With the premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Phase Four of the MCU has officially concluded, and Phase Five begins in 2023. During Phase 5, Anthony Mackie will have his film debut as Captain America in Captain America: New World Order. As much as some fans want Chris Evans to reprise his role as the star-spangled man with a plan, his contract with Marvel was fulfilled with Avengers: Endgame.
One of the biggest questions fans had leading up to Endgame, in addition to how Steve would depart the franchise, was who, between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, would take over. Marvel has notoriously kept big reveals under wraps, but that didn’t stop Evans from spoiling the surprise for Mackie in-person, as he revealed in an interview with Jimmy Fallon. As iconic and perfect as it is for Sam to become the next Captain America, some fans were left wondering why Bucky wasn’t chosen.
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Bucky’s Riches to Rags Story
Marvel Studios
Before Steve Rogers became Captain America, he was just a kid in an alley picking fights, which typically ended in being saved by his best friend, James “Bucky” Barnes. Of course, Bucky was more than Steve’s best friend; he was the only family he had before the Avengers. During a flashback in Captain America: Civil War, Bucky says that his parents wanted to offer Steve a ride from the cemetery where Steve’s mom was recently buried. This comment led to a fan theory that Bucky’s family was wealthy, as Media Chomp details. While Bucky’s family may have had money, his life changed after he went off to war, was captured by Hydra and experimented on, and, after his presumed death, lost to time and Hydra’s mind control. What’s more, after S.H.I.E.L.D. fell in modern-day, Bucky became a fugitive for being Hydra’s assassin.
Throughout the MCU’s Infinity Saga, Bucky’s character largely involved a bumpy road to redemption, beginning with debates about whether he was culpable for his crimes as The Winter Soldier. Most recently, in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Bucky is seen at the tail-end of his confrontations with his former life, all the while trying to accept that Steve is gone. During an interview with Empire, Sebastian Stan stated that Bucky is not mentally prepared to continue Steve’s legacy. Considering that Bucky has lost not just his family and best friend but is healing from practically 70s years of trauma, the pressure of being Captain America would naturally be suffocating.
Steve’s Left-Hand Man
The iconic opening scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier introduces audiences to Sam, aka The Falcon. When Captain America and Black Widow become fugitives of S.H.I.E.L.D., they show up at Sam’s house looking for refuge. Without truly knowing Steve or Natasha, Sam offers his piloting expertise to help take down Hydra. If Bucky is Steve’s right hand, then Sam is his left. Steve has a strong moral compass, but even a compass needs the earth’s magnetism to find their true North. Sam and Bucky both provide the magnetism for Steve’s compass in different ways.
Not too many people will take on a government agency, let alone ask someone they met while on a run to help in this task. Yet, Sam steps up to the plate each time, even when he isn’t asked. Steve trusts few people, but Sam is someone he trusts indefinitely. After the Avengers are disassembled in Captain America: Civil War, Steve goes on the run with Sam, only to be joined later by Natasha. The duo’s adventures on the lam are unknown, but it can be for certain that Sam was by Steve’s side up until the end.
When Marvel released The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it allowed for Sam’s story to be told without the presence of Steve. Audiences saw that Sam was struggling despite his Avengers’ success and being the next Captain America, which was something that Marvel had yet to explore: a superhero’s struggle to progress beyond their predecessor. His initial response to holding the shield in Avengers: Endgame, “It feels like it belongs to someone else”, still hovers over him.
Not a Good Soldier, But A Good Man
As Bucky took all the stupid with him to the war, Steve was persistent in trying to enlist. When Dr. Erskine approved of Steve’s enlisting, he told him about the effects of the serum he would be taking: “The serum amplifies everything that is inside, so good becomes great; bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen. Because the strong man who has known power all his life may lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion.”
This is also why Steve chooses Sam to be the next Captain America. Steve knows the meaning of the shield, and when he walked away from the mantle, it meant less hope in the world. By accepting his shield from Tony, he was committing to that hope and compassion everyone desperately needed. Sam was and is that symbol because he knows the value of being a good man. He understands the value of compassion and running towards justice, even if that means being on the wrong side of the law.
