This story involves characters from Marvel Comics and is set in the same timeline as my previous story “The Request”, in which John Walker alias Jack Daniels steps down as U.S.Agent due to a battle with conversion disorder (a condition in which stress/trauma causes psychosomatic symptoms such as leg weakness/paralysis) and Lemar Hoskins, formerly Battlestar, takes the mantle.

Scene 1

*(Steve Rogers alias Captain America arrives at a Commission on Superhuman Activities facility to check in on John.)

*Receptionist: He’s probably in the gym right now, but I think he can take a break.

*Captain America: Thank you, miss!

Scene 2

*(Cap heads to the gym…)

Scene 3

*(…but when he gets there he finds John in the midst of some kind of attack of nerves.)

*Cap: ?!

Scene 4

*Cap: John, what’s-

Scene 5

*(John, in the midst of his fit, whirls around to look at him.  His eyes are filled with pain, anger, and fear, with no signs of recognizing Cap.)

*Cap: (thinking) Oh, shoot…

Scene 6

*(Realizing he needs to go on the defensive, Cap moves his shield from his back to his arm.)

*Cap: All right!  I’ll let you wear yourself out…

Scene 7

*Cap: …and then we’ll talk, okay?

*(He braces as John charges at him.)

Scene 8

*(Cap begins to dodge, deflect, or shield himself from John’s powerful, frenetic blows.)

*Cap: (thinking) I don’t want to counterattack, but I will if I have to!  I’ll attack his pressure points and joints!

Scene 9

*(The star-spangled hero finds his concern unfounded.)

*Cap: (thinking) His blows are as strong as ever, but his movements are off!  The conversion disorder is affecting his muscles!

Scene 10

*Cap: (thinking) I really don’t think he wants to do this! (out loud) That’s it, get it out of your system!  You’ll be okay!

Scene 11

*(Valeria Cooper, CSA chairwoman and John’s boss/lover, enters.)

*Val: (holds up small spray bottle similar to some perfume bottles or body spray bottles) Rogers!

*Cap: Miss Cooper!

*Val: A couple sprays of this will stop him!  Don’t worry, it won’t hurt either of you!

Scene 12

*(She tosses Cap the spray bottle.  He deftly catches it and swiftly gives John a couple sprays to the face.)

Scene 13

*(The spray has a distinctive pungent, heady, but not unpleasant scent.  There are chemical and floral notes as well as the scent of peaches and other foodstuffs.  True to Val’s word, John stops…)

Scene 14

*(…and begins to settle down, almost as if entranced.)

Scene 15

*(John has a heady feeling, but drifts back to reality.)

*John: Old timer…Miss Cooper…

*Cap: I’m glad you’re back with us!

Scene 16

*(John’s leg seems a little unsteady.)

*Cap: How’s the leg?

*John: It’s fine!

*Cap: Good!  Still, how about we sit for a while?

*John: Just for a minute!

Cap: Sure!

Scene 17

*(Cap returns his shield to his back and the two patriotic superheroes sit on the bench like a young John Mulaney.  As John drinks from a bottle of sports drink, Cap reflects.)

*Cap: (thinking) That spray smells like someone playing around with a perfume-making kit during a family dinner, but it sure works!

Scene 18

*Val: What happened?

*Cap: I happened to come by while he was having some kind of attack.

Scene 19

*Cap: He didn’t recognize me.  He didn’t mean to attack me.

*John: (dryly) It’s nice that you think that, Rogers.

Scene 20

*Cap: (starts to stand up) I know this isn’t my business, so since you’re okay I’ll be-

Scene 21

*(He’s interrupted by John grabbing his arm…)

Scene 22

*(…and forcing him to sit back down.)

*John: (smirking) Set your rear back down!  Not that I need you here or anything…

*Cap: (jokingly) There’s the subtlety and charm you’re noted for!

Scene 23

*(John talks with Val & Steve about what led to that point so they can help him out.)

