Wyatt Russell Denies Intentional Race-Based Casting Choice for John Walker, But Kevin Feige Says Otherwise

Wyatt Russell, who played John Walker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, recently pushed back against a popular claim that Marvel purposely cast a white actor to send a message about race in the show.

The claim, found on Wikipedia, says Marvel wanted a white man to take the role of Captain America’s replacement as a way to show the government didn’t want a Black man like Sam Wilson to have the shield.

Russell called that idea “Wikipedia bull*****.” In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said, “He’s a white guy in the comics, and he’s an overzealous war hero turned superhero by the government in the void left by Steve Rogers. And Sam Wilson didn’t want the shield and so they needed somebody to take it.”

He emphasized that the fact John Walker is white in the comics is the main reason for his casting, not a deeper racial statement. But he also made clear that the show itself did talk openly about race.

He explained that the government’s choice of John Walker didn’t have to be about race for the story to work. What made the character interesting to him were John Walker’s “insecurities” and the fact that he “needs to learn things about himself to become fully realized.” Russell said, “They hired this guy who is a decorated war veteran, and all of his insecurities when he takes the superhero serum come to the surface.”

However, the Wikipedia claim isn’t just made up. It quotes Marvel’s executive producer Kevin Feige, who said the show was meant to highlight the government’s decision to give the shield to “a blond, blue-eyed white man” instead of Sam Wilson, who is Black.

Feige said during a discussion with Andscape around the time the show came out that the message was clear. He said, “Sam Wilson says ‘I’m putting the shield away,’ and a white senator says, ‘Good decision, son.’ And next thing he knows, on TV, here’s a blond, blue-eyed white man getting it.” Feige added that whether or not it was a conscious choice by the government within the story, “it certainly is making a statement.”

Feige didn’t directly say they cast Russell for the purpose of making that statement, but his words suggest the show was built around that idea. So while Russell denies that race was a factor in his casting, the show’s producer clearly wanted the story to point out the government’s preference for a white Captain America.

This disagreement shows that the issue isn’t simple. It’s not just about who was cast, but what the story was trying to say. Wyatt Russell’s comments came years after the show aired, but Feige’s earlier remarks support the Wikipedia claim that the casting had a racial message behind it.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was Marvel’s second big series on Disney+, starring Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, and Wyatt Russell as John Walker.

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