Bucky Barnes: A Summary

I mean, I don’t know about you, but I think it’s pretty sketch if you make out with your ex’s niece right after she died.

-S

just bucky things™

i just saw a post saying that clint barton and scott lang are terrible fathers for “blindly following captain america” and joining the fight when they knew that they could get hurt/killed/arrested for it, and i’m just… no???

everyone seems to forget that no one on cap’s side went to that airport to fight tony stark. they went there to meet up, and then were stopped by tony’s team and had to fight their way out.

and they weren’t going there so they could be heroes on the run and hang out with cap, they went there because they were led to believe that a group of super assassins who bucky insists could wipe out an entire country on their own are about to be released on the world, and they needed to be stopped

clint and scott aren’t blindly following cap and trying to be big bad-ass heroes or break the law because they want to, they (and sam and bucky and wanda too!) consciously decide to join the fight because (1) they’re running out of time before zemo wakes the other winter soldiers, (2) there isn’t time to go through ross for this even if ross would believe them and let them go at all before arresting cap and bucky both, and (3) they know their help could make the difference between winning and losing.

they each consciously weigh the risks of being arrested or killed or hurt, and decide that even if that does happen, it’s worth it to keep the world safe for their kids. they join the fight because it’s the right thing to do, because their kids living their lives without a dad is better than them not living at all.

and neither of them make the choice without some regret! clint says he’s disappointing his kids because he knows he is, scott deflects with humor (”eh, what else is new?”) and they both lash out at tony at the end—even though they knew what they were getting into, even though they know tony isn’t entirely at fault—because they can’t see their kids anymore and that sucks

so like, can we please stop pretending that every single person on both “teams” wasn’t being manipulated through the entirety of this movie

can we please stop pretending that anyone in this movie was entirely in the wrong

tl;dr scott lang and clint barton love their kids and made what seemed to be the right decision with the information they had, and i will fight anyone who says otherwise

when marvel tries to give you staron 5 minutes after peggy’s funeral:

please don’t forget that steve didn’t just drop the shield in cacw to show he’s choosing to protect bucky—he also dropped it to show he’s choosing himself. bucky, and his friendship, and the connection to the past that he represents, is of course an inextricable part of that self. but bucky isn’t the only part.

captain america, the mantle that steve’s worn for so long, is arguably most visible through this shield. it was created for captain america. it is his best and most enduring and most recognizable weapon. the shield represents all the honor of the role, and all the responsibility of the role, and all the heaviness of the role. it’s a literal weight to carry. one that people who matter to steve (natasha, bucky, others) have picked up time to time in battle, a metaphorical sharing of the burden.

make no mistake—steve can carry the weight of the shield. he wears it well. he is captain america, insomuch that captain america is the persona the world needed to give him so he was allowed to use his powers to actually do something. but as soon as this mantle, this title, this legacy, this shield, becomes representative of someone else’s ideals rather than his own, steve makes a decision:

drop it.

when he leaves the shield in that bunker in siberia, he’s leaving behind a lot of things: his role on a team that felt more like someone else’s family than his own; the identity created for him by 70 years in the ice and never recrafted to fit who steve was when he got unfrozen; the expectations placed on him by the world at large based on that identity; the need to put faith in and take orders from and represent institutions he’s progressively been losing trust in since the WSC ordered a nuke to hit NYC.

when he leaves the shield in that bunker in siberia, he’s leaving behind captain america as the 21st century has created him.

he’s choosing himself. he’s choosing steve. he’s choosing to be steve. free to put faith in people, individuals. free to stand up for what he believes in. free to be flawed. free to explore who steve even is, in this new world. 

like i said—it’s huge that steve gives up the shield with bucky’s arm thrown around his shoulder, but that’s because bucky is a part of steve. and steve is the most important thing being reclaimed, defended, and protected in that final scene.

Things I confirmed during my fourth viewing of CACW yesterday (don’t judge, each time as been with a different person and like I’m going to turn down an offer to go see a Captain America film no matter how many times I’ve seen it ;))…

The orders for all local law enforcement regarding Bucky as conveyed by Sharon to Steve after the UN bombing were ‘shoot on sight’.

After Steve finds Bucky and the whole tunnel chase happens, Steve asks Everett Ross point blank if Bucky is going to get legal representation. Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) laughs incredulously and condescendingly in answer.

