The End of Endgame

Avengers: Endgame was released a month ago and has since become one of the top grossing films worldwide. People cannot stop talking about this movie, or, more specifically, the ending.

SPOILER WARNING

SERIOUSLY

THIS POST IS LITERALLY ABOUT HOW THE FILM ENDS


Since before Avengers: Infinity War (2018) was released last year, I was predicting that Steve Rogers would not make it out of the Infinity War (note the original titles of Avengers 3 and 4 were “Infinity War Part I” and “Infinity War Part II” and all the films that have been released are collectively known as “The Infinity Saga”) alive because he is a man living in a foreign time and has nothing in his life outside of the Avengers/fighting the good fight in his life. Meanwhile, I was certain that Tony Stark, who has a life, a woman he loves, and a hugely successful family business, would survive to become support staff, not unlike what he does in the comics from time to time.


I was so wrong.


At first, I was so mad! People around me are sobbing (I always cry at movies– previews make me teary eyed) and I am just sitting there in shock. I left the theater salty as hell and it took sleeping on it for me to process and come to some conclusions.


First, let me start by saying that, in hindsight, I’m glad I was wrong. Being so surprised actually improved my experience. While I adore being right, I think it would’ve been a little anti-climatic for me had it ended the way I anticipated– at least that’s what I keep telling myself.


Now, the ending itself is this: Tony Stark/Iron Man sacrifices his life using his own Infinity Gauntlet to– snap!— destroy Thanos and his forces. He cannot handle the strain on his body and after a tearful farewell– particularly to Pepper Potts and Peter Parker/Spider-Man– he dies. In Captain America: Civil War (2016), Tony talks about how he can’t stop being Iron Man, because deep down he doesn’t want to stop. The general premise of Iron Man 3 (2013) is that he cannot bring himself to stop. Therefore, narratively, it makes sense that the only way for him to stop is to be stopped; he’s not going to stop while he’s still alive.

It’s also important to note that while there is no end credit scene, the last thing you see after the credits is the Marvel Studios logo with the sound of Tony Stark building his first Iron Man suit in the desert playing in the background. In many ways, the series has been his journey, specifically, and now it has come to an end.


Steve Rogers never wields the Infinity Gauntlet, but does gain possession and control of Mjolnir. Proving himself worthy, Steve survives the final battle and is the one to return the Infinity Stones and Mjolnir to where they belong in the timelines. However, Steve doesn’t just return those borrowed items. Instead of coming back to the present, he decides to find Peggy Carter in the past and they finally get that dance they talked about all those years ago and– it is implied– build a life together. In the present, Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier turn from watching Steve disappear to see an elderly Steve sitting on a bench waiting for them. He then passes on the shield and Captain America mantle to Sam.

So, there’s a couple things to unpack here. One thing I’ve always noticed was that you never see any pictures of Peggy Carter’s husband in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I looked. Now, this could be in part due to Marvel’s Agent Carter (2015-2016). Not knowing who she ended up with allowed for showrunners to play with different romantic options, since there was no set conclusion canonically. OR, they could’ve been super clever (directors Anthony and Joe Russo worked on Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame) and already knew where Steve’s story was heading.

I contend that Steve was in love with both Bucky and Peggy. He chose to have a life with Peggy because he could travel to a time not long after World War II and build a life with her in a world that is more familiar to him, one that would be peaceful, especially if he has to remain hidden from the public and his past self. Okay, but why not Bucky from the Russians/Hydra before he becomes the Winter Solider? I think that would have a greater impact on the timeline (as far as Steve’s awareness and the MCU narrative go).

Sam Wilson is Captain America in the comic books, but so is Bucky Barnes. So, why go with Sam and not Bucky? While I will forever maintain that the story of Steve and Bucky is an unfulfilled love story, they are often foils for each other. Sam, however, is consistently depicted as a parallel to Steve, from his first introduction in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). They’ve been through similar experiences (losing a ‘wingman’) and are both natural leaders (Sam leads the charge when the cavalry arrives in Endgame: “On your left” indeed). Also, I think it’s much more meaningful for Sam. Bucky is still bogged down by guilt and seventy years of brainwashing and torture. He does not want to be Captain America, and probably assumes he doesn’t deserve it. Sam has looked up to Captain America his whole life. To be a part of that legacy is a hugely touching gesture for Sam.

