Sparkles and Marvel

A place where I obsess and rant about all things Marvel/MCU and occasionally other supers. But mostly Sam Wilson: Captain America, the Black Panther Franchise and whoever else I'm obsessed with at the time. I don't tolerate Sam Wilson disrespect, you have been warned.

[dichard-grayson]

It’s crazy that the MCU currently has three black men who are meant represent patriotism and are the embodiments of the US (Sam Wilson, Isaiah Bradly, and Eli Bradly) and also three black women who are the some of smartest women in universe and are accomplished heroes in their own right (Shuri, Riri Williams, and Monica Rambeau) and yet they’ve all been sidelined and mistreated despite being some of the most interesting characters they’ve brought to live action since Endgame

[boyd-stevens]

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER (2021) AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY (2026)

[sparklesandmarvel]

Every year this scene rings out like a prophecy that Marvel seems intent upon proving right.

The disrespect of Sam Wilson/Anthony Mackie is disgusting.

[compoundvee]

“Bucky got custody of Joaquin!”

Joaquín is a grown man in his thirties.

Also if Joaquin was ever asked to choose, he’d choose Sam, because Sam is his hero. He hasn’t shown any interest in Bucky at all. Fucking hell.

[staying-elive]

One of the (admittedly many) things that piss me off when people try to diminish Sam and the Avengers he’s assembled (confirmed and speculated), is that everyone acts like they all need to be living together like the dumbass Thunderbolts, or doing missions on a permanent basis. 

That’s never been what the Avengers in the MCU were.  The Avengers always were off doing their own thing, had their own stories, friends, families, and lives outside of each other, and when the threat was big enough they … assembled. 

You can’t ‘Avengers assemble’ for a galactic threat, if you spend every day together.  You can’t assemble if you’re already permanently assembled.  

People acting like Shuri doesn’t count as an Avenger because she’s based in and focused on Wakanda?  You never would’ve said that about T’Challa in Infinity War. Thor was always coming and going too!    They assemble when the need is great enough. 

We might all have our little headcanons when it comes time to write fics, etc. It’s convenient to group people together in settings.   But that doesn’t change the in-universe canon state of things, where they live their own lives, until the come together.  

[jemgirl86]

Anthony should’ve been smack dab in the middle!!

[jemgirl86]

Look at Captain America and his Avengers 😍 (in my heart anyway lol) Fingers crossed that they’re all on his team though!

[marvelgifs]

[avakynx]

Black Panther | Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls

[boyd-stevens]

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER 2022, dir. Ryan Coogler

[wiccamoody]

i’m sorry this is quite pedantic but also kinda not…anyway it’s been over a year of this can we please stop saying sam is suing the thunderbolts when he literally isn’t? idc what the law looks like where you live, filing for trademark/copyright =/= suing, particularly in the specific context of the us. sam is being far more removed and cordial (as is applicable to his character, despite the way the rest of that scene—and movie—is written with respect to everyone else) than anyone is implying by saying it’s a lawsuit.

[new-name-tbd]

A nasty comment all because I didn't think your little chicken joke post with Sam being "dumb" in it was funny. Being Black doesn't mean you can't write racist/antiblack content for Black characters. We see it all the time across all fandoms, especially in the MCU fandom. Also, those incorrect quotes are often bad, and they are usually terrible towards Sam. We've seen this for years, so please spare us the nonsense.

[violetmuses]

Sam Wilson is Captain America. 🤎

[staying-elive]

Every time the Sam and serum discourse rears it's head again, i remember that old clip of James McAvoy roasting the Avengers vs X-Men 🤣😂

"They've got a guy with a shield who's a bit strong? Okay, I tell you to sit down, you sit down. I tell you to make a cuppa tea, you make a cuppa tea."

Because really if we are being honest here, Sam is WAY more capable and versatile with his wings, than Steve could ever be as a super soldier. He's stuck on the ground for one, until someone gives him a boost.

Steve Rogers could never do this:

[aroace-boyfriend]

HELLOOOO THIS TRANSITION ATE OMG

[noahtherian]

Okay, so here’s the thing — and I’m going to say this clearly, with actual trauma theory behind it, because this whole situation has gotten way more dramatic than it needs to be.

