WARNING: The following contains spoilers for U.S. Agent #1 by Priest, Georges Jeanty, Karl Story, Matt Milla, and VC’s Joe Sabino.
John Walker has already ruined a new shield in the debut issue of Marvel’s new miniseries, U.S. Agent. Walker debuted as Super Patriot in Captain America #328 by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary before taking over as Captain America in Captain America #333 by Gruenwald and Tom Morgan when Steve Rogers vacated the role. After he was deemed unfit to hold the title, Walker became a new hero, U.S. Agent, with a uniform and shield that resembled the identity Steve Rogers had been using at the time.
In the past, Walker has worked with Valerie Cooper, the West Coast Avengers, and S.H.I.E.L.D., but U.S. Agent #1 finds him down on his luck. He burnt his bridge with the U.S. government in Force Works #3 by Matthew Rosenberg and Juanan Ramirez by withholding a flash drive with instructions on how to build a Deathlok from Maria Hill. He wasn’t part of the short-lived “Fresh Start” West Coast Avengers, and S.H.I.E.L.D. has been dissolved.
As the issue begins, John Walker is holed up in Mount Vernon, New York, waiting for the arrival of a rumored bomb in a pizza box. The issue clarifies that John believes he is protecting someone, but isn't clear on exactly who U.S. Agent is protecting, only that he has thrown them in the basement. As pizza delivery kids arrive, he makes them open their box then tosses them down the stairs with whoever he’s protecting. A 60-year-old pizza guy, Morrie Watanabe, beats him down and the two are eating pizza on the sofa when the assassin’s car screeches around the corner.
Walker reacts quickly, throwing his shield at the assailant. His aim is good, but his weapon isn’t. The shield stops the car, but when he pulls it out of the hood, it’s eaten away, ruined. Walker gives the shield to a neighborhood boy who mistook him for Captain America, who complains that it's a rip-off as he walks away.
Later Morrie says, “I thought that shield of yours was indestructible.” U.S. Agent answers, “It was. But they recalled all issued ordnance when I resigned my commission.” The origin of this new non-indestructible shield is never explained, and remains one of the many mysteries of the book.
There are more questions after Morrie and U.S. Agent are snagged by a tractor beam from a Virago building as they’re flying to an undisclosed location. Virago is first mentioned at the beginning of the issue with a documentary crew interviewing the people of Ephraim, West Virginia about the explosion of one of their distribution centers. By the end of the issue, it is revealed that Virago is a S.H.I.E.L.D. front, and that Walker's sister is a member of the organization that was believed to have been dissolved.
Like much like Priest’s run with Mark Texeira and other artists in Black Panther, there are a lot of questions left to be answered as the issue ends. There’s no more information on who it was Walker was protecting in the basement, nor is there much information on the mysterious Morrie who has been working with him. However, with four issues left in this new series, it's a sure bet that at least some of the answers are forthcoming.