Now, while we don’t see it for sure, we know that Steve gets married, presumably to Peggy (who also never changed her maiden name– perhaps to keep her husband safe/secret?) while Tony is given a touching funeral. Pepper and Tony had five years together building a life outside of all the superhero stuff, had a daughter. So, in the end, I believe that Steve chooses to live a life for Tony, who can no longer do so. Tony was ready to hang up the suit– and did for a time– before being dragged back in by Steve. As a tribute– and perhaps out of guilt– Steve decides to do what Tony can’t and gets a life away from it. I think that it makes a lot of sense for Steve to live a peaceful incognito life to honor Tony and his memory, which conveniently explains why old man Steve Rogers wasn’t out fighting while his past self was frozen in the Valkyrie.


For years, producer Kevin Feige has said that everything changes after the Infinity War. That what comes next will be very different from what we’ve seen. Well, of the original Avengers (Black Widow, Captain America, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor) only Hulk and Thor are still alive/not clearly retired, but it’s clear that Hulk has found a new life as “Professor Hulk” while The Dude Thor is traveling with the Guardians of the Galaxy. We know that there are already a number of movies and canonical TV shows on their way, including Spider-Man: Far From Home which is set to wrap up Phase 3 this July, and should give us a better sense of what this new world looks like. After 11 years and 22 movies, I think it’s safe to say Feige delivered on his promise. As I’ve said in many previous posts, I look forward to seeing what gets announced next.

Marvel’s Key Avengers: Part Seven

Back on Earth…

Following Avengers: Age of Ultron  (2015), new solo heroes were introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that have had a drastic effect on the universe at large. 

Ant-Man: Ant-Man (2015), which premiered only a couple months after Ultron, introduces us to Scott Lang/Ant-Man. Scott is in jail following a Robin Hood-esque stunt in which he electronically stole huge amounts of money and returned it to the people it was “legally” taken from. Upon his release he struggles to find work to pay child support and see his daughter. Hank Pym/the original Ant-Man manages to trick Scott into stealing the Ant-Man suit, which enables the wearer to become smaller/bigger. Hank had previously worked with SHIELD before founding Pym Technologies and now finds himself being ousted. Together with Hank’s daughter, Hope van Dyne (later, the Wasp), the three of them work together to steal Hank’s technology and stop Darren Cross/Yellowjacket.

Later, Scott fights for Captain America’s team in Captain America: Civil War (2016), playing an integral role in Steve Rogers/Captain America and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier’s escape. To avoid jail time, he takes a deal that has him under house arrest for two years.

While Scott does not make an appearance in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the events of his second solo outing appear to be incredibly relevant to the forthcoming Avengers: Endgame. In Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Scott is nearing the end of his sentence while Hank and Hope are working to build a tunnel to the Quantum Realm to rescue Hank’s wife and Hope’s mother, Janet van Dyne, the original Wasp. Their experimentation leads to the realization that Scott and Janet became quantumly entangled with Janet during the climax of Ant-Man. Hank and Hope then kidnap Scott, leaving a decoy behind for the FBI as Scott nears his release day.

Hank, Hope, and Scott find opposition to their plans in the forms of Sonny Burch, a black market dealer hoping to profit off Hank’s inventions, and Ava Starr/Ghost, who seeks the Quantum Tunnel to end her own suffering caused in part by Hank Pym. In the end, Sonny and his gang are arrested, Janet is recovered and helps heal Ava, and Scott is released.

What appears to be the key element for Endgame is the Quantum Realm itself, which has the potential to enable time travel. From what we’ve seen, both from Ant-Man and the Wasp and from the Endgame trailers is that Scott loses everyone important to him in Thanos’s snap, but will find his way to the Avengers to help fix what happened in Infinity War.


