I was thinking something like that too will we see Eli needing to get a blood transfusion in this? After credit scene or something. And pick it up in Young avengers or somewhere else down the line.
I would actually like to see that cinematically not just be told he got it off screen.
Also, I found that conversation Walker and Hoskins had was interesting. Everybody think that his actions in Afghanistan was heroic, and that partly makes him worthy of the shield.
But John didn't think so. I mean US involvement in Afghanistan was always sketchy at best. And he may not making the right decisions in that time.
But also need to consider that Steve emerged on a simpler time. When he was only challenged when he's already a fully formed Captain America. Who knows whether he'll make the same decisions when he was put in the same situation as Walker in Afghanistan
That stuff isn't on the character, That is bad writing the Flag smashers have had clear consistent code . Karli killing the people is to clearly make her "bad guy" and writers don't have deal with her being right anymore. You can't do a superhero show where you heroes are all the way wrong. And it is hard as hell to write a big hero vs bad guy conflict ending where they fight flag smashers without making them "bad". Bombing that building with people tied inside and going "This is the only language they understand" that is only time in this show they have acted like that. Flash smasher have shown they will only hurt people who directly confront them and their actions in bombing is trope where the sympathetic antagonist has to do something bad so the show can have plain ole bad guy.
Not saying this is what's going on, but just a thought: out of everybody we've seen get the SSS, Cap was the only one who was treated with vita-rays and the only one (with the possible exception of Isaiah), who didn't go a bit loopy. For a while, the comics held that Nomad Jack Monroe, and Crazy 50s Cap, went 'round the bend because they took the SSS without vita-ray.
On the other hand, there's ARE real world examples of that kind of thinking. Or were.
The Weathermen/Weather Underground immediately come my mind but it's been decades since anti establishment radicals verifiably did things like rob banks and bomb Government institutions (or in the Weathermen's case more like attempt and fail to do those things) to attempt to get thier message across.
It's kind of a shame. The Netflix Marvel series got bashed for being too long but we could use an extra flashback episode here to get Karli's actual backstory to make better sense of her as a character ( and another one for Walker and Lemar while we are at it).
I think we are just meant to infer that Karli and Co were repatriated ex-refugees that finally found honest employment and homes during the Blip, then ended up as goons in Madripoor after getting kicked out of thier new homes post Blip. You can see how there would be constant demand for dumb muscle in Mardipoor, where even Club Owners have henchmen gangs.
They were probably MEANT to be Power Brokers personal Superhuman Goon Squad, But they had thier own axes to grind and left and took the SS Serum with them instead.
Maybe 10 episodes would be an ideal amount