Falcon and The Winter Soldier fans react to the "darkest moment" in MCU history

Nobody expected The Falcon and The Winter Soldier to go this far. The closing moments of this week’s episode saw a turning point, not just for a certain character – but also in how far Marvel is willing to push the envelope on Disney Plus.

Spoilers for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 4 follow…

As might be expected, the collective fandom is in a state of shock. Not only did Battlestar (Clé Bennet) perish during a fight with the Flag Smashers, but John Walker (Wyatt Russell) has also gone rogue and killed one of the members of the revolutionary group – with Cap’s shield.

For many, it’s beyond the pale. The image of Walker holding the bloodied symbol while being caught in 4K – the episode is called "The World is Watching" for a reason – is going to live long in the memory.

#TFATWS spoilers-----john walker straight up got caught in 4k. hope they give him actual hell, its what he deserves pic.twitter.com/j4zZNUlZ9MApril 9, 2021

steve rogers dropped the shield to protect one man time and time again without losing its integrity while john walker took the shield to defend his overlarge ego and ultimately taint it as a whole THATS the difference pic.twitter.com/GvEmgSTldqApril 9, 2021

#FalconAndTheWinterSoldier spoilers------the fact that john walker just brutally & publicly murdered someone with STEVE’S SHIELD genuinely disgusts me. pic.twitter.com/yfpqf2U8NQApril 9, 2021

Even looking beyond the MCU’s television output – which has already horrified with the likes of Vision’s colorless corpse jump scare in WandaVision – some are thinking this ranks right up there with some of the darkest scenes across all four Phases.

By far one of, if not *the* darkest moment in MCU history #TFATWSApril 9, 2021

cw // the falcon and the winter soldier spoilers #TheFalconAndWinterSoldier --that’s probably the darkest the mcu has ever goneApril 9, 2021

that was literally the darkest thing mcu has done i thinkApril 9, 2021

Now, attention turns to the next episode. Fans are gearing up for Sam and Bucky to take down John Walker. If the super serum-addled actions of this week are any indication, it could be a throwdown for the ages. 

Oh yeah.....Sam and Bucky are gonna have a field day with John Walker next episode. Walker's heel turn is complete. I knew he'd get Lamar in some bullshit smdh #FalconAndWinterSoldierApril 9, 2021

Manifesting that Sam takes back the shield next week #TheFalconAndWinterSoldierApril 9, 2021

Mercifully, Marvel is still keeping things light elsewhere. There’s now an extended cut of Zemo dancing the night away available to watch. Plus, the new Loki trailer is full of all sorts of timeline shenanigans from the smooth-talking God of Mischief. But the blood on the red, white, and blue won't be washed away so easily.

Catch up on the MCU story so far with our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.