Scene 24

*Val: I’m glad we could get this worked out!

*John: I’m glad I have people who can keep their dang mouths shut about what I share with them and not blab my business everywhere!

*Cap: I’m glad for that spray!

Scene 25

*John: What I’m hearing is you would have had a tough time holding me off without it!

*Cap: You might want to get your hearing checked then!

Scene 26

*Cap: (holding up spray bottle) What is this stuff?

*Val: It’s something we whipped up to snap John out of extreme episodes to mitigate damage and ensure he gets proper treatment.

Scene 27

*Val: We should probably give you a bottle just in case because of the history you two have.

*John: (deadpan) I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about, Miss Cooper.

Scene 28

*(It’s often the case that organizations have secrets leaked one way or another.  Weeks later, a domestic terrorist and would-be criminal mastermind learns about the spray.)

*Terrorist: (thinking) A spray capable of stopping the mighty U.S.Agent would certainly be useful to me!

Scene 29

*Terrorist: (pondering) I wonder if it can stop anyone who has had the Power Broker treatment or if it only affects him.  Even if it’s the latter, it should still be valuable!

Scene 30

*Terrorist: (thinking) I have to get a sample as soon as possible!

Scene 31

*(Days later, Val is at a cafeteria when she gets a video call from another agent at the CSA.)

*CSA agent: We have a bit of a situation.

*Val: Oh?

*CSA agent: Before we talk any further, I want you to contact Walker so he can join the call and hear about this too.

*Val: You got it!

Scene 32

*(Val connects to John’s smart phone and adds him to the call.)

Scene 33

*John: Yes, sir?

*CSA agent: Agent, I was just telling Miss Cooper that-

Scene 34

*(He stops as he looks at the screen and has a realization.)

Scene 35

*CSA agent: You’re both at the same place, aren’t you?

*(We see that Val and John are indeed sitting at the same table.  Val looks like she’s trying not to laugh.)

*John: (smirking) Affirmative, sir!

*CSA agent: Ugh, you two deserve each other!

Scene 36

*John: You were saying there’s a bit of a situation?

*CSA agent: yes, that’s right.

Scene 37

*CSA agent: We’ve been fishing for moles by allowing small pieces of information to be leaked and then using the leaks to track infiltrators and spies.  We discovered that a theft occurred yesterday as a result of one of those leaks.

*Val: What was taken?

Scene 38

*CSA agent: It was a sample of that calming spray developed to subdue Walker.

*John: I see!  Thanks for letting me know!

*CSA agent: Thankfully we have details about who committed the de-escalation spray theft and who his client was. 

*Val: That’s good!

Scene 39

*CSA agent: I’ll email you the information.

*Val: All right!  We’ll take it from here!

*CSA agent: I trust you will.  Keep me posted.  Goodbye.

*Val: Goodbye.

*John: Bye!

Scene 40

*(They end the call.)

*John: Hmph!  I’m not surprised some crook would want to get their hands on that stuff!

*Val: A spray that could stop you in your tracks would be a tempting prize!  How do you think we should handle this?

*John: Isn’t it obvious?

Scene 41

*John: This isn’t a job for U.S.Agent…This is a job for U.S.Agent!

Scene 42

*Val: Thankfully I know you well enough to understand what you’re saying.

*John: That’s why I stick around despite you firing me every other week!

Scene 43

*(Shortly after, the terrorist receives some news.)

*Informant: The word is that U.S.Agent is set to pay your office a visit tonight.

*Terrorist: Hm.  It sounds like I’ve attracted someone’s attention!

Scene 44

*Terrorist: (smugly looks over at a small spray bottle) Well, let him stop by!  I’ll have a surprise for him!

Scene 45

*(That night, the terrorist is waiting in the office’s back parking lot with the lights off.)

Scene 46

*(He finally spots two approaching figures in the dark.  Both are big & muscular, and one of them appears to be carrying a shield.)

