“Endgame’s” Mistake
SPOILERS AHEAD! BEWARE!
AGAIN, SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Okay, so I saw “Endgame” like two weeks ago and I have still not recovered. Seriously, I am shook. I have a ton of opinions regarding “Endgame”, but one thing that really stuck with me: Steve gave his shield to Sam instead of Bucky. Just to recap, Steve Rogers went back in time to return all the infinity stones and ended up staying in the 1940s with the love of his life, Peggy Carter. He lives his life until the present day, where he reappears to the still-young avengers as an old man. Upon meeting them again, he hands his shield off to Sam Wilson as a symbol of passing the torch to someone new to protect America. However, he should have handed it to Bucky Barnes.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Sam. He’s a great hero. But I believe that Bucky would be a much better Captain America—and here’s why:
Bucky and Steve have history. Steve and Sam have been friends for, what, two years? Yeah, they bonded over being military veterans, and I’m not trying to take away from that friendship, but their relationship is nothing compared to Steve and Bucky. Steve and Bucky have been friends since childhood. They did everything together and Steve was heartbroken when Bucky died. In fact, Bucky was Steve’s motivation for everything. When Bucky was involved, Steve would always side with him. Steve would rather be killed by a brainwashed Bucky than hurt his best friend. One of the main reasons why Steve turned against Tony and the rest of the Avengers in Captain America: Civil Warwas because he wanted to protect Bucky even though Bucky because of their connected pasts, so Bucky should be the one to carry on Steve’s mantel.
Bucky, like Steve, is a Super Soldier. Sam is a good hero, but without his Falcon gear, he is a completely normal human. Due to the Super Soldier Serum, Bucky and Steve are more powerful than Sam. It isn’t Sam’s fault, but Bucky can run faster, he has more stamina, and he has quicker healing. Since Captain America is such a famous hero, he is much more of a target and therefore is more likely to be attacked and shot out. Since Steve and Bucky can be heal faster, it makes sense for Bucky to be the next Captain America. Sam is great, but Bucky is a lot more physically fit to take on the role.
Sam shouldn’t be Captain America because he already has a gig. Falcon is a known hero who everyone already admires. Bucky, on the other hand, is the only is only known for being an assassin. He doesn’t already have a role on the Avengers team. If Bucky were the next Captain America, it would be turning over a new leaf for him. It would give him a new identity, a new way to be a hero without his public image dragging him down. Sam doesn’t need to be Captain America because he is already a hero. Bucky, on the other hand, needs a way to escape the past and let the public know something positive about him instead of his old assassin wats. If he’s Captain America, he would able to be someone who is looked up to rather than feared.
Another reason Bucky should be Captain America is because the MCU had been setting up Bucky to be the next Cap for multiple years. Bucky has used the shield in “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011), caught the shield in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014), and actually fought with the shield while battling Steve in “Captain America: Civil War” (2016). MCU laid a perfect basis for Bucky to eventually don the shield himself. Additionally, Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky, signed a nine-picture deal with Marvel, so it was assumed that he would take the mantel after Chris Evans and have his own movie.
Lastly, Sam already has a busy life, and Bucky doesn’t. It was easy for Steve to be Captain America and Bucky would be the same way. Since Steve wasn’t used to living in the 21stcentury he didn’t have much a life besides being a hero. His only friends were the Avengers, so being with them went hand in hand with fighting crime. Bucky had many of the same issues as Steve. Because he grew up in the early 1900s and was then brainwashed into being an assassin for years, he doesn’t have a life outside of his work. Sam already has lots of stuff to do; he runs a support group for veterans and has an established life in the time period.
Due to Bucky and Steve’s history, Bucky’s Super Soldier Serum, the fact that Sam is already a hero, the way MCU seemed to foreshadow it, and Bucky’s lack of other things to do, Bucky deserved the shield so he could go on to be the next Captain America.