U.S. AGENT

 

U.S. AGENT

Real Name: John F. Walker

First Appearance: Captain America (Vol. 1) #323, November 1986 (as Super-Patriot II); Captain America (Vol. 1) #333, September 1987 (as Captain America VI); Captain America (Vol. 1) #354, June 1989 (as U.S. Agent)

Powers: John F. Walker began his career just out of the Army. He underwent the Power Broker Process to enhance his musculature, giving him Class 20 strength, superhuman endurance, reflexes, and resistance to physical injury. Outfitting himself as the Super-Patriot, he used a set of American throwing stars and a Liberty's Torch which produced a jet of flame out from its hilt. After being chosen by the Commission to replace Steve Rogers, Walker was given the patriotic chain-mail uniform of Captain America and the unique steel/Vibranium alloy throwing shield. After Rogers returned, Walker was given a new identity as the U.S. Agent and a new shield forged out of Vibranium.

When he joined Force Works years later, Agent adopted a new set of weaponry, replacing his solid shield with photonic energy generators mounted in his gauntlets. By calling out "Shield -- Ignite!", the generators projected a photon shield onto the back of his arm, which could disperse any energy directed at it. Saying "Shield -- Release!" would discharge the shield's photonic energy as a destructive blast, and he would require a few moments to let the generators recharge before he could form a new shield.

After taking a job with Edwin Cord and the Jury, Agent began using a new eagle badge shield that he could throw and then control its trajectory in midair using control studs in his gloves. He also employed Jury flight disks, mechanical plates strapped to his boots that enabled him to fly with great speed and maneuverability.

At one point, he went back to using his Vibranium shield only to have it shatter into pieces during the aftermath of Battleworld. After being heavily beaten and stabbed through the chest by Protocide, Agent underwent surgical procedures to save his life, which also apparently augmented his strength to some degree in the process. Shortly after this, Walker was approached by the Commission again to head a new department known as STARS. He agreed, and was given a set of modified weaponry. His new crash helmet protected his head from impact and was equipped with built in radio transceivers. His energy truncheon could produce painful surges of energy on contact, at varying levels of intensity, and his new shield was in the eagle badge design but reinforced by tangible photonic energy.

During his period with the new Invaders, Walker frequently utilized grenades and semi-automatic weapons, along with a disk-shaped shield which could extend razor sharp spikes around its border. He later returned to using a stylized version of his discus shield.

In battle with the Thunderbolts, Agent lost an arm and leg to Scourge, who was wielding the Asgardian spear of Odin, Gungnir. Although still super-powered, Walker was forced to use a wheelchair and a mechanical hand for utility. While trapped in a pocket dimension with the Dark Avengers, Toxic Doxie cultivated some symbiote bio-mass to recreate his missing limbs. These limbs seem to look and act exactly like his original limbs, with all their strength. It's unknown if his limbs have a traditional symbiote's vulnerability to fire and sonics.