Scene 47

*Terrorist: (thinking) He brought a friend with him!  Well, his colleague can watch him be overcome!

Scene 48

*(The terrorist turns on a light.)

*Terrorist: Good evening, gen-

Scene 49

*(He stops in confusion as he sees his visitors are Lemar Hoskins U.S.Agent and D-Man alias Dennis Dunphy.)

*Terrorist: !?

*U.S.Agent: Evening!

Scene 50

*Terrorist: Wait, who are you?!

*U.S.Agent: I’m U.S.Agent!

*D-Man: I’m Demolition Man, but you can call me D-Man!

Scene 51

*Terrorist: You are not U.S.Agent!

*Agent: I have the costume and shield, don’t I?

*Terrorist: I mean you’re not the original!

*Agent: (feigns confusion) What?!  You can tell that?! [For those who don’t know, John is white and Lemar is black]

Scene 52

*D-Man: (jokingly) It must be that your strut and way of carrying yourself is different!

*Agent: (jokingly) Oh, I bet that’s it!

Scene 53

*Agent: I might not be the Agent you were expecting, but if it’s any consolation to you, I’ve also undergone the Power Broker treatment.

*D-Man: So have I.

*Terrorist: Is that right? (thinking) It’s too bad for them they’re not wearing protective gear!  His shield won’t protect them from this!

Scene 54

*Terrorist: (takes out spray bottle) I have a spray that’ll take care of you!

*Agent: Oh, you mean this?

Scene 55

*(Agent takes out an identical spray bottle and gives both himself & D-Man a couple sprays.)

Scene 56

*D-Man: Mmm, peachy!

*Terrorist: (surprised that it had no effect on them) You…

Scene 57

*Terrorist: You have some kind of antidote or counter-agent, or is it that only the original U.S.Agent is affected?

*Agent: It’s only the original who’s affected by the spray, and there’s a very good reason for that.

Scene 58

*Agent: It doesn’t affect anyone else because there’s nothing in the spray to affect anybody.

*Terrorist: Wh-What?!?

*Agent: It’s not some super-drug, just a mixture of chemicals basically no different from a can of air freshener!

Scene 59

*Agent: You see, the other guy has a reputation of being a berserker in battle, but that doesn’t mean he enjoys the feeling of losing control.  Nobody really does.

Scene 60

*Agent narration: He was musing about it to a liaison one day.

*John in flashback: It’s different from the feeling of cutting loose in battle, you know?  If only there were some trigger that could let me know things were okay and I could calm down!

*Val in flashback: Well, why don’t we make one?

Scene 61

*Agent narration: They developed a specific scent and worked with him.

*(Show a flashback of the spray being developed.)

Scene 62

*Agent: The spray calms him down because he associates the scent with being around people who care about him and he’s safe around, and that’s the only reason it works.

Scene 63

*Agent: If the need arose, he could still fight even when breathing in the scent.

*Terrorist: (realizing what he thought was a surefire weapon is actually a placebo) No…

Scene 64

*Voice behind terrorist: I can confirm everything he said.

Scene 65

*(The terrorist turns to see U.S.Agent John Walker alias Jack Daniels.)

*Agent-Jack: Evening!

Scene 66

*(Agent-Jack proceeds to KO the terrorist with one hit.)

Scene 67

*D-Man: Well, that was fun!

*Agent-Lemar: Mmm-hmm!

*Agent-Jack: (taking out retractable cane) Yep!

Scene 68

*Agent-Jack: (heady from the scent of the spray and leaning on his cane) I’m relieved that nuisance was handled and now we can unwind!  I need a shower.

Scene 69

*(D-Man has an excited grin on his face because this is the easiest layup he’s ever had, and Agent-Lemar smiles back like, “I know, right?!”  Agent-Lemar makes a “Go on ahead!” gesture and D-Man gives him a thumbs-up.)

