Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters' Perfect Captain America Reference Explained
Contains spoilers for "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" Season 1, Episode 2 — "Departure"
Wyatt Russell must be enjoying his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe because he's bringing it with him into other projects. In the Apple TV+ original series "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters," which is partially set in the 1950s, Russell's character Lee Shaw finds himself in a bar in the Philippines where American soldiers are sexually harassing a local woman. Shaw takes to this about as well as anyone with a well-tuned moral compass can and uses his fists to convince them that there are better ways to spend their time. The sequence is seen through flashbacks while Shaw is reprimanded by his commanding officer for picking a fight. When Shaw's CO asks what the fight was about, the bruised soldier simply replies, "I guess I just can't abide bullies, sir."
MCU fans will recognize this statement as being starkly similar to something that Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) says in "Captain America: The First Avenger." When Dr. Erskine (Stanley Tucci) asks Steve pre-serum why he is so insistent upon fighting in World War II, he states, "I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from." MCU fans will also appreciate that it's funny for Russell's "Legacy of Monsters" character to mirror the "I don't like bullies" sentiment because he portrays trigger-happy pseudo-Cap John Walker, aka U.S. Agent ... aka the biggest bully around, on the Disney+ original series "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier."
Wyatt Russell can't escape Captain America comparisons anyway
There's a very real possibility that even if the line is not meant to allude to the MCU, Wyatt Russell will be required to perform a little damage control. In "The Falcon and the Winter Solider" Season 1, Episode 2, "The Star-Spangled Man," John Walker tells an interviewer that he considers Steve Rogers to be something like a brother to him. Despite the line existing within a work of fiction, a non-zero number of fans chose to vent their frustrations with a fictional character at the actor who portrays him.
In response, Russell told ComicBook.com, "It's kind of part of the character and it was part of the draw, was being able to play someone like that and try to do it convincingly. But it was fun to be able to be set up as that character. Normally everyone's always trying to make you likable, or more vulnerable, or whatever it is. And this was a different thing for me to be able to do. And I had a blast doing it. Anything is good. Any reaction, I'll take."
Since Lee Shaw seems to be built from some of the same stock as both Steve Rogers and John Walker, viewers will no doubt catch the connection, regardless of the line's true intent. "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" is now available to stream on Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping every Friday through January 12, 2024.