Doctor Strange: Although referenced by name in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Doctor Stephen Strange doesn’t make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe until his solo film in 2016. In the film, after losing the use of his hands, surgeon Stephen Strange turns to mysticism to get his hands back. Instead, he finds himself in an inter-dimensional battle for Earth, in which he uses the Time Stone to defeat his enemy. He becomes a Master of the Mystic Arts and the keeper of the New York Sanctum, which helps protect the world from forces outside their dimension.

Stephen makes his next appearance in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) in which he kidnaps Loki when he realizes he’s on Earth. As Earth’s primary protector from things outside the Avengers purview, he explains to Thor that he really just wants Loki off-planet as soon as possible before he can cause any new trouble. He does help the Odinson brothers find their father, however, whom he had helped previously.

Doctor Strange plays a huge role in the events of Infinity War. As the protector of the Time Stone, he is a direct adversary for Thanos. After arriving on Titan with Tony Stark/Iron Man and Peter Parker/Spider-Man, he looks into possible futures to realize that there’s only one in which they win. Before he disintegrates he tells Tony, “We’re in the endgame now,” implying that he knew what would come next and how it would be reversed.


Spider-Man: Following his introduction in Civil War, Peter Parker/Spider-Man becomes something of a son to Tony Star/Iron Man. In Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Peter establishes himself as a “friendly neighborhood Spider-Man”, realizing the he is not ready for the kind of responsibility that comes with being an Avenger (and an adult).

In Infinity War, Peter travels to Titan with Tony and Stephen. As in the comics, he (and the others) almost succeed in removing the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos. His disintegration is heartbreaking for both Tony and the audience.


Black Panther: T’Challa/Black Panther’s first movie came out only months before Infinity War, but actually only takes place a few weeks after Civil War. In Black Panther (2018), T’Challa becomes king of Wakanda and battles his long-lost cousin, N’Jadaka/Erik “Killmonger” Stevens for the title. His actions during the film unite all of Wakanda’s tribes and opens up Wakanda and her technology to the outside world.

T’Challa and the Wakandan people play a large role in protecting the Earth from Thanos. While T’Challa’s endlessly brilliant sister, Shuri, works to remove the Mind Stone from Vision so it can be destroyed, the rest of Wakanda battles Thanos’s forces. As the most technologically advanced country on the planet, they are the best equipped for such a task, however, many lose their lives during Thanos’s snap, including T’Challa himself. 

Okoye, the leader of the Dora Milaje, Wakanda’s elite female warriors is featured in one of the Endgame posters, which establish who did and didn’t survive the snap. While she hasn’t been an obvious part of the trailers, it’s fair to assume that she will play a big part. There is also talk that she may play a role in the potential/rumored A-Force movie, which will have an all-female Avengers team. 


Nick Fury: Although he was the director of SHIELD for years, in 1995, Nick Fury was still someone else’s subordinate and new to the amount of weird in the world. It’s also when he meets Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel. It’s after meeting her that he gets the idea for the Avengers Initiative and he is the one to initially bring them together. In the present, Fury hasn’t been seen since he came to the rescue in Ultron, providing lifeboats for the Sokovians. At the end of Infinity War, however, he manages to use his modified pager (a gift from Carol at the end of Captain Marvel (2019)), to send a message before disintegrating. We don’t know what Carol has been up to since we saw her leave Earth, but it’s clear that she will play a role in Endgame, thanks to Fury’s quick thinking.

Marvel’s Key Avengers: Part Four

Captain America

Captain America is perhaps my favorite Avenger in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so I have a lot of things I’d like to say regarding the role he plays and his significance. With this bias in mind, I admit that while much of the MCU is focused on the journey of Tony Stark/Iron Man, I believe that it is the actions and consequences of Captain America and his franchise that have the greater impact and importance overall.

As a character Steve Rogers/Captain America is nothing if not earnest; he’s determined to do what he feels is right and what will have the greatest benefit. In Captain America: The First Avenger (2010), Steve Rogers is a small, sickly man, but determined to do his part for the war effort. He explains that there are men laying down their lives for their country and he doesn’t have any right to do anything different. It’s this determination to help that leads him to Dr. Abraham Erskine and Project Rebirth, which turns him into a super-soldier. As Captain America, he and his team is responsible for taking out the rouge Nazi science division, Hydra.