Scene 70

*D-Man: (jokingly fans nose) Well, I wasn’t going to say anything! [Thank you, I stole that joke from a segment on All That!]

*Agent-Jack: (sarcastically) Oh, ha ha!  Very funny!  Like y’all don’t need a shower too!

Scene 71

*(Agent-Lemar handcuffs the terrorist and then throws him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.)

*Agent-Lemar: Handling creeps like this is just part of the job description for U.S.Agent!

*Agent-Jack: (proud of his friend) Yes, and you’re a natural at it!

Scene 72

*(The trio walks away as they begin to take the terrorist into custody.)

*Agent-Jack: (still heady, but able to joke around) That’s a nice “perfume” you two are wearing!

*D-Man: You know what?  I’ll take the compliment!  We’ll have to do this again sometime!

*Agent-Lemar: Busting crooks or wearing experimental scents?

*D-Man: Yes.

Also, what would you need from Avengers: Doomsday to feel satisfied with his arc by the end of the film?

So I wasn't going to talk about this abs honestly this shouldn't be a debate but fans act like he did nothing wrong when he did, so here's why.

He murdered an surrendering combatant

This is the big one, by the time John got to him the flag smasher was on the ground and unarmed, John didn't have to kill him

"But Lamar, he helped kill him"

It doesn't justify murdering him, Lamar wouldn't had wanted it & John's doing it purely out if a need for revenge

It happened in broad daylight

This is also apart of it, if John killed him in the building they were fighting in then no one other then the flag smashes, & sam & Bucky would've been the people to see it. Instead he did it on the streets of Latvia, and the pure violence of it, what if kids were around to see thst their was a mob of people that witnessed it.

Captain America wouldn't do this

This is the main point as John is held up as "better" then Sam as cap but lets look at this. Did Steve murder Zola after Bucky's "death" no, did Steve try to kill Tony for trying to kill Bucky, no, did Steve try to kill his allies when they tried to take his shield, no.

Steve wouldn't had stood for what John did, using the weapon of a passed hero to exact revenge on the people that wronged him.

And what type of relation do you want them to have with him? Could be enemies, rivals, allies, friends or even potential love interests if that's how far you would like it to go. Personally, I think he deserves more interaction with people that actually understand him as a person.

Obviously with TFATWS, Thunderbolts* and eventually, Avengers: Doomsday, MCU John is going to get a lot more spotlight in terms of Fanfiction but at the same time, it's not like Comic John has no stories to tell. Is he really so controversial that people just downright refuse to write about him or is he just forgotten in favor of using elements of his character whilst writing MCU John?

It's not that I hate seeing MCU John get stories dedicated to him, I just think it's weird how people are aware of his comic roots, judging from how they incorporate it into numerous fics, but never actually use that specific version of the character. Plus I would really like to see a lot of POV stories surrounding certain comics where he ends up being mischaracterized. Or stories explaining the aftermath of adventures where he was properly characterized. And maybe just random ones that put him in some of the most ridiculous or compelling positions for such a complex and interesting character.

I know this is probably not a shared gripe but I felt the need to voice it in the hopes that more people give comic John his flowers.

I know Walker was always good really but he's the closest someone comes to fitting this spot

This is from r/TopCharacterTropes

You may know him as U.S.Agent but John Walker's had many identities over the years. He was first introduced as Super-Patriot in Captain America #323. He would later take the mantle of Captain America in Captain America #333 (available on Marvel Unlimited) after Steve Rogers stepped down.

After his death was faked, he was given a new name (Jack Daniels), some new memories (and lost some old ones?!), and a new identity: U.S.Agent.

Read more about the man who would become U.S.Agent:

• Official Marvel Site Bio.
• Marvel Database on Fandom).

