John Walker, also known as U.S. Agent, doesn't play well with others. A hot temper, abrasive personality, and a lack of the morals that defined Captain America made John difficult to work with over the years. But when the Commission on Superhuman Activities appointed him as leader of a new team, John finally found the perfect place for his attitude and style.
In Jerry Ordway's USAgent, John Walker is inducted into the organization known as S.T.A.R.S. (Superhuman Tactical Activities Response Squad), a division of the federal government. As the field leader of S.T.A.R.S. John is given the authority to travel anywhere in the world and do whatever he deems necessary to complete his missions.
Rather than donning his traditional U.S. Agent outfit, John is given a new uniform that looks incredibly similar to that of 2000 A.D.'s hero, Judge Dredd. While maintaining the American flag motif on the front of his outfit, John's new suit ditches the deep navy blue color and replaces it with a solid black. Heavy tactical gloves, boots, and pads give him a look more on par with a SWAT officer than a Captain America analog. A full helmet with a giant reflective visor hides his entire face save for his mouth. The helmet, along with the golden eagle shield that he's armed with further the resemblance between John's new outfit and that of Judge Dredd. Even John's eagle looks similar to the golden eagle that adorns Dredd's suit, the symbol of The Hall of Justice.
John's team is instructed to raid a Hydra base in Italy and apprehend the terrorist known as Machete. The raid is successful up until the very end. As John is escaping the base, Machete is killed by stray bullets from the intense gunfire erupting all around them. As S.T.A.R.S. doctors examine Machete's body they discover a strange insect-like creature attached to him. They deduce it to be some sort of mind control device; who it planted it on Machete and why remains a mystery.
John's next mission takes him up north. An Atlantean outpost is discovered off the coast of Maine and intel informs John's team that the villain known as Poundcakes is aboard the outpost as well. The assault on the Atlantean forces is both a success and a failure. The renegade Atlantean militants are subdued with minimal casualties and John is able to retrieve a large satchel full of the mind control devices found on Machete. Poundcakes manages to escape, however, with a fortune in rare jewels in tow. She is later apprehended by the Avengers farther away in Connecticut, but John's inability to chase after her was another strike against him in the eyes of his superiors.
But a terrible betrayal has been committed and John is completely unaware: John's ex-girlfriend and current partner, Kali Vries, has planted two of the mind control devices on John. The same person that has been funding the S.T.A.R.S. Division, Senator Warkovsky, has been instructing Vries to betray her team. The Power Broker, the same shadowy villain that gave John his super powers, has been manipulating Senator Warkovsky. The deal was simple: Warkovsky follows the Power Broker's orders and the Power Broker helps him get re-elected.
The betrayals and subterfuge come to a head when the Power Broker attempts to mind control every single international representative present at a speech Warkovsky gives live. Misunderstanding his intentions, Captain America fights John until he realizes that John was never under the control of the Power Broker and had been working him and Vries since the beginning. With Vries, Warkovsky, and the Power Broker all taken into custody, John is finally able to process how badly Vries's betrayal broke his heart. His heartbreak doesn't last long as a new mission has him jumping to his feet in excitement. While a small event in his career, USAgent allowed John to enjoy an updated outfit and foil a villain's devious plot.
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