Marvel fans are extremely frustrated with the new series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as it features a new actor who gets to play the role of the anti-hero Captain America, Wyatt Russell. Exceedingly angry fans have gone to such lengths as to send Russell death threats for even trying to live up to the character Chris Evans left behind. Other fans are coming to Russell’s defense, making the argument that because this version of Captain America is supposedly an anti-hero, the audience is supposed to have this reaction to his role and that just means he’s playing his part correctly.

Countless people are tweeting about this debate, calling out the fans who went to unnecessary extents to show their hatred towards Russell. “John Walker is a character who you might hate/don’t like. Wyatt Russell is an actor/human with feelings so sending him death threats and hate is just wrong,” Arnuv Peri, an extreme Marvel fan, writes. “Also, the hate towards John Walker just proves how amazing Wyatt is at acting. He deserves better.”

Reports of the death threats started out in late March, shortly after the series aired on March 19, 2021. Many people thought that Russell had deactivated his social media accounts after all the slander, however it just turned out to be fake fan accounts that were being targeted. It is now confirmed that Russell had no Instagram or Twitter accounts in the first place and the fans were simply bullying fake accounts.

Even though Russell was not being targeted directly, Marvel fans are still coming to his defense. “This is ridiculous,” exclaimed Cameron Guilbert, another Marvel fan. “Yes, I hate John Walker, but Wyatt Russell is just someone who plays a character. I hate Walker the same way I hate Thanos, but it’s not like I’m about to send threats to Josh Brolin. For the first time in my life, I’m embarrassed to be a part of this fandom.”

Wyatt Russell was even interviewed for a USA Today article, to give his opinion on the situation. “People are probably going to hate it, and some people are going to love it,” Russell said. Movies and TV Shows are there to make people feel emotions, and I’m hoping that that’s what this show can do for people. Hopefully they don’t hate me too much, but it would be an honor, I guess, to be disliked in the Marvel universe.”