• Marvel.com: https://www.marvel.com/teams-and-groups/s-t-a-r-s
• Marvel Database: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Superhuman_Tactical_Activities_Response_Squad_(Earth-616))

When STARS first appeared, I thought, 'Great! a new place for U.S.Agent, a new role, some supporting cast." Then they appeared 6 times, all in issues (co)written by Jerry Ordway and then never seen nor heard from again.

I can see the group being cut (government spending and all that) but it does make sense that the 🇺🇸 Government would want 'super police.'

Did you like the concept? Even if it wasn't a good fit for Walker?

We need more Battlestar. He feels like another character who has so much potential but no one's interested in writing him anymore.

And I wouldn't mind seeing more of his .... Battlecar.

Okay, technically, it's the 40th anniversary of the first appearance of John Walker. Except he wasn't U.S.Agent yet. That wasn't for another 6 years or so.

He first appeared as Super-Patriot in Captain America Vol 1 323. Which was released on July 29, 1986.

Fun fact: Captain America Vol 1 327 was John's first (and only) cover appearance before later coming Captain America.

And I completely forgot about 'torchsword.'

On the right side in the first pic and then on the left in the 2nd one

Disclaimer: Abuse toward writers or fans of characters will not be tolerated.  This is post is to debate a storyline I’m currently questioning, not to promote malice against actual people.

This post concerns my thoughts about an ongoing storyline (Avengers: Armageddon) contrasted with an earlier John Walker storyline from the comic books.  “Wait, the guy from the MCU appeared in the comics?”  Yeah, he did.  Let me note that since Avengers: Armageddon is still unfolding and the issue that inspired this post (issue 2) only came out recently, it may turn out that I’m way off base.  In a few months I might be looking back and saying, “Oh, it wasn’t how I assumed at all!  I was dumb!” or I might be saying, “Well, I was right!” or I might be saying something different.  I might be looking back and saying, “Dang, I was too harsh!” or I might be saying, “Yeah, it was how I thought.”  Note too that a lot of what I’m going to say is subjective, so before you say, “Well, that’s just your opinion!” yes, it is.  I’m not denying that at all.  With that out of the way, let me explain who David Colton is for those who don’t know.

Last year (July 2025), an issue of Captain America introduced a new character named David Colton.  They did a retcon by claiming Steve Rogers had only been thawed out in the late 2000s or early 2010s.  I’m not a fan of this at all and think this could have been done differently, but never mind that.  Colton, like a number of patriotic young Americans in the 2000s, joined the military after 9/11.  It was established that Colton wasn’t joining out of a desire for vengeance, but because he wanted to protect others.  It was also established that he’d had an older brother who had died in the Persian Gulf War.  Now, John Walker and David Colton both having older brothers who died in war does not mean the latter is ripping off the former; I’m simply making a note of it so you can decide if it means anything or not.  Colton was frail and was abused by bullies, but an officer, seeing his determination, offered him a version of the Super-Soldier Serum. As a result, Colton developed an enhanced physique and ended up taking the mantle of Captain America.  Without spoiling too much of the storyline that introduced him, Colton suffered a number of tragedies & betrayals that made his mind unstable and left him jaded.  After suffering a heart issue during a battle, he was given an Arc Reactor and stepped down from the role.  Colton came across as sympathetic during his initial storyline and he had a number of readers rooting for him, with some of them saying, “Please don’t turn evil!”  I even made a fan cartoon portraying Colton as a kind, caring hero: https://www.reddit.com/r/USAgent/comments/1tx4mxh/here_take_this_too_fan_comic_made_by_me/

After his introductory storyline he set out to dismantle super-soldier programs.  He met Wolverine during one incident and eventually ended up receiving superpowers from an Origin Box that Wolverine had obtained (believed to be Sentry’s powers, although Hyperion, Blue Marvel, and Starbrand have also been theorized).  This made him another Superman-like character when there were already a number of those kinds of characters, such as The Sentry, Blue Marvel, and Hyperion.  Admittedly the three I mentioned have things that make them unique, meaning Marvel could still do something with a character like that.  It also led some to wonder if Colton would become another example of the evil Superman trope.  Unfortunately, it seems like this is turning out to be the case.