Your argument about Sam is built on a fundamental misunderstanding of trauma theory, a collapse of categories, and a whole lot of misapplied clinical language. And that’s not me being rude — that’s just what happens when someone tries to apply clinical ethics and clinical safety standards to a non‑clinical relationship. And yes I’m going to debate this because I apologized earlier because I didn’t know better but after doing some research. You are not correct at all.

So let’s break this down properly.

---

1. Your professor’s opinion isn’t actually evidence

I’m not saying your professor is wrong — I’m saying they were probably never given the full picture.

If they didn’t know about marvel beforehand and from the way you phrased that yes they agree with me!

You probably told them:

• a biased summary

• stripped of context

• framed through your interpretation

• without any canon details

• without the interpersonal dynamics

• without the mission context

• without the reciprocal banter

• without the emotional nuance

• without the power dynamics

Which you would know about

Your professor doesn’t know Marvel.

They don’t know Sam.

They don’t know Bucky.

They don’t know the circumstances.

They responded to your description, not the actual canon.

That’s not a trauma‑informed evaluation.

That’s just answering the question you fed them.

If you describe Sam as:

“a man who mocks a torture survivor’s trauma and calls him an enabler,”

…then of course a trauma specialist will say:

“That’s harmful.”

Because they’re responding to your framing, not the actual events.

That’s not evidence.

That’s just appeal to authority, a classic logical fallacy, I almost fell for it.

---

2. You’re treating Sam like he’s Bucky’s therapist — he isn’t

This is the core problem that you keep purposely ignoring.

You’re applying:

• “Do No Harm”

• trauma‑informed care ethics

• clinical attunement standards

• APA guidelines

• professional non‑maleficence

…to a man who is:

• not Bucky’s clinician

• not his therapist

• not his caseworker

• not his supervisor

• not in a position of institutional power

And it does too matter because those care ethics, Do No Harm, APA guidelines and etc etc are all professional and clinical ethics and guidelines not for

Sam who is:

• a friend

• a peer

• a stressed veteran

• a grieving man

• a mission partner

Clinical safety ≠ interpersonal safety.

Clinical safety requires:

• pacing

• attunement

• non‑maleficence

• trauma‑informed practice

Interpersonal safety requires:

• trust

• reciprocity

• emotional presence

• non‑coercive behavior

Sam meets interpersonal safety.

Raynor fails clinical safety.

You’re collapsing two completely different categories.

---

3. Sam cannot “revictimize” Bucky because he has no power over him

Revictimization requires:

• coercion

• control

• surveillance

• punishment

• institutional authority

• reenactment of abuse dynamics

Raynor has all of these.

Sam has none.

Sam cannot:

• punish Bucky

• threaten him

• report him

• force disclosure

• mandate compliance

• control his freedom

• reenact Hydra’s dynamics

Sam’s mistakes are interpersonal.

Raynor’s mistakes are systemic.

Equating them is not trauma‑informed — it’s category error.

---

4. Your interpretation of the “enabled evil” line ignores context

You keep saying:

“There is NO possible alternative interpretation.”

But that’s simply not true.

The full line is: “You’re not making amends, you’re avenging. You were stopping people whose evil you enabled as the Winter Soldier.”

Sam is:

• frustrated

• grieving Steve

• overwhelmed

• speaking informally

• not in therapist mode

• not using clinical precision

He’s trying to say: “You’re punishing yourself instead of healing.”

It’s a poorly worded line, not a moral condemnation that you also keep taking out of context, not saying the full line and acting like it’s that exact line.

You’re treating it like a clinical statement.

It wasn’t one. As someone who is studying English literature formally since we are using credentials as shields

---

5. Your use of trauma theory is rigid and misapplied

You keep throwing around:

• fawn response

• structural dissociation

• ANP/EP

• dorsal vagal shutdown

• sympathetic activation

• polyvagal theory

…but you’re applying them:

• without nuance

• without context

• without understanding interpersonal dynamics

• without understanding veteran humor

• without understanding attachment behavior

• without understanding canon

Real trauma clinicians do not diagnose fictional characters based on:

• sarcasm

• banter

• mission stress

• one poorly worded line

• a cookout scene

You’re pathologizing normal interpersonal conflict.