In Marvel’s The Avengers (2012), Steve is coping with having missed 70 years. This is a prime example of how he is something of a tragic character. Steve has lost time, friends and loved ones, and his home in a way that none of the other Avengers can really relate to. He still proves himself to be the capable military leader, however, when he brings the team together against the Chitauri.

In Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Steve exposes Hydra’s decades long infiltration into not only SHIELD, but other facets of government and politics worldwide. This is a huge blow for Steve, who thought he had sacrificed his life to bring an end to Hydra 70 years ago. He also learns the horrible truth about childhood friend and comrade, Bucky Barnes. Bucky, who was believed to have died while capturing Arnim Zola, was actually found and turned into a weapon. He’s spent the last 70 years being brainwashed, tortured, and experimented on.

That Bucky is alive is conflicting news for Steve. On the one hand, his best friend, the person who was closest to him (and a last remnant of home) is alive. On the other hand, it is heartbreaking that Bucky has spent the last seven decades under enemy control. There is guilt for not having searched for Bucky after he fell from the train in First Avenger. Steve is already someone who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, so he feels strongly that it’s his fault Bucky suffered (and continues to do so as he comes to terms with his actions as the Winter Solider).

(While I will forever maintain that there is something deeper than friendship between Steve and Bucky in the MCU, in the original comics, Bucky is Steve’s young sidekick. Comic Steve still feels guilt and grief over what happened to Bucky, but it’s more in the sense that he feels responsible for his young ward than the pain of losing the person closest to him. )

In Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Steve mentions his search for Bucky, but his main role and focus is as the leader of the Avengers. In Captain America: Civil War (2016), however, Steve’s actions are at the forefront and have massive consequences (not unlike Tony’s choices in Ultron). What is first a struggle between whether or not to sign the Sokovia Accords, essentially giving up his autonomy (something he had even during World War II), becomes a tug of war between his growing friendship and trust with Tony, and his longtime bond (and guilt) with Bucky. Steve not only chooses not to sign the Accords, but also takes Bucky’s side in the conflict, turning his back on Tony, the Avengers, and his responsibilities as their leader. Steve and Bucky find refuge in Wakanda, but as we learn in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Steve doesn’t stay while Bucky recovers. Instead, he and his team (including Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Sam Wilson/Falcon, and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch) become global fugitives (while Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Clint Barton/Hawkeye take a deal).

We don’t see Steve Rogers or his team again until Infinity War, where we are given a vague sense that they’ve been operating on their own, though what they’ve been doing is unclear. He is still welcomed back to Wakanda with open arms, and becomes sought out by Tony in response to Thanos’s impending attack. While Tony has been living his life as part of the Avengers and Stark Industries, developing or improving his relationships with Virginia “Pepper” Potts and Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Steve doesn’t seem to have any ties to life beyond being fugitive Captain America/Nomad.

With Infinity War being so crowded, we don’t get much from Steve beyond his role as a leader and someone still determined to do what is right. He briefly reunites with Bucky (who is significantly the first to be affected by Thanos’s snap), and when he reunited with the other Avengers and T’Challa/Black Panther he is looked to again for his talents as a tactician and leader. It’s exciting when he first steps out of the shadows in London to help Wanda and Vision and his reaction following the snap is something I think everyone in the audience could relate to, but we don’t get much of his emotional journey or what is going on with him, unlike some of the other characters.

The limited trailers for Avengers: Endgame suggest that Steve Rogers will play a much larger role, possibly to balance the focus placed on Tony Stark in Infinity War. One thing that has long been speculated about is the death of Steve Rogers, which occurs in the comics. Chris Evans’s contract was extended for Endgame, but he’s made it clear that this is really it for him, so I’m fairly certain that Steve Rogers will not make it out of “The Infinity Saga” alive. As I’ve said before, there isn’t much tying Steve to this world. Other Avengers have connections to the world outside of the fight (and the inevitable forthcoming resurrection), which gives them the possibility of a peaceful happy ending. And, while I continue to argue that there is something deeper between Steve and Bucky, the reality is that that has not been actively explored (nor is it likely to). With nothing official to facilitate a happy ending, and Evans’s insistence that this is Cap’s last outing, it will be hugely surprising if Steve survives. (Though I did recently read a theory that has Captain America and Black Widow leaving Earth to fight evil in space.)