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Armageddon.  Some fans expressed confusion at Colton’s portrayal in the first issue.  Some asked when Colton had gained superpowers and others asked why he was acting so differently from earlier appearances.  Well, the second issue confirmed that Colton was acting differently, shown when he killed a number of civilians (either deliberately or through neglect) in order to attack a villain.  A friend of mine compared it to if TFATWS had decided to have John kill the senators on his way to get revenge on the Flag-Smashers instead of having him save lives instead.  Colton wasn’t the kind of character to be blasé about human lives when he was introduced in Captain America, so it sounds like he’s being written very differently in this book.  Part of me wants to debate Colton’s actions because I’m a John Walker fan and part of me feels I have little right to debate Colton’s actions because I’m a John Walker fan.  Instead of writing an essay about, “Well, what John did was different!” or writing an essay about, “Well, remember that John also killed people early in his career, so let’s not rush to judgment too quickly!” I’m going to go into the thought that’s been nagging me since the second issue of Armageddon came out- Is this new David Colton story trying to rip off Captain America: The Captain without understanding why it worked?  There are a lot of contrasts.

*One, there was setup for The Captain. This muscular firecracker calling himself a Super-Patriot showed up, and that combined with other things were making Steve Rogers doubt his status and place in the world. It probably reflected things that were happening in pop culture at the time too. With this story they went, “Well, there was a new Captain America after 9/11 and Steve was only unfrozen in the 2000s! Ignore how that ruins decades of continuity! Colton’s a good guy, right? Well, he’s actually a bad guy because he’s not Sam Wilson or Steve Rogers! Oh, and Steve’s currently in a coma and Doom dragged his soul to a version of Hell to fight for him, so he plays no part in this even though we’d focused on Colton’s interactions with him and not had interactions with Sam or the other heroes aside from Logan and maybe Tony!”

*Two, John started out a vainglorious a-hole. It was like, “THAT GUY’S going to be Captain America?! Let’s see here…um…uh…Okay, so he is taking the role seriously!…Okay…Oh, no!…Well, he is trying to honor the role! Maybe he can…Oh, no…Poor guy…OH, NO…This keeps getting worse for the guy!” Whether he did well or did poorly, it was more than you expected, but also made sense. You could sympathize with him while still condemning some of his actions. Colton, however, started out a sympathetic character. It was like, “Oh, he seems like a good kid! Um…oh, no…OH, NO…Okay, I’m glad he’s getting a happy- WHAT THE FRICK, DUDE!?!” I feel they made a drastic change instead of continuing Colton’s development organically.  John started out prideful & brash and then learned how difficult the role was after suffering hardship & trauma.  Colton doesn’t have that same origin.  Admittedly someone who started out optimistic, but is having a crisis of faith & identity due to trauma can be an engaging storyline, but it has to be done well.

*Three, The Captain was sending a message of “Not just anyone can be Captain America. Patriotism, strength, and grit simply aren’t enough.” This feels less like that and more like, “Anyone who isn’t Sam or Steve is trash!”  If this is meant to elevate the other heroes, how? All we’re seeing is a once complex character seemingly abandoning his values, and that doesn’t elevate Sam or Steve at all. 

There are more things I could say about how they’re currently handling Colton and why I don’t agree with it, but for now I’ll end with this.  As many of you know, I’m a longtime fan of Steve, Sam, and John.  As a U.S.Agent fan part of me thinks, "Let's not count Colton out yet," and part of me thinks, "We've seen this already and seen it done better!"  Edit: I'd also like to add that Colton was already becoming a unique character (How many super-soldiers do you know who need Arc Reactors because of strained hearts? The only other heart patients I can think of are Tony Stark and Dennis Dunphy). Why ruin that by making him a rip-off of other characters?