I think John Walker’s MCU arc in Thunderbolts* is even more important after the actor who portrays him was revealed to be in Avengers: Doomsday recently. Until now, John Walker hasn’t been a particularly important character in the MCU after debuting as the official replacement for Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier​​​​​. In fact, the character was initially reviled after proving why he was unworthy to take the mantle after beating a man to death with Cap’s iconic shield in a fit of rage, leading to one of the most hauntingly memorable sH๏τs of the MCU.

This caused John Walker to experience a stunning fall from grace as he grappled with the fallout of his impᴀssioned decision. I’m actually stunned at how quickly Marvel reformed his character, turning him into a relatable antihero as the remorse began to set in and the shady Valentina Allegra De Fontaine approached him with a new opportunity. Thunderbolts* trailer footage reveals that he is still struggling under the weight of his past actions while continuing to take on disreputable missions – and I’m sure this will help to turn Walker into a firm MCU fan-favorite.

Avengers: Doomsday’s New Cast Announcement Officially Revealed Wyatt Russell Will Be In The Fifth Avengers Movie

He Is Joining Most Of His Thunderbolts* Co-Stars

Marvel Studios recently aired a surprise live-stream where it steadily revealed confirmed cast members for Avengers: Doomsday. While many of the names revealed were to be expected – such as Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, and Pedro Pascal – online discourse was kicked into overdrive as the cast of Fox’s original X-Men movies joined the list. While names like Ian McKellen were among the most surprising to see, almost as surprising was the reveal of most of the Thunderbolts* stars (except Olga Kurylenko, which doesn’t bode well for Taskmaster) – including Wyatt Russell.

I found the reveal of such Thunderbolts* cast members as Russell and David Harbour to be particularly remarkable, as it seems to suggest that the team will survive the events of Thunderbolts* to rejoin the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday. Of the Thunderbolts members I presumed wouldn’t make it, John Walker was one of the most likely. Given Walker has only appeared in one MCU production thus far, I wondered if that made him more expendable – but it looks as though Thunderbolts* will supercharge his star power instead.

Wyatt Russell Being In Avengers: Doomsday Makes John Walker’s Thunderbolts* Story All The More Important

John Walker’s MCU Arc Just Got More Interesting

Details of John Walker’s part to play in Thunderbolts* are to be revealed, but Thunderbolts* trailers have given us some clues. In one key scene, Walker reads an article on his phone enтιтled “Fall of a Hero,” presumably detailing his fall from grace in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Otherwise, Walker seems as though he’ll be a considerable source of comic relief in the movie, delivering some stellar one-liners in the trailer footage and generally appearing disaffected by the whole situation.

Still, with Wyatt Russell now being an official part of Avengers: Doomsday, it is clear that he will play an important role in Thunderbolts*. If he was as expendable as I initially believed, then I don’t think for a second that the movie would waste the opportunity to showcase the Void’s powers by killing him off. Now that we’ve seen that Walker is a new father (indicated by the crib he sits beside when reading the article) and seems willing, even if reluctantly, to rally against a threat several magnitudes more powerful than him, I can’t wait to discover more.

Wyatt Russell May Not Be The Main MCU John Walker In Avengers: Doomsday (But It’s Unlikely)

If The Thunderbolts Don’t Survive Thunderbolts*, Wyatt Russell Could Be Portraying A Variant

There is still a chance, however, for Marvel to turn John Walker into a tragic character and kill him off in Thunderbolts*. This would help to hammer home the stakes of facing off against Sentry and the Void, ensuring that the comparatively far weaker cohort of Thunderbolts aren’t kitted out with an egregious amount of plot armor. Now that Marvel has revealed that most of the Thunderbolts* cast (including Lewis Pullman) will be starring in Avengers: Doomsday, I think this would be even more shocking of a development as fans are expecting them to survive.

This could mean that Wyatt Russell and his co-stars will be portraying variants of their Thunderbolts* characters, instead. This would make sense in the current multiversal narrative – especially as other teams like the X-Men and Fantastic Four will be joining from other universes – but it also feels somewhat cheap. Now, I would actually prefer for John Walker to survive Thunderbolts* after having his arc fully fleshed-out, with Avengers: Doomsday continuing to build upon his story.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  Release Date

  
  July 31, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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