Heading into Endgame in a few short weeks, I am eager to seeing how little the trailers have given away. This film will mark the end of an era, “The Infinity Saga” and I’m looking forward to Steve Rogers/Captain America making a truly heroic sacrifice and saving the day.

Happy Belated Valentine’s! My OTP

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day! In honor of this holiday, I’m going to talk about my favorite OTP. OTP stands for One True Pairing and is part of the ‘shipper’ culture. A shipper (in this context) is someone who strongly ‘ships’ two characters. Ship is short for relationship. So, a fan of the (typically) romantic relationship (real/canon or otherwise) between two characters. The OTP can refer to the ‘correct’ pairing in a fandom, or can be someone’s favorite couple. Today, I suppose I’m talking about both. This is my favorite couple, one that is not recognized by canon, and I am going to explain why it is correct.

The Pairing: Steve Rogers/Captain America and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Marvel Cinematic Universe

After careful watching and rewatching, I feel like there is a great deal of evidence to support this theory, even if it is not acknowledged by Marvel/Disney/etc. Both the creators and actors are aware of this fan-favorite pairing (it’s the most popular of the Marvel Cinematic Universe pairings) and continue to deny the theory, but even if it wasn’t intended, I feel that there is a lot of evidence of a deeper relationship.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Captain America franchise is, at its core, a story about a hero trying to do what he thinks is right. It is a story of action, adventure, and intrigue. It is also a love story.

In the original comics, Bucky Barnes is Captain America’s plucky teenage sidekick. I can imagine then that it was something of a surprise for big fans of the Captain America comics when James Buchanan Barnes is instead introduced as Steve Rogers’s childhood friend, a man who is actually a year older than he is.

Anthony and Joe Russo have directed two of the three Captain America movies (The Winter Solider and Civil War, plus Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame). They, along with the rest of the cast and crew are well aware of the amount of shipping that goes into Steve and Bucky, but when Civil War was released, they described the film as a brotherly love story. I disagree not only because Civil War is I think the least like a love story of the three, but also because I think the Captain America series as a whole is a romantic love story confined by the early twentieth century sensibilities these characters were raised with.

THE FIRST AVENGER

The first film, Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) sets up the key characters and their personalities early on. In 1942 Brooklyn, small sickly Steve Rogers starts a fight with a man for being disrespectful during a movie theatre newsreel about the war efforts. It’s in this back alley that the audience is first introduced to Bucky Barnes, who comes to Steve’s aid. Their conversation makes it clear that this is a fairly regular occurrence as Bucky speculates “Sometimes I think you like getting punched”. It also depicts the men as especially close as Bucky puts his arm around Steve as they leave the alley. 

This is my Exhibit A. The fact that Bucky is so used to this is telling. It means he is regularly searching out Steve to help him and keep him safe. This already shows a close bond. However, it is Bucky’s constant need for physical contact that I find interesting. Romantic relationships were already more formal, so little touches were meaningful. These constant friendly touches help the audience learn quickly that the two are close, but at that time would suggest something closer.

Exhibit B is when they take their dates to the World Expo. Here, Bucky again demonstrates that Steve is a main priority for him. He is far more concerned with his enjoyment than their dates. He is passive as his date (Doctor Who and Victoria’s Jenna Coleman) drags him around, but in a clear message to the audience leaves with both girls to go dancing (something that later becomes something of a euphemism). It gives the message that Bucky is a ladies man, but I think this could be overcompensating and that perhaps his talent with women is due in part to his ability to relate to them.

He still does not leave without arguing then saying goodbye to Steve. To me this is a lot like the relationship advice: don’t go to bed angry. There is a very real possibility that they may never see each other again. They display open affection, departing with a hug rather than a manly handshake.

I feel that these opening scenes serve as a way to establish each man’s priorities, which continue to be relevant throughout the franchise. For Steve, it’s about doing what’s right, helping other people, their welfare, but Bucky’s main priority is the health, happiness, and welfare of Steve. He constantly demonstrates that as he tries to make him happy and protect him from both himself and other people.

