Falcon and The Winter Soldier premiered on Disney+ on 19th March 2021. Fans will witness the most seasoned Avengers in the MCU, get in the groove of beating up the bad guys. It’s been a few months since the Endgame events, and since then a lot has unfolded. We witnessed Steve going back to time to return the stones, but never return to reality. Steve took a rain check on Sam, as for Bucky something told the fans that he was already expecting Steve to pull off a stunt like this. The upcoming season will unfold several prospects about the future. But right now, we would like to discuss the epic moments that Sam Wilson and James Bucky Barnes have had during the 10-year run since they were first introduced back in 2011.
Best of Sam Wilson-
“On Your Left”
In Captain America: Winter Soldier, we witness Sam waking up early for a jog around the capitol. In a few moments, Steve overtakes him, warning him of his intentions by saying “on your left”. In Avengers: Endgame during Steve’s battle with Thanos, when Steve had been brutally given a beat down by the mad titan, his shield broke. Steve is then seen getting up for a fight against Thanos and his entire army. At that moment we hear on the comms the voice of Sam, telling Steve to stay clear of his left. Thus, returning the favor.
“I Never Said I was a Pilot”
It is soon made evident that Sam is not just a para-rescue soldier, but also a loyal friend. On several occasions, he has been known to come to his friend’s aid and never let them down. Which stands clarified that he is not just a pilot, but also a good friend and comrade.
“It is really important to me, that Cap never finds out about this”
In the movie the Ant-Man, Sam makes a cameo and is seen guarding the Avengers headquarters. During the battle with Scott Lang, Sam’s flight suit gets compromised by Scott and is rendered useless. It is at this time Sam speaks into the comms, and request that the details of the event are not mentioned to Cap, because with Sam being a US soldier, failure is never an option.
“His name is Redwing”
In Civil War, Natasha is up against two of Hydra’s operatives, one of whom was holding a poisonous vial of liquid. Sam flies his drone to take out one of the operatives, and the other one is taken care of by Black Widow. In return, all Sam asked was to thank his buddy Redwing aka the drone for helping her out.
“Like it is somebody’s else”
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Steve passes on the mantle of Captain America to Sam Wilson by handing him over his vibranium shield. When Sam takes up the shield, Steve inquires with him how it felt, to which Sam’s iconic reply was “like it was somebody’s else”. Sam has always had respect for Steve not because of the uniform, but because of who he was as a person and for what he stood for. Sam was never ready or comfortable with letting Captain go forever, which reflected clearly in his statement.
Best of James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes –
“BUCKY”
Bucky had been on Steve’s side from day one, all the way from the alley in Brooklyn to up to the day Steve invaded the Hydra facility to save him. Bucky’s loss in Captain America: The First Avenger was a tremendous loss for Steve and somewhere even drove him to sacrifice himself to save the world while freezing himself in ice for 70 years.
“Who the Hell is Bucky?”
In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we witness Steve and Bucky coming face to face and Steve remembering Bucky in an instant. But Steve was not aware of the trauma that Bucky had undergone over the last few decades. In which Bucky’s memory was wiped on multiple occasions by Hydra, as they used Bucky to cover up their tracks. It is during this confrontation that Steve calls out to his old friend and his old pal inadvertently replies ‘Who the hell is Bucky?’
“I’m with you till the end of the line”
In the Winter Soldier, during the final battle, Steve repeats this same line to Bucky, the same way Bucky did for Steve when he did not get recruited for the army because of his physique. It broke bucky from the trance of the Winter Soldier and save his friend from drowning in the lake. This was the most popular jibe that Steve and Bucky had between each other, and in moments this jibe made their friendship a lot deeper than any other relation in the MCU.
“I remember all of them”
During the battle of the Civil War, when Zemo shows a tape from December 16, 1991, to Steve, Bucky and Tony, It is revealed that Bucky under Hydra’s control assassinated Tony’s parents, in the battle which ensues post this. Tony is in pain and asks Bucky whether he even remembered doing it to his parents. To which Bucky with eyes filled with immense pain and trauma, signifies how guilty he felt for all the killings and how even though he remembered every person, he could not break free from Hydra’s control to put an end to his killing spree.
“You are taking all the trouble with you”
In The First Avenger movie, when Bucky is getting transferred to Germany to fight the war, he tells Steve to stay out of trouble. At that point Steve replies to Bucky saying that ‘you are taking all the trouble with you’, and those were the last words they ever shared until Steve becomes Captain America and goes behind the enemy line to save his friend Bucky.
After Avengers Endgame Steve and Bucky have the same play of words all over again and this time Bucky is on the giving end, knowing very well that this was probably the last time he and Steve would be seeing each other as soldiers. He had a vague idea about what Steve was planning and did not tell anyone because of the revolt which might arise. Bucky knew keeping it quiet was the best option there was because, in the end, all Bucky wanted for Steve was to be happy and allow him to save himself the same way he saved bucky from Hydra twice.
The Upcoming The Falcon And The Winter Soldier will witness Bucky and Sam spark off a friendship to fill up the gap left by Steve in both of their lives. Sam and Bucky, both have had the opportunity to be a friend with Steve Rogers and carry on his legacy, not as Steve but as his friends and compatriots. The oncoming series is sure to spark new chemistry between Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan on screen, and fans cannot seem to wait for it any longer.
