U.S. Agent
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U.S. Agent (John Walker, formerly the Super-Patriot and the sixth Captain America) is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary in Captain America (1st series) #323 (November 1986).
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[edit] Publication history
U.S. Agent's early appearances included issues of Captain America and West Coast Avengers/Avengers West Coast. During the 1990s, U.S. Agent wore a discarded costume of Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, which was black and the stars and stripes alignment of the suit made different to differentiate himself from Steve Rogers' original Captain America suit design.
Like some West Coast Avengers teammates who had their own series (Iron Man and Hawkeye in Solo Avengers), the character was popular enough to earn his own limited series in 1993. The mini-series was used to finish off a long-standing Marvel Universe plot thread involving the Scourge of the Underworld.
During the events of Maximum Security, U.S. Agent was given a new uniform reminiscent of riot police uniforms and similar in style to Judge Dredd. He continued to use that uniform in his 2001 mini-series, which followed the events in Maximum Security and was written and drawn by Jerry Ordway.
[edit] Fictional character biography
[edit] Origin
John Walker, native of Custer's Grove, Georgia, grew up idolizing his older brother, Mike. Mike was a soldier and helicopter pilot who died in the Vietnam War. John wanted to honor his brother's memory by enlisting in the military.
After John left the military, he was told by a friend about the Power Broker, a mysterious individual who gave people superhuman strength. Walker and his friend received the treament, which gifted them with superhuman strength, endurance, and reflexes.
[edit] Super-Patriot
Walker, now in debt, needed a way to pay back the Power Broker. Walker intended to join the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, until he met Ethan Thurm. Thurm persuaded Walker to become a hero instead. With Thurm backing him, Walker debuted as the corporate-sponsored Super-Patriot. Walker, as Super-Patriot, traveled the country promoting his image to the nation.
Walker organized a rally in Central Park to publicly criticize Captain America. At this rally, Walker was attacked by self-proclaimed 'supporters' of Captain America, called the B.U.C.s (Bold Urban Commandos) or "Buckies". The Buckies wore variations on Captain America's costume. Walker defeated these protesters and proclaimed to Captain America that the people should decide who was worthy of being Captain America. These Buckies were in fact frauds, who staged the fight in order to heighten Super-Patriot's status to the American people.
Walker would go on to demand a challenge from Captain America, with Captain America declining. Captain America told Walker that he would keep an eye on him. Later, thinking that Walker was behind the Buckies, who were now his partners, Captain America attacked him. After his fight with Captain America, Walker captured a terrorist named Warhead who had threatened to detonate a nuclear weapon in Washington, D.C..
[edit] Captain America
Soon after, the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, was forced to abandon his costume and identity or blindly serve the U.S. Government. Rogers resigned, donning a black costume and calling himself the Captain.
Dr. Valerie Cooper, a member of the Commission on Superhuman Affairs, suggested that Walker should be made the new Captain America. After a meeting with her, Walker was made the fifth Captain America.
Walker soon realized becoming Captain America was a mistake, because the Commission's chairman, Douglas Rockwell, was secretly an ally of the Red Skull. The Red Skull came up with the plan of destroying Captain America's image and at this point, his plan was working.
He was trained in the use of Captain America's shield by the Taskmaster, and was partnered with a new Bucky, Lemar Hoskins. Hoskins was originally a member of the Buckies, who later changed his codename to Battlestar. As the new Captain America and Bucky, they followed the orders of Adrian Sammish.
Walker was more brutal than his predecessor, due to his reactionary points of view. Walker's former partners, now calling themselves Left-Winger and Right-Winger, revealed Walker's identity to the press because they were jealous of his new success. His parents were killed by The Watchdogs, a militia group under the control of the Red Skull. This incident drove Walker ever closer to a mental breakdown, that in a state of rage killed many of the Watchdogs. Walker eventually caught up to Left-Winger and Right-Winger, leaving them to die in an explosion. They barely survived because of the condition of their bodies' physiology, leaving them terribly burned and in critical condition.
The Red Skull, now in a clone body of Steve Rogers, the Captain, lured Walker to Washington, D.C. The Skull attacked Walker through Walker's rogues gallery of his villains. Then the Red Skull arranged for Walker to confront the Captain. Rogers defeated Walker and confronted the Red Skull directly. Walker woke up and threw his shield at the Red Skull, preventing him from exposing Rogers to his "dust of death." Instead, the "dust of death" was inhaled accidentally by the Red Skull, giving his head a reddish skull appearance and the Skull escaped.
Rogers and Walker gave a report to the Commission, with the Commission giving the uniform of Captain America back to Steve Rogers. At a press conference announcing the return of the original Captain America, General Haywerth had set up the false death of Walker, Haywerth wanting to set up John Walker in a new identity.
[edit] U.S. Agent
[edit] Avengers & Force Works
He soon resurfaced as the U.S. Agent, wearing a variation of the costume that Rogers had worn as the Captain and using a vibranium disc as a shield. Walker continued to work for the Commission. He was placed on the West Coast Avengers roster by the Commission, as a condition of their government charter.
U.S. Agent fought alongside the Avengers in several battles. After the Avengers moved to a United Nations based charter, he received only one vote (from himself) in the ensuing vote and consequently lost his place on the team. Even with his personality conflicts and reckless behavior, he proved himself worthy of being an Avenger and was able to rejoin.
