliantly by Wyatt Russell has been a point of contention as of late. It's easy to hate on the man since to fill in the shoes of his predecessor in Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is something of a Herculean task. You can make the case for any actor stepping into an iconic role whether if it's James Bond or Batman. There is of course a purpose of needing a symbol to survive to become a beacon of hope, which ties into the theme of the Disney+ series. Since the US government needed another Captain America, Walker proudly volunteered…the poor bastard since Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) declined as Steve's hand-picked successor. I'm going to compare the scenarios between the MCU TV show and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008) and this will be your major spoilers warning.

How Does The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Compare to The Dark Knight

So we can establish Rogers already having his body of work from World War II until the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019) having saved the world numerous times from the evil forces of H.Y.D.R.A. in the mid-20th century and the 21st as they infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. in their deep cover operation. He also managed to lead the Avengers against the intergalactic forces of Thanos their second time around to victory. While Steve was able to do those things with the super-soldier serum, John already built up his resume before accepting the shield without the serum. Aside from the tall task of Steve's accomplishments, he never had to suffer the way John did during his missions in the Army during his deployment in Afghanistan.

Now, look at Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) who came in trying to also serve his community under the shadow of Batman. They both served the greater good trying to help clean up the city and doing it in the public eye. When Joker spread his chaos in the city ultimately kidnapping both Harvey and his fiancé Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and placed them both in separate death traps, the latter is the one who ended up dying. Yes, Bruce hardened and "detached" himself emotionally knowing if he ever revealed himself, his loved ones would be in constant danger. Harvey never got that luxury as his world crumbled down and in his grief, manipulated to becoming Two-Face from the Joker (Heath Ledger).

Let's fast forward to the latest episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in "The World is Watching." Is John brash? Sure, I mean if you're the new Captain America, it would be understandable to have some chip on your shoulder to try to keep up the legacy. Is John's attitude toward Sam and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) any more abrasive than what the other Avengers did to one another especially all the infighting between them throughout all the films? Yes, there are plenty of tough egos to sort through, but with time, the "good" Avengers eventually found a way to work together. Then all hell broke loose.

John lost Lemar Hoskins (Clé Bennett) at the hands of one of the Flag Smashers during their scuffle. Lemar saved his best friend from a blow that ultimately took his own life. In a fit of rage, Walker Cap, who was newly enhanced by the modified serum, ran down one of the smashers using the shield to crush the man's sternum killing him in the process. Can you honestly say if Buck or Sam were the ones who died at the hands of say H.Y.D.R.A. Steve wouldn't snap as well? The characters talk a big game when it comes to the original Cap because he's never endured such a loss or the PTSD Walker had to go through. Hell, Steve is very cognizant of the pain caused by Buck as the Winter Soldier brainwashed by H.Y.D.R.A. with the latter still on the long path to redemption in the Disney+ series. As a viewer, we know John Walker is probably beyond redemption because it almost seems elementary he'll share the fate of Eckhart's Two-Face in the 2008 film.

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