Disney/Marvel John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Lemar Hoskins (Cle Bennett) in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier."
The second episode of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” is now available to stream on Disney Plus, and the latest installment introduced some pretty important characters.
First among them was the unmasking of John Walker (Wyatt Russell), the character who briefly took over as Captain America in the comics and is doing so once again in the MCU. One of the government’s most decorated soldiers, it’s clear that Walker still very much considers himself a government official. It’s not long until we see Walker in action, as he shows up to help Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) in a fight.
However, Walker isn’t alone when he shows up to lend a hand. Walker is joined by Lemar Hoskins, his old military buddy who has been tasked with assisting him as Captain America. In his first lengthy conversation with Wilson and Barnes, Hoskins introduces himself as Battlestar, which is another notable tie-in from the comics. So, here’s what we know about Hoskins.
Lemar Hoskins Is Played by Cle Bennett
GettyCle Bennett attends the “Heroes Reborn” premiere during the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.
Cle Bennett is the actor who brings Battlestar to life in the MCU, and he has quite the IMDb resume for television. Most recently, Bennett had a 10-episode run as Elijah on “The Man in the High Castle.” Prior to that, he had roles on “The Tick,” “Homeland” and “Flashpoint,” among many other shows.
Born in Toronto, Bennett’s first acting credits date back all the way to 1998. In addition to on-screen acting, Bennett has done voice-over acting for companies such as Coca-Cola and Ford, and he’s no outsider to superheroes. Bennett gained popularity while playing the villain Harris Prime in “Heroes Reborn,” and also appeared on an episode of “Arrow.”
Bennett has won two Gemini Awards thus far in his career, both of which came in 2010. He won best performance by an actor in a featured supporting role for the miniseries “Guns,” and he was awarded best performance by a featured supporting actor in a dramatic series for his work on “The Line.”
Battlestar’s Connection to John Walker in the Comics
A former bunkmate of Walker’s during their time in the Army, Hoskins quickly became friends with the future Captain America. Both characters participated in a super-soldier experiment offered by Power Broker – who also gets named in the second episode of the show – and gained superhuman strength. When Walker was operating as the upstart hero Super Patriot, Hoskins was a member of Bold Urban Commandos, often referred to by the nickname of “Buckies.”
Allusions to the similarities between Walker’s relationship with Hoskins and the one between Stever Rogers and Barnes continued to be made in the comics. When Walker was chosen to become the new Captain America he requested that his former Buckies are allowed to assist him. The government declines that request, but it does name Hoskins as the one new “Bucky” for Captain America, further cementing his partnership with Walker.
It wasn’t long before Hoskins took on the superhero name Battlestar, and the reason why is actually quite interesting. According to a CBR report, after the new Captain America was introduced, the writers received a letter that was full of shock and disappointment at having a black man take on the name Bucky. In a response letter, the Captain America team explained its mistake and stated that lead writer Mark Gruenwald “turned a ghastly shade of purple” when informed that a “buck” was a derogatory name for a black man in parts of the country.
This led the writers to make room for a conversation about the offensive nature of the term in the very next issue. After learning of the historical implications of the word, Hoskins decided to officially adopt the name Battlestar.
Battlestar eventually retired after some time working with Captain America, but he then joined up with Silver Sable’s Wild Pack and was also involved in some underground operations during the Civil War saga.
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