Holy fuck no so true the only time bucky ever shows an ounce of displeasure with steve is at the gayest bar scene known to history . Also nothing will ever haunt me than getting out of the eg showing at 2 AM and having bucky half turn self deprecating smile to himself that screams “what did you expect , buck” after steve disappears on the platform like seared into my brain for eternity. You can tell the last ounce of hope he held onto vanishing. Like that whole scene he has hardly two lines but his fucking eyes tells a whole different story.
I will never forgive Endgame Steve and Marvel/Disney for putting that look on Bucky's face. Props to Sebastian Stan, he knew Bucky wouldn't have been happy about Steve going back in time for good. And he acted the shit out of this in the, what, 40 minutes he had to process that Steve and Bucky were going to be separated forever?
In the interview, Sebastian also confirmed ‘a conversation’ had occurred between the two brothers in arms prior to Captain America’s unexpected return to the past - hence their heartfelt goodbye in the film.
He said: ‘When I found out that we were doing that scene, which was probably about 40 minutes before it was filmed, I said “Look, don’t you think if this is really happening wouldn’t there be something more to be said?”
‘But then you know the producers were like “You guys have had that conversation, you’ve had that moment, you know what is going to happen and what Steve is doing”.
‘In the last interaction there is a lot of subtext which is like “Alright, here we are, you know, I’ll see you when I see you”.’
Like, the producers cared so little about Steve and Bucky's relationship-- the relationship that forged Steve into Captain America and carried these two characters through three movies-- that they didn't tell Bucky's actor that he would be separated from his best friend forever until forty minutes before filming. This was for Endgame, what was supposedly the capstone (pun unintended) movie for the MCU, their pièce de résistance.
Sebastian Stan had 40 minutes to devise Bucky's expression to show his feelings about Steve's departure, that he only showed once Steve had already left for his happily ever after.
He had to point out that Steve and Bucky would have had a bigger conversation, only to be told that they already had it.
The disrespect that Marvel/Disney have for not only the actors, but the characters and their story, is breathtaking.
But anyway, yes-- Bucky was not happy about Steve going back in time, even if they discussed it prior to Steve leaving.
Look at this look he gives Steve before Steve says “Don’t do anything stupid before I get back.” He’s not asking Steve to stay in words, but his eyes say it all. Stay with me, don’t go.
It does look like Bucky's resigned before Steve leaves but is trying his best, as always, to be happy for him.
After Steve leaves, though. He looks heartbroken but he's trying to keep it together. He looks like he's about to cry. He even nods a little, like this is what he expected would happen but hoped wouldn’t. Steve left and didn’t come back. “I don’t think I’m worth all this, Steve,” he’d said in Civil War, and this just confirms it.
And when Steve comes back an old man... He doesn't go up to talk to him. He tells Sam to go ahead. What is there to say? Thanks for giving us the shield? Did you have a good life? Did you save me in another universe and spend your life with a version of me that wasn't tainted by Hydra, or did you sit at home and do nothing while your wife's coworkers tortured me for 70 years and forced me to kill people? Or is the reason they didn’t talk just that Marvel/Disney didn’t care about the end of the MCU’s most beautiful (platonic) love story?
I'm not angry at Bucky or Steve. I'm angry at Marvel and Disney for their terrible writing.