After the airport battle and Tony accuses Nat of being a double agent, he gets the notification that the body of the real psychiatrist who was supposed to interview Bucky was found in his hotel room and figures out Zemo’s involvement. He orders Friday to send that information to Thaddeus Ross.

Upon landing on the Raft following that notification, Tony asks Thaddeus Ross if he’s going to do anything about Zemo. Ross gets belligerent and tells Tony ‘why should I believe you (about Zemo)’ and makes it clear he’s still after Rogers and Barnes despite being in possession of enough empirical evidence for reasonable doubt regarding Barnes involvement in the UN bombing. 

When Clint accuses Tony of being a backstabber at the Raft Tony mentioned he didn’t know that Thaddeus Ross was going to put Clint, Wanda, Scott and Sam in the Raft. It is also revealed during that conversation that the MCU Raft, like the comic Raft, is meant for real hardcore, insane, sociopathic criminals. If we’re going by just the airport battle the worst charges Clint, Scott, et al would have against them would be resisting arrest, maybe aggregated assault (assuming someone from Tony’s team filed that charge), and destruction of property. None of which merits a Raft lock-up. And certainly, no charge, no matter how heinous, would merit a lock-up without due process.

To remind everyone, this is what due process means:

…I wonder if any of those 117 countries backing the Accords understood that Ross (both of them) intended to enforce them in a way that violated human rights.

Is it weird that this makes me kinda want to write a CACW sequel where Steve fights the law with THE LAW?

This is why Ross is as much (if not more) of a villain than Zemo.  He’s an un-American monster who disdains the very rule of law he claims to uphold, he almost certainly rammed the Sokovia Accords through the UN without proper hearings or oversight, and Tony should damn well know better than to get into bed with him.

I think he’ll appear in future films (along with Everett Ross) and I hope he gets his comeuppance.  

I kinda feel like this is exactly what makes Ross a great American villain - there’s more than a couple real life parallels we could make here, from the last few decades.

Things I take from CW that aren’t strictly canon:

One problem with the Accords, right, is the issue of who in particular does the job of arresting and holding super-people who defy orders. And you have to imagine that the Raft was built years ago, for people like Loki. Who runs the Raft? Under whose jurisdiction??? 

Like, the UN is not a sovereign body. The Accords are a legal agreement between sovereign nations, but the Raft exists (I’m guessing) in an ocean not governed by any one country. So Ross is able to use the Raft at will, with little to no oversight (something that I think the movie does very well, in my opinion, is subtly get to the point that eventually, there’s going to be someone acting without oversight–Steve wants it to be him, Tony wants to pass the buck, which makes Ross the individual who acts without regard to any sovereign nation). 

The Accords don’t seem to solve the problem they really need solving, if their best answer to super-people running rogue is to lock them up in the international version of Guantanamo Bay. Really, the Avengers need a fuckin lawyer, who can advocate on their behalf and negotiate liability for damages in the case of large scale destruction. But that’s a different movie, I suppose.

Someone call Matt Murdock.  We’re going to need to lawyer the shit of this.

In the Civil War comic event, Steve *does* intend to fight the law with the Law when he surrenders to put an end to the fighting. 

Hey, you know how Natasha tells T’Challa “I know someone who does [know where Steve & co are]”?

Who is she actually talking about?

Like, obviously we’re supposed to assume she means Tony, but Tony doesn’t know where they are. He would also have to track them and sure, he knows Steve better than T’Challa does, but would it really be that simple? 

Because I’m totally biased I think she’s actually talking about Clint. What if Clint is also a double agent, feeding her info on Steve’s whereabouts/plans so that together they can try to defuse the situation?

As far as we see, Clint seems about as over the whole situation as Natasha does (e.g. “I retire for five minutes and it all goes to shit”). Clint wants to get Wanda out of the Compound and help her come to terms with her powers, help her make amends. But I’m not convinced that he’s really fully bought into the fight itself, or at least not in the form it takes at the airport. 

Clint is also the one who rather abruptly changes from “Cap needs our help, we’ll do whatever” to “we’ll stay here and stop fighting while you guys go escape.” That shift happens at about the same time that Natasha switches her strategy. 

And then, of course, there’s the “pulling your punches” moment when they’re supposed to be actually physically fighting. 

I think Natasha called Clint ahead of time and told him what’s up, that she was working to keep the team together but needed his help with feeding her information. It all went to hell, of course, but I think that was the original plan. 

