U.S. Agent

U.S. Agent
U.S. Agent. Art by Leinil Francis Yu.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Captain America vol. 1 #323 (November 1986)
Created by	Mark Gruenwald Paul Neary
In-story information
Alter ego	John F. Walker
Species	Human (empowered)
Team affiliations	Mighty Avengers Omega Flight New Invaders S.T.A.R.S. The Jury Force Works Secret Defenders West Coast Avengers Commission on Superhuman Activities Bold Urban Commandos
Partnerships	Battlestar
Notable aliases	Jack Daniels, Super-Patriot, Captain America
Abilities	Superhuman strength and stamina Peak human agility, reflexes, and durability

U.S. Agent is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually those starring Captain America and the Avengers. He was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary in Captain America vol. 1 #323 (November 1986) as a replacement Captain America after the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, temporarily gave up that identity.

Publication history

U.S. Agent's early appearances included issues of Captain America and West Coast Avengers. During the 1990s, U.S. Agent wore a discarded costume of Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, which was black and had a different alignment of the stars and stripes to differentiate it 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 the "Maximum Security" storyline, U.S. Agent was given a new uniform reminiscent of riot police uniforms. He continued to use that uniform in his 2001 miniseries, which followed the events in Maximum Security and was written and drawn by Jerry Ordway.

Fictional character biography

Origin

John Walker was born in the fictional town of Custer's Grove, Georgia. He grew up idolizing his older brother, Mike, a helicopter pilot who died in the Vietnam War. John wanted to honor his brother's memory by enlisting in the military, becoming a soldier himself.

After John received an honorable discharge from the United States Army, he was told by a friend about the Power Broker, a mysterious individual who gave people superhuman abilities. Walker and his friend received treatments that granted him superhuman abilities.

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. 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 deceased sidekick Bucky's costume. Walker defeated these protesters and proclaimed to Captain America that the people should decide who was worthy of being Captain America, challenging Captain America's role as a symbol of 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, Captain America thought that Walker was behind the Buckies, because they were now his partners. Captain America confronted Super-Patriot and their first fight ensued. The Captain dominated the contest but failed to land a decisive blow. Although battered, Super-Patriot ultimately hit the Captain squarely in the chest with a throwing star. The strike did virtually no actual damage, but Super-Patriot claimed victory and the fight abruptly ceased. A somewhat confused Captain America, feeling that the contest had ended in a draw because of the fact that neither man had fallen, thought to himself: "No one wins every fight." After his fight with Captain America, Walker killed a terrorist named Warhead who had threatened to detonate a nuclear weapon in Washington, D.C.

Walker is technically the second Super-Patriot character in the Marvel Universe. The first Super-Patriot debuted in Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. vol. 1 #13 in July 1969 and would never appear again. The original Super-Patriot's costume bears no resemblance to that used by John Walker.

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, and later returned to action donning a black costume and called himself the Captain. Dr. Valerie Cooper, a member of the Commission on Superhuman Activities, suggested that Walker should be made the new Captain America, as a U.S. government operative. After a meeting with her, Walker was made the sixth Captain America. 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.

Walker 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 trained by Freedom Force, the Guardsmen, and the Taskmaster, and went on his first mission against The Watchdogs, a militia group. Although he made an honest effort to emulate Rogers' ethics, Walker was more brutal than his predecessor, due to his reactionary points of view. His superhuman strength and lack of emotional control led him to inadvertently beating Professor Power to death.

Walker's former partners, now calling themselves Left-Winger and Right-Winger, jealous of his new success, decided to humiliate him publicly. They crashed the press conference arranged by Cooper to reveal the "new" Captain America and the newly-named Battlestar, and revealed Walker's name and birthplace on national TV. His parents were subsequently killed by The Watchdogs; this incident drove Walker ever closer to a mental breakdown. In a state of rage, he killed many of the Watchdogs and eventually caught up to Left-Winger and Right-Winger, leaving them to die in an explosion. They barely survived, due to the condition of their bodies' physiology, but they were left terribly burned and in critical condition. Walker was then captured by Flag-Smasher, but rescued by the original Captain America, Battlestar, and D-Man.