Just before the procedure that gives Steve Rogers his Captain America powers (in a scene that establishes dancing as a euphemism), Steve tells Peggy Carter about his inexperience with women. In this film, Peggy is Steve’s love interest, and this scene is meant to reflect that, but I think some of the lines can be read another way. Steve says, “Well, asking a woman to dance always seemed so terrifying. And the past few years just didn’t seem to matter as much. Figured I’d wait…[f]or the right partner”. Rather than say that Steve gave up in recent years because it got too frustrating, it can be argued that it didn’t matter as much in recent years because he still had Bucky, whom he can’t dance with anyway.

Steve’s feelings become more apparent when he arrives in Europe and learns Bucky’s unit (the 107th, which was the unit Steve’s father served in when he died in World War I) has been captured and is presumed dead. Even just hearing that something has happened to the 107th has Steve frantic, demanding to know if Col. Chester Phillips has written a condolence letter to Bucky’s family. Despite the fact that Phillips is certain he has, Steve almost ignores the information. There is a 99% chance that Bucky is dead, but he is still jumping out of a plane into a war zone and behind enemy lines to rescue him. Even with his superpowers, I think this speaks to a devotion beyond best friends. Bucky is the most important person to Steve. This suicide mission is my Exhibit C. Even as close friends as they are, I feel that the bond would need to be deeper than that for Steve to risk his life that way.

Later, when they are celebrating the rescue at a London bar, Steve is approached by Peggy while talking with Steve. Bucky tries to flirt with her, playing it off as feeling retribution when she ignores him, “I’m invisible… I’m turning into you. It’s like some horrible dream”, but his eyes, his focus stays on Steve. He looks sad. He can see the growing bond between Steve and Peggy, who saw Steve the way Bucky always has even before the serum, and it’s a bittersweet moment. He wants happiness for his best friend, but harbors his own feelings, too. Exhibit D is this little slice of camera work and acting, as the camera lingers on Bucky’s reaction rather than the growing attraction between Steve and Peggy.

Exhibit E is for End, the film’s falling action. Steve is devastated following Bucky’s apparent death. He did everything he could, literally hanging outside of moving train, but he still lost him. Peggy finds him attempting to get drunk (metabolism is too fast), eyes red from crying. While Peggy talks him down, Steve still seeks vengeance in what could be another suicide mission. He makes himself bait, trusting that he will be taken to Hydra leader, Johann Schmidt rather than killed on sight. Steve has superhuman abilities and advantages, but he’s not bulletproof. He almost admits this is about vengeance, but you have to wonder if his safety is no longer a concern for him now that Bucky is gone.

While I feel that this film sets the foundation for the relationship between Steve and Bucky, which becomes critical in the following films, that is subtext. The main and very relevant relationship is the growing romance between Steve and Peggy. Peggy is the first woman to see him for who he is, and it is likely, had he survived, they would’ve married. Similarly, had Bucky not fallen off a train in the alps, he would have similarly found a nice girl and settled down, rather than attempt a romantic relationship with Steve. Why? Because it was 1944. 

THE WINTER SOLDIER

The romantic Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014) is my Exhibit F as it follows the cliché of a romance film.

Captain America: The Winter Solider is all about relationships. Different types, the roles they play, their significance, and how they can be used for and against us. While the film is mainly a political spy thriller, underneath that is a love story. It follows a very clear arc, using a formula often seen in romantic comedies or dramas. It’s a very clear trope, first establishing that the main character is not in a relationship, nor is he looking for one. in fact, he is pining over lost love. When that lost love is learned to be alive, the main character uses the strength of their bond/power of love (true love’s kiss) to overcome their obstacles. (We probably would’ve gotten true love’s kiss, had Bucky been female.) Some examples of this trope that immediately come to mind are Shrek (2001), Sailor Moon (1991-1997), and Once Upon A Time (2011-2018).