---

6. Bucky’s behavior around Sam is the opposite of fawning

Fawning looks like:

• appeasement

• silence

• compliance

• self‑erasure

• avoidance of conflict

But Bucky with Sam:

• argues

• teases

• rolls his eyes

• expresses frustration

• annoys Sam (as said in the essay like did you even read it)

• sets boundaries

• shows autonomy

• shows attachment

• shows emotional openness

• chooses to be around him

This is not fawning.

This is not shutdown.

This is not dorsal vagal collapse.

This is interpersonal safety.

---

7. Your claim that Bucky is dissociated at the cookout is not supported by trauma literature

Dissociation usually looks like:

• blank affect

• glazed eyes

• shutdown

• detachment

• emotional numbing

• lack of engagement

Bucky at the cookout:

• smiles

• laughs

• engages

• helps

• relaxes

• connects

That is ventral vagal social engagement, not dissociation.

You’re misinterpreting normal behavior as pathology.

---

8. You’re ignoring reciprocity — which is the biggest sign of safety

Sam’s humor is:

• veteran humor

• mission stress humor

• reciprocal banter

• mutual teasing

And Bucky:

• jokes back

• teases Sam first

• argues

• pushes boundaries

• engages willingly

This is mutual.

This is reciprocal.

This is connected.

If Sam were unsafe, Bucky would:

• withdraw

• shut down

• freeze

• avoid

• appease

• comply

Like he does with Raynor

He does none of those things.

---

9. You’re using academic language to shut down discussion, not to illuminate it

Your tone is:

• absolutist

• moralizing

• condescending

• rigid

• overconfident

• dismissive

With multiple logical fallacies

Appeal to authority, Black and white thinking, straw-man, over generalization and using only Ethos to support your argument and appealing to emotion

This is not how trauma clinicians speak.

This is how someone speaks when they want to be right more than they want to be accurate. Yeah I saw that.

---

Final Summary

I’m not saying Sam is perfect. No human is! So hating him for it is cruel

I’m not saying Sam never makes mistakes. Because every human does

I’m not saying Sam always says the right thing. Because every trained therapists say the wrong things sometimes!

But your interpretation — that Sam is “just as harmful as Raynor” — is not supported by trauma theory, interpersonal psychology, or canon behavior.

You’re collapsing clinical and interpersonal categories.

You’re misusing trauma terminology.

You’re pathologizing normal conflict.

You’re ignoring power dynamics.

You’re ignoring reciprocity.

You’re ignoring context.

You’re ignoring canon.

And you’re using your professor’s authority as a rhetorical weapon — even though they were never given the full picture. Also did you even READ my essay? I already addressed all these points but let’s do it again I guess

I corrected my earlier draft because I learned more.

I added nuance.

I improved my analysis.

That’s what actual research looks like.

Though your argument doesn’t hold up under trauma theory, interpersonal psychology, or canon evidence.

Yes I am petty we all know this so I have posted stuff like this before remember the Percabeth debate my first ever essay sigh the memories and as always I am glad to take it down if the person asks but for now it’s staying up so yeah have fun my travelers!!

[comicbookloserr]

“Steve Rogers would support ICE” “Steve Rogers would agree with ICE” Steve Rogers? Oh, you mean this guy?

[what-the-cap-dude]

Sam Wilson loves to give speeches in general as Captain America. But he loves to give them to young black people even more.

He understands how they were raised because that's how HE was raised. To act like this, watch out for that, don't be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Don't be wrong at all. That they grew up scared. Don't be angry, keep your mouth shut! Your head low but your eyes still high. You can't mess up because we're all counting on you.

Reminding them that even if this is how things are, they shouldn't have to be. They are not what people tell them. They are brave and strong yes, but also gentle and beautiful. They are not anyone's enemies. They are not a number. They are kids.

Giving them a place to be able to express that. Organizing events for black teenagers and youth to come together and socialize and talk about their experiences. Where they're allowed to feel angry without being told they're aggressive. Talk in AAVE without being called stupid, or not talk with AAVE without being called "whitewashed." Where they can just be themselves. Where they can talk about their struggles and get help. Where they can be kids before they are black.

Because Sam knows, growing up, he could have used a place like that too.

This post was written by a black teenaged boy who loves Captain America. Please act civil.