Fearless L.A. Protestor May Be a Superhero – But He's Not Marvel Actor Wyatt Russell

One of the things the internet got wrong about the L.A. protests (amid fallacious reports of burning police cars and widespread destruction) was that the protestor who stood up to National Guard was former hockey pro and actor Wyatt Russell.

One of the stars of the recent Marvel superhero movie "Thunderbolts," Russell is the son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. "Social media users on left and right were convinced" that it was Russell shown in a viral video of a protestor in Los Angeles lecturing National Guard members, UK newspaper the Independent relayed.

"But despite the passing resemblance with the protester, a spokesperson for the actor has confirmed it was definitely not him," the Independent reported.

In the video, a young man dresses down a cohort of military personnel in camo and face shields carrying weapons. The National Guard had been sent to the city with the intention of controlling protests against the heavy-handed tactics deployed by ICE against immigrants.

Social media users celebrated the stand taken by the protestor, identified by Out Magazine as Aaron Fisher, who is "a staunch LGBTQIA ally," the publication said. Moreover, the outlet noted with a touch of levity, while Fisher is not a star of any Marvel superhero films, he does, coincidentally, share a name with a gay version of Captain America.

Fisher gave the National Guard an earful. "You feel tough with your assault rifles and your sticks," the viral video shows the young man shouting; "you should be standing here with us."

"You're on the wrong side of history," the courageous Fisher continues in the clip. "We know you've got a job to do, but you took an oath to the Constitution, not to the fascists in the White House."

That point made, Fisher goes on to add: "Think about what you're doing now. Think about what this means. Coming into our community, a peaceful fucking community, people working their jobs. They send in men in military fatigues with weapons of war into our community! And you stand here and you allow it."

Even then, Fisher had more to say. Declaring himself "sick and tired" of governmental escalations at protests intended to be peaceful, he asks the troops, "Do you think any of the people in the White House sending you these commands give a fuck about you? Not one of them do; they laugh at you." Showing a knowledge of recent history, Fisher ticks off a list: "Our president laughs at you. He called you fools. He said the people who died overseas in the military were chumps. That's who you are defending right now."

Fisher's jeremiad comes to a rousing finish with: "This is our fucking community, and we will fight for it if we have to."

The clip drew praise from commentators. "Real patriot right here," one declared, while others remarked, "He makes more sense than anyone I've heard.👏👏👏," "Speaking truth to power with courage. Well done👏👏," and "That's a TRUE American speaking! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸," among a plethora of other plaudits.

The White House has been accused of needlessly worsening the clashes in Los Angeles, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta accusing the White House of an "unnecessary escalation."

The facts would seem to bear out the charge. "Before the troops arrived, the LA protests against immigration raids were overwhelmingly peaceful, with the LAPD even praising the protests in a statement on June 7th, which said, in part, 'Today, demonstrations across the City of Los Angeles remained peaceful, and we commend all those who exercised their First Amendment rights responsibly,'" MSN noted.

While the internet initially had the identity of the protestor wrong, stunning facts about the tactics used against protestors continue to hit headlines, including reports that 27 journalists were injured by police even as they were reporting from the scene of the protests. Law enforcement also targeted journalists for arrest: The AP reported that "CNN aired video of its correspondent, Jason Carroll, and his crew with their hands behind their backs being led away from a protest by officers. They were later released."

In another shocking report, video shows mounted police converging on a protestor, trampling him with a horse, and beating him.

The clip appears to show the protestor lying on the ground as police on foot and on horseback mill and circle around him, striking him again and again. When the man struggles to his feet, he is shoved and then grabbed by an officer, and hurled back to the ground.