At the beginning of the film, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow is determined to find Steve a girlfriend, constantly trying to set him up. This could be interpreted as Natasha trying to protect herself by finding someone for Steve other than her, but I really believe she is the best friend in this rom(not)com. Following a mission, Steve visits the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian and you have to wonder if this is his first time there. He lingers longingly in front of the Bucky Barnes memorial, after walking through the legacy left by his deceased friends and comrades.

When he returns to his DC apartment later, there is a song playing on the record player in Nick Fury’s attempt at concealment. I think this song choice is very deliberate. “It’s Been A Long, Long Time” since Steve and Bucky have been together. Steve’s thought Bucky was dead for a long, long time, after all. The lyrics so clearly describe their relationship, it’s impossible to imagine it wasn’t deliberate: “Haven’t felt like this, my dear/ Since I can’t remember when/ It’s been a long, long time/ You’ll never know how many dreams/ I’ve dreamed about you/ Or just how empty they all seemed without you…”

Other hints that Steve is pining for Bucky specifically is when he later tells Natasha, “Believe it or not, it’s kind of hard to find someone with shared life experience”. This suggests he has his previous love, Bucky, in mind, since they literally grew up together. Sam Wilson/Falcon’s relationship with Riley is also meant to serve as a direct parallel. Sam knows how it feels to lose someone that important (which I think implies a romantic relationship there as well). Later, Steve essentially shuts down when he learns the truth about Bucky, and even the Winter Soldier is thrown for a loop.

As someone unfamiliar with Captain America prior to the MCU, I found the Winter Soldier reveal surprising, but probably not anywhere near as shocking as Steve did. It’s a poignant moment, quiet, suspenseful music builds towards a moment when everything just stops; the music stops and the action slows. For dramatic tension, the Winter Soldier doesn’t immediately attack, and Steve straightens from an attack posture. The Winter Soldier conveniently stares moodily, giving Steve long enough to choke out, “Bucky?” It’s almost automatic the way he responds, “Who the hell is Bucky?” He attacks then, but that doesn’t stop Steve from trying to approach. When they are interrupted, the look on the Winter Soldier’s face is heartbreaking— hope, confusion, resolve. It’s an expressive moment.

Later, back at Hydra’s evil lair, the Winter Soldier is distracting, insisting that he knows “the man on the bridge”. Alexander Pierce treats him like a child, trying to dissuade him, and when that doesn’t work, it gives the audience a chance to see how well trained/brainwashed the Winter Soldier is as he willingly submits to electroshock, a procedure he’s obviously undergone before. But still, that something, that that brief moment with Steve broke through, is an impressive demonstration of the strength of the bond between Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers.

The launch of the helicarriers is the next time Steve meets the Winter Solider. In a true love’s kiss kind of moment, after not only refusing to fight him, but also saving him, Steve recites the promise the pair made in a flashback to his mother’s death: “I’m with you to the end of the line.” (That a train separates them would’ve been some impressive foreshadowing.) It’s enough to break through Hydra’s spell so that when Steve falls from the helicarrier, the Winter Soldier/Bucky saves him from drowning.

Exhibit F demonstrates the romantic nature of their relationship by using romantic tropes and symbols.

CIVIL WAR

After learning that the Russos describe Captain America: Civil War (2016) as a [brotherly] love story, I tried to look for the signs when I rewatched it and I have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. I think it is about close bonds, with a focus on one or two in particular, but I don’t think the movie itself is a love story or a romance. 

From the get-go we see that this movie is going to be about their relationship as the opening fight scene ends with Brock Rumlow/Crossbones talking about Bucky. The way Rumlow taunts Steve in Exhibit G indicates that he knows how important Bucky is to him. He teases the idea that Bucky remembered him but then delivers a gut punch when he claims Bucky blames Steve for the torture he’s gone through. It’s painful that someone he cares so deeply for has gone through something horrific and heartbreaking that he’d be blamed, even if he already blames himself.

When Steve and Bucky finally reunite, it is in an apartment in Bucharest, Romania in Exhibit H. When Steve first arrives to find it empty, it gives him an opportunity to see how Bucky’s been living as well as some insight into where his head might be. He opens a journal to a page with his picture on it, showing that the image meant enough to Bucky to glue it in there. The conversation makes it clear they are still able to read each other, and when the fight begins, even though it is the first time they are fighting together as enhanced individuals, they instinctually work together to protect each other. Even though Bucky’s priority is escape, a lot of the fight choreography is meant to show how they seamlessly work together, indicating that their strong bond never went away.