The Red Skull, now in a clone body of Steve Rogers, lured Walker to Washington, D.C. The Skull attacked Walker with a rogue's gallery of Walker's enemies. Walker defeated and killed them all in a single brawl. Then the Red Skull arranged for Walker to confront the Captain. Rogers defeated Walker—this time not only dominating the fight again, but also dealing the knock-out blow that had proved elusive during their first encounter—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 was inhaled accidentally by the Red Skull, giving his head a reddish skull appearance, but the Skull escaped. Rogers and Walker gave a report to the Commission, which gave the uniform of Captain America back to Steve Rogers. Rogers declined the offer, but Walker persuaded him to reconsider and accept it. At a press conference announcing the return of the original Captain America, General Haywerth faked Walker's assassination by Scourge in order to set up John Walker in a new identity. To address Walker's psychosis, he was hypnotized into believing his parents were still living and he would not recover his full memory for many years.

U.S. Agent

Walker soon resurfaced as an adventurer, the U.S. Agent, wearing a variation of the costume that Rogers had worn as the Captain and using his vibranium disc as a shield. Walker continued to work for the Commission. He was first seen as the U.S. Agent, battling an Iron Monger as a test for the Commission. He was placed as a watchdog of West Coast Avengers and the Vision by the Commission, as a condition to possibly get their government clearance reinstated. Some time later, he rescued Battle Star from the Power Broker, and reconciled with him; Walker learned that his memories had been altered and that his parents were dead.

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 (though not from himself) in the ensuing vote and consequently lost his place on the team. Even with his personality conflicts and reckless behavior, he soon 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.

U.S. Agent was briefly referred to as the Liegeman in Avengers vol. 3 #2-3 as it was the codename for him in the Morgan le Fay verse.

He eventually became the field leader of the Jury, a group of armored corporate vigilantes, owned by Edwin Cord, owner of Cordco. 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 Activities Response Squad. The group battled alien invaders and superhuman threats and was responsible for their imprisonment.

Clockwise from top left: Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Captain America, Sub-Mariner, Union Jack (Joseph Chapman), U.S. Agent, and Blazing Skull on the cover to New Invaders #1, with art by Scott Kolins.

Invaders

He eventually became 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 (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.

Civil War

In the special one-shot Civil War: Choosing Sides, U.S. Agent must choose between the government to which he has always remained loyal or the man whose legend he attempted to uphold. As a strong trading partner to the U.S., Canada is vulnerable and without a superhero team due to the death of Alpha Flight. The U.S. Government offers him the position to lead a newly formed team called Omega Flight. He is attacked by Purple Man and agrees to serve his country by going to Canada and consequently joins Omega Flight.

In Civil War: The Initiative U.S. Agent was a part of the line-up of Omega Flight. He was assigned to the team as an American representative, but is personally motivated out of hate towards the Purple Man who humiliated him and stole his shield.

Mighty Avengers

During the Dark Reign, U.S. Agent is removed from Omega Flight by Loki (disguised as the Scarlet Witch) to aid Hank Pym in defeating the reality-altering Chthon. Following their victory, U.S. Agent joins the Mighty Avengers. The team is sent on various missions including saving the Infinite Avengers Mansion from becoming untethered from reality. On a mission to China investigating the Unspoken (a former king of the Inhumans), U.S. Agent is devolved by Xenogen gas which turns him into an Alpha Primitive. He attacks the current Captain America, James "Bucky" Barnes while in this condition. Quicksilver convinces him to attack the Unspoken by saying "The Commies will win!" Hank Pym later creates a new shield for U.S. Agent after his previous shield was destroyed by the Collective Man.

U.S. Agent was one of the Avengers who joined Hercules in his Assault on New Olympus. He said he believes that the Gods are just people with super powers and battled against Eris, Goddess of discord.

Following a conflict involving a Cosmic Cube-empowered Absorbing Man and the Dark Avengers, U.S. Agent is stripped of his rank by Norman Osborn.

Thunderbolts

U.S. Agent and several members of the now disbanded Mighty Avengers are called upon by Amadeus Cho during the events of Siege. Their mission is to stop Norman Osborn's Thunderbolts from stealing Odin's spear from the Asgardian armory. After engaging the Thunderbolts in battle, Nuke uses the spear to sever U.S. Agent's left arm and leg.

As thanks for his service during the siege of Asgard, John Walker is appointed the new warden of The Raft maximum security prison. The injuries he sustained during his fight with Nuke have left him wheelchair bound and using a prosthetic arm. He refuses to repair his body using more technologically advanced prostheses because he doesn't want to become a cyborg like the man who crippled him. Walker engaged an inmate in hand to hand combat during a prison riot, demonstrating that he could still hold his own despite some limitations. The warden was influential in establishing the new Thunderbolts beta team, appointing Songbird team leader and handpicking the new candidates. During the Fear Itself event, Juggernaut heavily damaged the Raft before escaping, causing a prison break. This triggered a security fail-safe in the section of the jail housing inmates who can emit toxins into the air or turn their bodies into a gaseous state. The fail-safe works by reversing the air supply, eventually creating a fatal vacuum. Walker set out to override the system, which could only be done in person. He was assisted by Ghost, earning his respect after selflessly protecting the lives of the inmates despite their ingratitude.

Powers and abilities

As a result of the experimental mutagenic augmentation process conducted on him by Dr. Karl Malus on behalf of the Power Broker, John Walker has superhuman strength, agility, reflexes/reactions, and endurance. His speed, dexterity, coordination, and balance are of the order of a superior Olympic athlete.

Aside from the above advantages, U.S. Agent is an exceptional hand-to-hand combatant, having received rigorous training in unarmed combat and the use of his shield in a style similar to 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 also highly trained in gymnastics and acrobatics.

He is capable of using his nearly indestructible vibranium 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. The U.S. Agent also wears synthetic stretch bulletproof fabric.

After being crippled by Nuke, John Walker lost one arm and one leg. Electing to use mundane, low-tech prostetics, he retires his U.S. Agent identity, and no longer has access to his weapons and gear. However, he's still fully capable to act in selfdefense with uncanny ability.

At one point, the Agent used wrist guards which produced an energy shield as well as energy blasts.

Other versions

Marvel Zombies

In one panel, U.S. Agent is shown as one of the surviving heroes. He questions why Magneto is present, to which Nick Fury answers "anyone who is not a zombie is an ally."

In other media

Television

• Though Force Works frequently appeared in the Iron Man TV series, the U.S. Agent was not in it, being replaced by Hawkeye. He did appear in the connected 8 issue series Marvel Action Hour: Iron Man.

Video games

• U.S. Agent appears as a palette swapped version of Captain America in Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, with winning quotes. In Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, he appears as a supporting character who can assist the player in battle with a special move.
• U.S. Agent is an alternate costume for Captain America in the action-RPG Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
• U.S. Agent is a playable character in the Marvel Super Hero Squad video game voiced by Nolan North.

Toys

• In 1990, ToyBiz produced a U.S. Agent action figure for their Marvel Superheroes toyline. The figure was merely a repaint of the previously released Captain America action figure.
• In 1995, ToyBiz released an action figure line for the Iron Man Animated Series. A U.S. Agent action figure was produced but never made it to mass market. However, the figure eventually did get released in international markets and the odd short packed case. It became one of the more valuable figures in the line. ToyBiz did release the original version of the figure at a convention, that version usually sells for 2-3 times more than that of the international release.
• U.S. Agent is in the Marvel minimates license. He is a two inch figure that comes with his shield, and a repainting of Blade's belt. He appears in the pack with the Taskmaster.
• A U.S. Agent figure in his original costume is part of the Comic Series segment of the action figure line from Hasbro based on the 2011 Captain America movie.

Collected editions

Title	Material collected	ISBN
Captain America: The Captain	Captain America #332-350; Iron Man #228
Captain America: Scourge of the Underworld	Captain America #318-320, back-up stories from #358-362; USAgent #1-4;
Avengers West Coast: Vision Quest	Avengers West Coast #42-50
Avengers West Coast: Darker than Scarlet	Avengers West Coast #51-57 and #60-62
Avengers/X-Men: Maximum Security	Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet, Maximum Security #1-3, Captain America #36, Thor #30, Uncanny X-Men #387, Bishop: The Last X-Man #15, Iron Man #35, Avengers #35, Gambit #23, X-Men #107 and X-Men Unlimited #29
Avengers: Once an Invader	Avengers #82-84 and New Invaders #0
New Invaders: An End to All Wars	New Invaders' #1-9
Omega Flight	Omega Flight #1-5, Civil War: Choosing Sides
Weapon Omega	Material from Marvel Comics Presents #1-12
Mighty Avengers: Earth's Mightiest	Mighty Avengers #21-26, Secret Invasion: Requiem
Mighty Avengers: The Unspoken	Mighty Avengers #27-31
Mighty Avengers: Siege	Mighty Avengers #32-36
Thunderbolts: Siege	Thunderbolts #138-143

External links

• AlphaFlight.Net Alphanex Entry On - US Agent
• http://marvel.com/universe/U.S.Agent
• USagent Website