Captain America John F. Walker

Marvel Legends
Captain America John F. Walker
By Hervé St-Louis
September 12, 2021 - 16:54

Johnathan F. Walker is a decorated Army ranger chosen to replace the original Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In the regular 616 Marvel Comics universe, John Walker is also one of the men that has replaced Captain America before becoming the US Agent. This is the second John Walker action figure from the MCU and a recast of the original with a new head and Captain America shield.

John Walker is an old comics character created in the pages of Captain America #323 as a temporary replacement of the original character Steve Rogers. In the comics, he was a more conservative, edgier, and younger Captain America with contrasting ideals and values about the United States and his mission as its representative hero. John Walker continues this in the Falcon and Winter Solder mini-series albeit with a brief sting at being Captain America.

Likeness

Of course, the figure’s likeness is based off the character portrayed by actor Wyatt Russell in the Falcon and Winter Soldier mini-series with a costume reminiscent of the one he sports in the streamed television series. Unlike the original cinematic John Walker action figure, this figure has an additional head sculpt based on actor Wyatt Russell.

Sculpt

I find that the character’s build is too thin, but it is the same with Wyatt Russell in the television series. When compared with other recent Captain America action figures, it is quite apparent. Next to the Gamerverse Captain America, Walker seems very small and slender. The texture on the suit is sculpted in and that’s good as it feels like real fabric. On masked head, there is an unpainted skin coloured strap under his left ear that looks quite odd. Even if inaccurate to the television character, it should have been painted dark blue. There is too much gap between the head and the neck’s ball joint. The head appears to be floating and does not look aesthetically good from a side view.

The character has a pinless sculpt which hides articulation elements at the elbows and the knees. This is good. One issue with the sculpt is that there is a glued-in side-arm on his thigh. We cannot remove the weapon from the holster, and I don’t like that. There are large gaps under the glued-on hair. I wish that the straps on his shoulders were not sculpted in but extra soft plastic pieces.

Paint

While the original US Agent John Walker had several and major paint errors, this one’s flaws are more related to the application. The silver paint is not thick enough and barely a week in with this toy, and you see rub wear. There are many paint spills where there are reds and silver applied. The strap under the left ear of the masked head, as I mentioned is not painted. The hair on Walker has a dirty blond wash that does not quite capture his look on the series.

Scale

Because of his hair, John Walker is slightly taller than the Gamerverse Stealth Captain America who offers a very comparison build, as well as the First Avenger Captain America action figure. Walker will look great next to other MCU figures and other Marvel legends action figures. He will be taller than most G.I. Joe Classified action figures and much taller than anything from Star Wars’ Black Series.

Stability

While Walker has good soles, he feels a bit wobbly. He hasn’t fallen yet, but he feels like a faller over time or if you brush your shelf or table just a bit. I recommend giving him the action figure stand treatment. With the shield pegged on his back, he will topple a bit backward.

Articulations

Unlike the G.I. Joe Classified line, Hasbro does not give necks on a ball joint for its Marvel Legends line. It means that while the neck is a separate plastic part, it is not articulated. The head which sits on a ball joint that is too high can twist and rock. There are no shoulder butterfly joints. It limits the movability of the figure for action shots such as when he grabs his shield to butcher his opponent in the television series.

The arm can turn 360 and bend up to 100 degrees. Walker has bicep curls and double elbow articulations. The joints are pinless. His wrist can twist and bend inside the palm. He has a tight abdominal crunch, and his waist can twist. His legs can rise at the hips to 90 degrees in the front, 30 degrees in the back but can only achieve a split of about 80 degrees sideways. He has thigh curls, of course and double knee articulations. Because his calves are thick, he cannot push his heel on his buttock with the double knee articulations. He does have shin curls and rocking ankles that can also bend up and down. All articulations are tight.

Plastic

The plastic feels very sturdy and different than the softer PVC often used by Hasbro these days. Of course, it’s probably the same plastic, but the toy does not seem as brittle.

Props

Besides the extra John Walker head, the figure only comes with the Captain America shield. The US Agent variant came with two sets of hands, two fists, and two trigger hands. I wish Hasbro would have included them in the set. Instead, we get one trigger hand for the right one and one fist for the left. Of course, because the weapon is moulded to the holster, there are no weapons for him to grasp in his right hand…

The Captain America shield is not the best. It is the one with the hook that can be fitted on one arm. However, long time collectors will know that this hook often breaks and will probably prefer to peg the shield on the back of the figure. The shield uses very dark grey and has a moulded seam that is quite visible and that starts from the center of the shield and forms a diameter. It is ugly and it feels like the shield is broke. I do not understand why Hasbro produces such ugly moulds. It’s not like it is the first Captain America shield that they have produced.

Packaging

The package mimics the Captain America toy seen in the Falcon and Winter Soldier series in the introduction of the new Captain America to the public in a stadium. That box featured the figure in patriotic colours that differed from the Hasbro Marvel Legends styling. It’s nice to see Hasbro making it more difficult to get rid of the box! There is a biography of the character on the back and nice art of him on the side.

Cost

I paid $33.99 CAD for this figure at Walmart Canada. It retails for about $22.99 USD at Walmart USA.

Availability

This figure is a variant of the John Walker character that is exclusive to Walmart in Canada and the United States. In the US, collectors must purchase the figure from Walmart’s online store. In Canada, thankfully, we can find these in the shelves of stores and bypass the atrocious and incomplete Walmart Canada online store. When I picked up this toy at my local Walmart Canada store, they had just received the figures and thus there were many on the pegs.

I am unsure if collectors have been able to pick this toy up easily in the US as the figure was selling for quite an unusual markup from Asian sellers before it was released in North America. I’m glad that I waited to see if Canada would get stocks before trying Ebay. Of the two MCU John Walker action figures, this is the one to get as it has the alternative head and the right paint scheme for the character as depicted in the series. If you find this toy and already have the original, the latter is a good base for a Scrap Iron custom action figure!
Rating: 8.5/10