U.S.Agent

A former Super-Soldier who underwent Power Broker augmentation to gain superhuman strength and stamina, John Walker proved himself as the government-backed hero Super-Patriot before eventually being appointed by the Commission on Superhuman Activities to operate as U.S.Agent, serving as a harder-edged, officially sanctioned counterpart to Captain America.

Few characters embody Marvel's complicated relationship with patriotism quite like U.S.Agent, who burst onto the scene in The West Coast Avengers Annual #4 in 1989, courtesy of Fabian Nicieza and Gavin Curtis. Emerging at the tail end of the Copper Age, this figure has proven remarkably durable — 37 years of publication history and 223 catalog appearances, including a dozen key issues that collectors genuinely prize, is a track record that demands respect. His most significant stomping grounds include Force Works, Captain America, and Marvel Comics Presents, and the company he keeps — sharing pages with Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and other heavy hitters — places him squarely at the heart of Marvel's action-adventure universe. If you want a character who cuts against the grain of conventional heroism while remaining deeply embedded in Marvel's mythology, U.S.Agent is absolutely worth your time.