When the West Coast Avengers dissolved, he dumped his U.S. Agent costume and shield into the Hudson River. Soon after, most of the then-current members of the West Coast Avengers, were asked by Tony Stark to found Force Works, and U.S. Agent joined them, wearing a new costume and using an energy-based shield. When Force Works was re-absorbed into the Avengers lineup, he left the team.
During this time, U.S. Agent was featured in a Marvel UK comic called Super-Soldiers, teaming up with American and British soldiers empowered by a variation of the drugs that created Nuke.
[edit] The Jury & S.T.A.R.S.
He eventually became the field leader of the Jury, a group of armored corporate vigilantes, owned by Edwin Cord, owner of Cord Industries. U.S. Agent again wearing his original U.S. Agent uniform and now using an eagle-shaped shield that could be directed in midair 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, a former Avenger teammate of Walker's. 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.
U.S. Agent was 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 exo-skeleton.
Following his recovery, he soon adopted a new costume and rejoined the Commission on Superhuman Activities, with the position at the head of the federal government's U.S. Marshal division, called S.T.A.R.S., the Superhuman Tactical Response Squad. The group battled alien invaders and superhuman threats and was responsible for their imprisonment.
[edit] Invaders
Most recently, he is a member of the New Invaders, wearing a more Captain America-like costume. When most of that group disbanded in the wake of the apparent death of the original Human Torch, U.S. Agent, Union Jack (Joseph Chapman), and the Blazing Skull are still together as members. Towards the beginning of the run, U.S. Agent insisted on being called Captain America, although many of the older team members who knew the original Cap refused to do so.
[edit] Choosing Sides
In the special one-shot Civil War: Choosing Sides, U.S. Agent is forced to choose a side. He must choose between the government he has always remained loyal to or the man whose legend he attempted to uphold.
Promotional artwork for the upcoming Canadian-based series, Omega Flight, shows that U.S. Agent may be a part of the line-up, which was finally confirmed in the Choosing Sides one-shot where he is sent to Canada to join the Flight program as a diplomat, but also to get revenge on the Purple Man, who had defeated him in the issue and stolen his shield.
[edit] Powers and abilities
As a result of the experimental mutagenic process conducted on him by the Power Broker, John Walker has superhuman strength. His endurance is also heightened albeit to a lesser degree. His agility and reflexes are of the order of a superior Olympic athlete.
Aside from the above advantages, U.S. Agent is an exceptional hand-to-hand combatant trained in Captain America's own fighting style, by the Taskmaster. He is also a seasoned combat veteran with military combat experience in tactical and strategic planning and observations, special operations, and is highly proficient in the use of conventional firearms.
He is capable of using his shield for defensive purposes and as a weapon. He has great accuracy at throwing his shield and due to his superhuman strength, it is potentially a lethal weapon. He also uses an energy truncheon, that is capable of knocking out opponents. It can be also used as an energy laser, to cut objects.
[edit] Appearances in other media
[edit] Television
- Though Force Works frequently appeared in the Iron Man Animated Series, the U.S. Agent was not in it, being replaced by Hawkeye.
[edit] Video games
- U.S. Agent is a hidden character accessible in some of the Vs. Series of Capcom's Marvel Licensed Fighting Games. There, he is basically a palette swap of Captain America.
- He appears as an alternate costume for Captain America in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] List of titles
- Avengers Vol. 1 #332-333, 345
- Avengers Vol. 3 #1-4, 35, 56, 82-84, 501-503
- Avengers West Coast #50-51, 53-63, 65-69, 71-72, 74-82, 84-96, 100-102
- Avengers West Coast Annual #5, 8
- Avengers: The Crossing
- Captain America Vol. 1 #254, 323, 358, 372-378, 390-382, 400-401
- Captain America Vol. 3 #10, 20, 33-35, 50
- Force Works #1-10, 12-22
- Infinity Gauntlet #2
- Iron Man Vol. 1 #311-312, 317, 322
- Marvel Comics Presents #104, 159-161
- Maximum Security #1-3
- New Invaders #0-4, 6-9
- Secret Defenders #20-21
- Thunderbolts #23, 28, 32, 57
- U.S. Agent Vol. 1 #1-4 (June 1993 - September 1993)
- U.S. Agent Vol. 2 #1-3 (August 2001 - October 2001)
- War Machine #9-10, 15, 20-21
- West Coast Avengers #44-47
- West Coast Avengers Annual #4
- Wolverine Vol. 2 #134
- Wonder Man Vol. 2 #16-18
[edit] Significant stories
- West Coast Avengers #44 (May 1989); "Better a widow..." - U.S. Agent joins the Avengers.
- Force Works #1 (July 1994); "Day-Break" - U.S. Agent involved in the creation of the new team.
- Maximum Security #1 (December 2000); "Illegal Aliens" - U.S. Agent is made head of S.T.A.R.S.
- Avengers Vol. 3 #82-84 & New Invaders #0 (July 2004 - August 2004); "Once an Invader" - U.S. Agent fights the Avengers and is involved in the creation of the new Invaders.
[edit] External links
- US Agent - A profile at MarvelDatabase.
- A good site about U.S.Agent [1]
Categories: 1986 introductions | Captain Americas | Fictional Americans in Marvel Comics | Marvel Comics mutates | Fictional people from Georgia (U.S. state) | United States-themed superheroes | Iron Man supporting characters | Marvel Comics titles | Spin-off comic book superheroes | Captain America supporting characters | Marvel Comics martial artists | Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength
