The movie universe of Sony’s Marvel films may be dead and buried after misses likeKravenandMorbius, but there is no way that a character as beloved asVenomcan be kept off the big screen for good. And thankfully, one of Venom’s lesser-known hosts is already an established character in the MCU, whose cinematice future afterAvengers: Doomsdayis wide open:the failed Captain America,John Walker.
Both the antihero and actor Wyatt Russell are still more deserving of the spotlight thanCaptain America & The Winter Soldierafforded, which is why he’sset to appear in bothThunderbolts*andAvengers: Doomsday. There’s no telling exactly what Kevin Feige and co. have in mind for the character, but the conclusion of Tom Hardy’sVenomtrilogy means thatJohn Walker’s role as a Venom host in the comics is suddenly far more relevant. Especially since his path to Venom was unique from Eddie Brock, and one that might make even more sense for the MCU to follow.
How John Walker Became ‘Venom’ in Marvel Comics
USAgent Was Almost Killed in Combat As An Avenger (Spoiler Alert?)
While more appearances from John Walker may be a good thing for fans of Russell’s version, those familiar with the comic book career of Walker (asCaptain America, U.S.Agent, Super-Patriot, and more) know danger lurks around every corner. Failing the legacy of Steve Rogers was bad, but it also led Walker toa leading role in Marvel’s Dark Avengers, tainted-but-effective heroes and villains, not unlike the Thunderbolts. And it was on this teamthat John Walker was almost killed in combat with the Thunderbolts, losing an arm and leg in a near-fatal attack.
John Walker Survived, But Retired From Being A Marvel Superhero
After somehow surviving the brutal fight inThunderbolts#142 (2010) that saw his leg and arm amputated, John Walker took a new and unglamorous role as warden ofthe superhuman prison known as The Raft. As an augmented operative with a checkered past, Walker was an ideal choice to watch over similarly dangerous and uncontrollable villains from across the Marvel Universe. It’s as suitable a career for the MCU version, as isthe fate of The Raft itself: torn open to scatter alternate versions of characters into and out of the MultiverseinDark Avengers#183 (2012).
John Walker Became The Host of Another Universe’s Venom
As The New Venom Symbiote Host, John Was Restored Better Than Before
It was this unexpected journey into the Multiverse that ended up delivering John Walker a new lease on life, meeting an alternate version of the Avengers with less… heroic tendencies. More closely resembling the Avengers of the MCU (with shifting moral codes, secrets from teammates, and experiments risking the entire planet), it was this version of Ant-Man who revealed one of hismost intriguing test subjects: the Venom symbiote, transporated from an different, parallel universeinto their own. Sound familiar?
While this version of Hank Pym had no knowledge of Venom’s existence (asthis symbiote was captured after bonding with Spider-Manthe first time), and his universe’s Tony Stark favored tech over organics, the symbiote was confined to a test tube. But June Covington (the Dark Avengers' version of Scarlet Witch) knew exactly what she was looking at, immediately working touse this universe-displaced symbiote to turn John Walker into the next Venom host.
The reveal takes place inDark Avengers#185, when Walker awakens to find that his arm and leg are restored, and his mind and body have been returned to peak condition. With a new costume created by Covington from his previous designs, the U.SAgent is reborn, thanks to the symbiote. So why doesn’t John Walker resemblethe typical versions of Venom hosts? That is the crucial difference:this Venom symbiote has been effectively lobotomized, removing all higher brain function or link to the symbiote hive mind. A tool, not a sapient being.
The mindless symbiote acts as a simple extension of its host’s own body and consciousness, taking the form of Walker’s limbs as a servant, not a partner. It’s a grim fate forthis alternate universe’s version of Venom, but one that actually proved effective, and the reason Walker remains active to this day in Marvel continuity. At least, it hasn’t gone wrong yet.
Walker’s Symbiote Makes Him A Sleeper ‘Agent Venom’
Will The ‘Deactivated’ Symbiote Wake Up To Its Full Potential?
It’s strange to think that the symbiote inhabiting John Walker’s body hasn’t gone haywire amidst the largerVenom-centered comic events of the past decade (a testament to Hank Pym and Tony Stark’s genius). But it also poses an explosive question for fans of the MCU:if an unknown version of the Venom symbiote were used to save, salvage, or reinvent John Walker, could a new chapter truly begin? What could transpire if that sleeping symbiote were to wake up? A new definition ofan Agent Venom?
The possibilities are as endless in Marvel Comics as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with every agency from SHIELD to A.I.M. potentially involved in the action. U.S.Agent hasn’t succumbed to Venom yet, but with the MCU’s John Walker likely entering (or approaching) a parallel universe.will the MCU finally take the chance to make Agent Venom a reality? If they did, there is far more comic book precedent behind the move than most moviegoers would ever suspect.