I have been saying this from day one. Steve asked Natasha at Peggy’s funeral who all signed the Accords. He asked about Clint and Natasha said, “He says he’s retired.” OH, OKAY, SO YOU ALREADY CALLED HIM AND TOLD HIM THE WHOLE STORY??? Verified factual. Natasha talked to Clint before Steve. All that jazz about Hawkeye only joining Team Cap because “Steve was the first one who called” has always been a bold faced lie.

Wanda was very surprised to see Clint at the compound. Little Miss Natasha, who previously dismissed Clint’s involvement with “he’s retired,” expressed NO surprise upon seeing him on that airport tarmac fully suited up and very much NOT retired.

Team Cap versus Team Tony was ALWAYS going to be a dud of a battle because Team Clintasha were lowkey doing damage control the entire time to ensure that no one got seriously hurt or killed.

I love how Steve goes “Sam.”

Steve, you can’t make a friend by outrunning him in a seriously annoying way and then be upset when he’s not behaving himself

Oh no, this is definitely like a spouse checking their partner like “honey, no!.” Just the single name as a sentence: “Sam.” is So Married. 

About That Prison Scene..

For me is was obvious, but I know a lot of people aren’t totally familiar with the comics. But the prison they were locked up in wasn’t regular superhero prison™

That shit was the RAFT

Now in the comics, if you’re in the Raft, you’re literally scum of the Earth super villain. Norman Osborn. Venom. Carnage. Crossbones. PURPLE MAN

Like, if you’re put in here, it’s only because the government cannot kill you, but they wish they could. It would be hilariously offensive to put a hero in there. It would be hilariously dangerous if you took away their powers in there, surrounded by baddest of the bad villains

Even in the actual Civil War comic they didn’t even lock up the heroes in the Raft.

Tony said it himself, he didn’t know Clint, Sam, Scott or Wanda would be put there. He didn’t WANT that. But he couldn’t change it

So when all of them, Clint and Wanda especially, think Tony’s the one that put them there, of course they’ll be PISSED. Of course they’ll tell at him and tell him piss off, because they think Tony put them in the frickin’ RAFT.

Once you’re in there, you’re nothing but a villain, and people are hoping that you die in there. Add the fact that Tony told Clint that it was his fault they were in there. That little pissing contest from Scott and Clint, who are probably thinking they won’t see they’re families again, wasn’t OOC at all

It was the best reaction they could’ve had.

#WHEN YOUR BOYFRIEND BREAKS YOU OUT OF A HIGH SECURITY PRISON

Steve and the Sokovia Accords

I keep seeing a lot of posts about how Steve was in the wrong in CACW because while Tony had a plan, Steve didn’t offer any alternative to it, he was just like NOPE. The thing is though, something that immediately struck me when I watched the movie was the timing of everything. Ross and Tony bring Steve and the others the Accords THREE DAYS before they are to be signed. Those Accords were not drafted, approved and supported by 117 countries in a week. This was 100% intentional. This is also very, very common in American politics. When politicians want to pass a bill they don’t want people to look at closely, they schedule votes at weird times or when a large # of people are away from the Hill (Capital Hill). So you get these 11th hour bills that are hundreds of pages long that no one has had a chance to read, ask questions about, or negotiate on about changes. These bills are stuffed with completely unrelated stuff that gets passed as well because the whole thing has to be signed off on/approved. It’s called “pork barreling.” Those are the questions Steve tries to bring up to the group. When he’s like ‘what happens when…?’ And Tony brushes aside his concerns like ‘oh, I’m sure we’ll get to make changes later when everything dies down.’ But Steve is like what are we agreeing to NOW though? And practically as soon as they are given the “generous” 3 day warning, Peggy dies. Steve flies off to London and everything goes to hell. What time is there to propose or discuss an alternative plan?? The timing was 100% intentional to make sure the Avengers would be subject to the Accords as written–no matter what was lurking on the bottom of page 440 in fine print. Steve is 100% right to be suspicious. This is one of the dirty tricks of American politics that Steve would be totally aware of. And sure, maybe there’s a chance that everything was above board, reasonable, and so on, but you would NEVER sign a thing like that w/o actually checking/reading it. that would be foolish. I mean, did we forget that Project Insight was authorized and approved by The World Council? I guarantee you that Steve hasn’t. I absolutely believe that Steve would have been willing to talk everything out, negotiate, listen to everyone’s pov, and really consider everything carefully…but there’s no time given to do that. It’s all last minute, non-negotiable, and shady. Steve is a master tactician, natural leader, and a reasonable, thoughtful person who is a Big Picture thinker. It’s weird that people just assume he rejects the Accords because he’s being childish or something. That’s not Steve Rogers at all. 

