Every time I see this photo I imagine bucky with a jersey mom accent being like, “I swear to god, Sam, these kids are uncontrollable. I’ve seen better form in HYDRA agents and let me tell you, they weren’t much. Also, you’ll never fucking guess who’s here—WALKER.”
Just got back from seeing Captain America: Brave New World and am full of thoughts. The following contains Sambucky-centric thoughts, head canons, and spoilers based on the movie. (I have a separate post that includes my overall thoughts on the movie but this one is solely Sambucky.)
Sambucky nation--we rise! No divorce era for us! (Though it did provide for some awesome, angsty fics). I hope the trend continues with Thunderbolts*. Bucky is obviously looking rougher there than he did in this movie, so we're not out of the woods yet, but I'm feeling pretty good about our chances.
There's so much to say here. Multiple Bucky mentions (Sam alluding to Bucky when he talks about having a friend who was controlled by trigger words.), a picture of SamBucky prominently displayed at Sam's headquarters, Bucky showing up as emotional support when Sam needs him most, the hug, the "Buck" and the "I love you, Buddy." All of these have already been mentioned a lot, though, so for this post (who am I kidding this is an essay!), I would like to highlight a few points pertaining to the movie. I haven't really seen discussed in the Sambucky tag yet.
First, Sam says the following to Bucky at the hospital:
"Joaquin’s in here. Isaiah’s in prison. And Sterns…I had him. I had Sterns right in my hands but he got away." Bucky is given no additional backstory here, which means he already knows who Sterns is and what Sam is dealing with. This indicates Sam and Bucky are in regular contact with Sam keeping Bucky filled in on what's happening. This isn't just a case of Bucky seeing news footage and immediately going to Sam. Bucky is an active part of Sam's life and support system.
Then we have Bucky's line:
"Steve gave people something to believe in, but you give them something to aspire to." Bucky's admiration and devotion to Sam here is quite evident. I fully believe Bucky Barnes is all in for Sam Wilson and has been probably for longer than even he realizes.
Then toward the end of the scene where we get our iconic "Thanks Buck" and "I love you, Buddy" moment:
We have a wealth of unspoken communication here. Sam and Bucky seem to have a whole conversation with both their eyes and body language before they speak these words. Sam looks at Bucky. Looks down at (presumably) Bucky's outstretched hand. Then his eyes cut back up to Bucky. Then they cut back down as he shakes Bucky's hand, then he looks back up at Bucky. For Bucky's part, his eyes never leave Sam's face during the entirety of this. It's only right before he says "I love you, Buddy" that his gaze cuts down from Sam's face. After saying the words, Bucky proceeds to back away and Sam watches him go. The way this scene plays out, and the choices Mackie and Stan make leave a lot of room for subtext and interpretation, imo.
Right after this scene, we also get the female agent coming in with questions/comments about Bucky to Sam, alluding to a possible interest which Sam shuts down with "He's 110 years old." Look, it might make sense for Sam to try to nip a Bucky/Sarah potential connection in the bud like he did in TFATWS and it not mean anything (that's another essay for another day. I wasn't on Tumblr back then to share my thoughts on that.); after all, that's his sister and Bucky was riding on his last nerve through all the previous episodes at that point. It does not, however, make sense for Sam to insert himself into the narrative at this point and try to dissuade a random CIA agent from showing interest in Bucky if Bucky is just his friend and/or Sam's interest in him is purely platonic. It just doesn't. I cannot come up with a logical explanation for this besides the obvious 'that man is mine, step off' conclusion.
And for my last point:
During Sam's final showdown with the red hulk, with the outcome uncertain, and defeat (and therefore death) potentially eminent, Sam proceeds to bitch about Bucky under his breath. "Bucky is full of so much shit..." I know this is supposed to be funny and snarky, but it's also quite telling. We know that the signature of SamBucky's relationship--whether it's platonic or romantic--is the bickering. Not only is Sam spending his potential last moments ranting about Bucky (again, the staple of their relationship), he's also spending them thinking about Bucky. He's going out there facing odds that seem insurmountable and it's Bucky that's on his mind.
Sam & Bucky’s conversation snippet: Caption America: Brave New World (spoiler, video attached)
Sam squints at Bucky, his brow furrowing just slightly, a half-smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Sam: "Did your speech writers help you with that?"
Bucky’s hands are tucked into his pockets, but there’s a telltale twitch in his shoulders, like he’s resisting the urge to gesture.
Bucky: "They did, yeah, the ending, a little bit. Did you like it? Was it-?"
Sam considers him for a second before nodding, slow and thoughtful.
Sam: "No no, it was good. Solid...B plus."
Bucky: "Emotional."
Sam: "Very. I felt it."
Sam’s messing with Bucky, but there’s truth in what he’s saying.
Bucky: "But just enough." He gestures with his hand.
Sam: "Yeah."
Their unspoken understanding lingers between them for a beat, comfortable and steady.
Bucky: "Listen, I've gotta...catch a plane. I have a campaign fundraiser. It's so stupid."
They look over Torres, A small smile flickers across Bucky’s face before he turns back to Sam, his gaze steady, softer now.
Bucky: "He's gonna be all right, man."
Sam exhales, looking at Bucky for a long moment before nodding. There’s gratitude in his expression, something unspoken passing between them as he reaches out. Their handshake is firm, familiar—grounding.
Sam: "Thanks, Buck."
Bucky claps a firm hand on Sam’s arm. It’s quick, but there’s weight behind it, a silent reassurance, an anchor in the middle of all the chaos.
Bucky: "I love you, buddy."
The words are easy, natural, but there’s meaning behind them. He doesn’t linger after saying it, doesn’t wait for Sam to respond. Instead, he turns, heading off before anything more needs to be said.
Sambucky is canon in the shippiest way. They're not officially a couple but they're also not "not a couple".
They're either already married or building the longest slow burn in MCU history. And this has been the case since Avengers: Endgame.
The only difference now is that everyone seems to acknowlegde it. The fandom (whether they're Sambucky shippers or not) , but also the writers.
At first I found it weird how Sam didn't have have any love interest in the MCU but now it seems deliberate. I also doubt Bucky will have a love interest in Thunderbolts.
It's heavily implied that they're eachother's love interest. Them staring at a sunset together, them doing a soul gazing during couples therapy, the pictures in Sam and Joaquin's HQ, them throwing the L word any chance they get , ... It's getting a little less subtle each time.
Bucky went to be with Sam because he knew he needed him, he comforted him, gave him a pep talk and then told him he loved him.
No Sambucky shipper would have ever imagined those words would ever be said to each other.
TL,DR: Sambucky isn't canon, but it's not "only a fanon ship" either. It has left the fandom sphere, I feel like Sambucky is an "official" ship. They know it exists and they care about it, they are nurturing it and hopefully they're planning to let it flourish.
Sam holds Bucky in a gentle embrace, kissing his boyfriend’s shoulder, where flesh meets metal, where there are scars. Sam adores everything about him.
When he was much younger, Sam asked the heavens if he’d ever find true love. The answer now lies in front of him.
“Ask me again about the miracle question.” Bucky seems lost in his thoughts. Sam carefully considers.
“Supposing a miracle occurs when you wake up, what’s something you’d like to see that’d make your life better?”
“Nothing.” Bucky’s stormy eyes are glistening. Sam looks at him questioningly.
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