Marvel's second Disney+ television event, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, has finally
dropped, continuing the saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most patriotic hero,
Captain America.
As Marvel's third phase came to a close with the enormous 2019 crossover event Avengers:
Endgame, the original Captain America, Steve Rogers retired from his heroic post after
saving the world from Thanos and his Infinity Stone-studded gauntlet of destruction. After
returning the stones to their correct timelines, Steve makes the decision to live out his life
with his long-lost love, Peggy Carter, in the past, returning to the present timeline
briefly to pass his shield on to his good friend Sam Wilson, also known as "the Falcon."
Alongside Steve's century-old best friend Bucky Barnes, Sam sets out to carry on Steve's
legacy with the famous shield in his possession — but before he can debut as the new Captain
America, the United States government presents their own option just as the first episode
of Falcon and the Winter Soldier comes to a close. Though the new Captain America, John
Walker, is only seen in the hero's distinctive mask and just for a moment or two, he's played
by a pretty famous face. Here's why Wyatt Russell, who plays the new Captain America
in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, looks so familiar.
The son of superstar performers Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell — and half-brother of starlet
Kate Hudson — Russell was originally an athlete, playing for multiple amateur and
professional hockey teams early in his career before quitting hockey due to multiple injuries.
Perhaps thanks in part to his family legacy, Russell then turned to acting, appearing in
small roles in movies like 2011's Cowboys and Aliens and 2012's This Is 40, he finally
scored his breakout role in 2014 in the comedy sequel 22 Jump Street.
In the sequel to the 1980s reboot 21 Jump Street, which was released in 2012, two bumbling
cops, Schmidt and Jenko return to their undercover beat, heading to college to figure out who's
distributing dangerous street drugs throughout campus. Russell plays Zook, a football star
who forms an immediate bond with Jenko (much to Schmidt's dismay) and is a main suspect
for the pair. Ultimately, it turns out that Zook's not actually behind the drug distribution,
but just a customer. Russell isn't the star of the film, but he makes a huge impact as
Jenko's new best friend, and it set him up for some huge appearances going forward.
Besides blockbusters like 22 Jump Street, Russell's film career has mostly relied on
acclaimed indie movies, but he's certainly become a recognizable movie star thanks to
these opportunities. After his success in 22 Jump Street, Russell joined the cast of
Richard Linklater's breezy sports comedy Everybody Wants Some!! in 2016 alongside stars like
Zoey Deutch, Blake Jenner, and Glen Powell, and overall, the film earned positive reviews.
In 2017, Russell played a vital supporting role in the dark satire Ingrid Goes West alongside
his future MCU co-star Elizabeth Olsen (whose character, Wanda Maximoff, kicked off the
MCU's television projects with 2021's WandaVision), playing Ezra, the husband of Olsen's influencer
Taylor Sloane. Eventually, Ezra and Taylor are entranced by Ingrid, a mysterious new
stranger desperate to invade their lives.
Russell then went on to appear in the crime thriller Shimmer Lake and the romantic comedy
Table 19 that same year. Soon, he's set to appear in the buzzy new literary adaptation
The Woman in the Window, joining a cast that includes huge names like Amy Adams and Gary
Oldman — as well as his Falcon and the Winter Soldier co-star Anthony Mackie — which premiered
on Netflix on May 14th, 2021.
Russell has built up a solid film career, but beyond The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,
he's shone brightly on the small screen. After appearances in the 2013 Walking Dead webseries
The Oath and the 2013 Arrested Development reboot, Russell took center stage in a popular
2016 Black Mirror episode, "Playtest," where Russell's Cooper agrees to test a new implant
that allows for gamers to place themselves within video games.
Two years later, Russell won over audiences and critics with a leading role in AMC's sadly
short-lived series Lodge 49 as former surfer Sean "Dud" Dudley, who stumbles across the
mysterious "Lodge 49" and finds himself sucked into the cultish lifestyle. Most recently,
Russell appeared in the miniseries The Good Lord Bird, which stars Ethan Hawke, in a recurring
role as Confederate Army lieutenant J.E.B. Stuart.
You can see Russell going forward in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which airs new episodes
every Friday.
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