Throughout the film there are many of these small moments meant to show how close Steve and Bucky are. We receive some blatant symbolism after Bucky is captured. While he makes it clear he prefers Bucky to James (a fact I think is significant since that is what Steve calls him), Tony Stark is trying to get Steve to sign the accords. In Exhibit I, he has a pair of pens previously used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. When Steve refuses, he returns the pens saying he doesn’t “want to break up the set”. Steve and Bucky are a set he similarly does not want to break up.

Later, in Exhibit J, after Steve and Sam Wilson have once again subdued the Winter Soldier, Bucky is asked to prove he’s no longer effected by the Russian trigger words. He recites facts about Steve with a smile and a chuckle because they are fond memories of someone he loves. There is another similar moment on the Quinjet when they fly to Siberia where you could easily argue that Steve is a little salty about “Delores. You called her Dot.” It’s a fond memory because it’s with Bucky, but there is jealousy there.

Before that, however, we have the Sharon Carter kiss. Exhibit K: The kiss itself seems forced, which could just be bad chemistry between the actors, but while Sharon looks into it, Steve does not. It looks forced to me, like Steve feels he needs to give Sharon SOMETHING in return for all their help. Hayley Atwell, the actress who plays Sharon’s Great Aunt Peggy Carter, has actually spoken out about how inappropriate she found the kiss. It’s creepy for a number of reasons, beyond just the fact that he was in love with her great aunt (a relationship that was only a handful of years ago for Steve who was asleep for 70).

Then, there’s the smiles. While Sam looks genuinely happy for the possible romance, Bucky’s smile always looks strained every time I watch it. It could be that he thinks it’s a terrible time for a relationship, or that he sees how forced the kiss looks, but I think it could be deeper than that. Bucky wants what’s best for Steve, what will make him the most happy, but I think he’s in love with him and seeing him kiss someone else is still painful.

Exhibit L, the final fight between Bucky, Steve, and Tony, is intense. It’s another opportunity to see how in sync Steve and Bucky are, despite having never fought this way together before. It’s also a scene where Steve makes it clear who the priority is. Steve has already become an international fugitive, essentially given up everything. Now Steve is making a deliberate choice knowing exactly who he is hurting and why. This scene is perhaps one of the most powerful as Steve literally gives up everything (gives up his shield) for Bucky.

INFINITY WAR

We don’t see much of their interactions or possible romance in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), since it’s main focus tends to be EARTH, SPACE, and TONY STARK. As people on Earth, Steve and Bucky have to share with a lot of other Earth-bound heroes. That Bucky is the first to turn to dust is significant. Bucky just keeps slipping through Steve’s fingers. While this movie is less about Steve than Tony, it is his return to fighting for something he believes in and people he wants to protect. Steve is called the first avenger, so of course Bucky would be the first to go. He was chronologically, the very first loss in the MCU, and losing him again will be devastating for Steve. We’ll see just how much losing half the universe does impact Steve and the other survivors in Avengers: Endgame, April 26th (one year after the release of Infinity War).

CONCLUSION

I will continue to maintain that there are romantic feelings between Steve Rogers/Captain America and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier. I believe that Steve absolutely did/does love Peggy Carter, though, and that the relationship between Steve and Bucky is constrained by their early twentieth century upbringings. It is unlikely, that the feelings these two share will ever be explored for a vast number of reasons, including the fact that Chris Evans’s contract will be up with Avengers: Endgame (2019). Disney has announced a Falcon-Winter Soldier miniseries, which could delve into it, but is mainly significant because both these characters pick up the Shield in the comics. I’d love a scenario which depicts these two characters fighting over the Captain America mantle, especially if the choices become a black American veteran or a gay ex-Soviet brainwashed assassin/WWII veteran, but more likely Disney will just tone down the ex-Soviet part and continue to ignore any indications that Bucky Barnes is not straight as an American flagpole.