yes, to all of this. i’m still of the opinion that the relentless pacing of civil war was detrimental to the clarity of the narrative, but it’s becoming more and more clear to me that the subtleties behind steve’s motivations for refusing to sign the accords were shafted, especially considering that the narrative is presented in a way that makes tony the most emotional and sympathetic character on first watch.

which is weird, for it being steve’s movie. and civil war is still steve’s movie–every decision that steve makes results in consequences to which the others are forced to react and by which they are dragged along regardless of whether or not they want to be. although he strangely doesn’t carry a significant portion of the emotional weight of the film (that goes to bucky, tony, t’challa, and zemo), you would figure that steve’s thoughts would be clearer.

unfortunately, they aren’t.

[and, if you’re unwilling to brave the long stuff under the cut:]

tldr; the narrative framing of cap 3 places tony in the best position for emotional sympathy, but likewise downplays or frames the highly suspect aspects of the accords and of the larger players on tony’s ‘side’ in a way that severely undermines steve’s more logical reasoning for refusing the accords. it is not presented in a way that would be obvious to a one-time casual viewer with little extensive knowledge of past incidences in the mcu, especially ones regarding the ineffectiveness of thunderbolt ross as an objective, reasonable military authority with the interests of the public at the forefront of his motivations. ultimately, considering the failure of the narrative to emphasize steve’s underlying reservations regarding ross as the primary authority behind the legalized actions of team tony to bring him in, it becomes strongly apparent that steve’s reasons for doing what he does are right, even though the narrative favors tony’s emotional arc so intensely that this conclusion is difficult to reach for a casual viewer, and that the negative consequences of everyone’s actions, whether those actions be good or bad, overshadow the details of why they did what they did, and who made them do it.

Keep reading

Okay reblogging my own post because this is the best commentary I’ve seen on it yet. A brilliant essay that I wish I’d written. This. This. THIS. Civil War does not do Steve’s position *any* favors. And I realized that my confusion about other people’s reactions to Steve in the film was failing to take into account that most MCU (casual) viewers probably don’t remember General Ross at ALL. Either they don’t remember The Incredible Hulk or they didn’t see it. So Ross comes across as a reasonable authority figure asking for a reasonable thing. Never mind he’s shady af and clearly up to no good because when is he not?They also probably do not remember a LOT of pertinent details from 13 films that would make Steve’s position much more understandable.  Anyway, please read this. 

CACW favorite moment (spoiler)

I MUST talk about this one scene: when they’re in the church, Steve and Nat talking. I must tell you how much it means to me.

They are my brotp and I love this moment dearly for the emotional intimacy between them. But what I want to talk about now also touches profoundly on Nat and Bucky.

Steve opens up about Peggy, and says this: “When I came out of the ice, I thought everyone I had known was gone. When I found out she was alive… I was just lucky to have her.” He’s talking about having been swept up by forces larger than himself and dropped into a foreign land, and how critical it was to regain a deep true connection to someone who cared. He’s talking about how sacred it was for him to be able to build a new bond with her, as different as it is now from what it was… and as different as it is now from what they had dreamed years ago that it could be. Steve is talking about lost dreams, and new love… a different kind of love, but love nonetheless. And how grateful he is that they reunited for a while, and could start again, no matter the changes in each of them. 

Natasha’s immediate response to this? “She had you back, too.”

In five words she says so much. When Natasha hears her good friend share this part of his life, her first instinct is to relate not to Steve, but to Peggy… to what it must have been like to lose Steve, to love him and live without him for years, to build a life that included an ache for him instead of his presence. When she hears this story she immediately sees the one left with memories, the one that outside forces didn’t annihilate and sweep away to parts unknown… but the one left to grieve alone. She sees that in his story because she relates to it, because it’s her.

And so she says, sadly, “She had you back, too.” Because Nat can only imagine what a gift that must have been to Peggy. Because there is someone taken from her that hasn’t been returned. There is someone much more ambiguously, possibly present again one day, someone having to fight like hell to come back, with many more obstacles in the way than Steve ever faced just to find himself, more than it took for him to find Peggy again.

@infinitypeggys MARA THIS IS EVERYTHING

—  inspiration