Okay, before I unleash this bad boy onto the internet I would like to remind people that my opinion is just that, mine. This is why when Sam received the shield instead of Bucky in Avengers: Endgame I was peeved off. I don’t dislike Sam at all, I really like him. When he melted in Infinity War I cried! But for me, he hadn’t matured enough as a character to take up that mantle.
Bucky had that brotherly bond with Captain America that Sam does not have. Sam’s a teammate, sure, a close friend maybe but he isn’t Bucky. Captain raided a Hydra encampment to get him back seventy-years ago and he fought for him still despite all odds. Sam has a lot in common with Captain too, in terms of the experience of war, but with everything else, it is Bucky whom Captain ties with.
Sam isn’t enough like Captain to be him. He is a modern hero with modern ideals. Yes, this is a good thing overall but in comparison to the original role of Captain America an emphasis is placed on the good old day and the American Dream and all that jazz. Everything that Sam is not.
Bucky on the other hand not only knew what Captain stood for but was one of the original Howling Commandos in Captain America: The First Avenger. He has all the trappings of a hero and all the experience too. He even has the gritty backstory nailed down – full of all the Nazis and brainwashing that makes the dark hero even better.
I thought and I still believe that had Bucky received that shield at the end of Endgame it would’ve been a clear-cut sign that Bucky had his redemption arc fulfilled. He would become his friend he so admired all those years ago and he might finally forgive himself.
I know in the comics everyone ends up doing something different or being something different because comic book logic is on another level of weird. But I would’ve been so happy seeing Bucky – I felt like he deserved it. I will still watch Sam as Captain and I will still enjoy it. I just want Sam to prove himself as right now, to me, he feels like he’s a hot pan away from being popcorn.
Picture from Disney.
