this post was submitted on 08 Oct 2024
149 points (94.6% liked)
movies
1769 readers
115 users here now
Warning: If the community is empty, make sure you have "English" selected in your languages in your account settings.
A community focused on discussions on movies. Besides usual movie news, the following threads are welcome
- Discussion threads to discuss about a specific movie or show
- Weekly threads: what have you been watching lately?
- Trailers
- Posters
- Retrospectives
- Should I watch?
Related communities:
Show communities:
Discussion communities:
RULES
Spoilers are strictly forbidden in post titles.
Posts soliciting spoilers (endings, plot elements, twists, etc.) should contain [spoilers] in their title. Comments in these posts do not need to be hidden in spoiler MarkDown if they pertain to the title’s subject matter.
Otherwise, spoilers but must be contained in MarkDown.
2024 discussion threads
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
The "why" is because that's what happened in the comics, and it was a huge deal. Black Captain America was as divisive on the page as it was on the screen, but not giving Wilson the shield would have been a major deviation from the source material, one that looks a lot like caving to pressure from racists.
In my opinion, they shouldn't have tried to do a pure standalone Captain America movie. It should have been worked into the Secret Wars event, and filled with additional Marvel characters, similar to the Captain America: Civil War treatment. In the comics, Sam Wilson deals with major insecurity and imposter syndrome. Shit, that would have been a great subtitle for a Secret Wars story. Captain America: Imposter Syndrome. Following the events of FatWS, Sam is struggling with the weight of the shield, and then Fury and Talos come to him for help with the Skrulls. They can't trust any other Avemgers, not Rhoady, not Thunderbolt, not anyone at SWORD. And then Wilson, with no superpowers, has to duke it out and prove himself against the Super Skrull with all the powers of the Avengers.
And he can't, because he's just one guy, but he keeps getting back up. And that's when he remembers that Steve's superpower wasn't strength or speed or intelligence, or even the shield. Captain America was resilience, defiance, and inspiration personified. That's what the world needs against an unseen, invasive threat. People need hope, courage, and leadership. And that's when people rally to help Sam defeat the Super Skrull, regular soldiers and coexisting Skrulls, maybe hint that Eli Bradley inherited some super from his Grampa. And Nick Fury can have his final blaze of glory before officially definitely for the last time no cap retiring.
I understand the comic universe had Sam Wilson as a much more relevant character, but the MCU was meant to be a separate story and try its own interpretations. The MCU eagle-man was just a secondary character that did not matter to the audiences, he could not be the successor.
It's Bucky who should inherit the shield, not Sam. Bucky had a deep connection with Steve, is widely popular and beloved with the audience, and could have had a solo film with a good story dealing with this alone (hell, the scene of Steve handling the shield to Bucky could have been a very deep moment by itself, after all they both experienced together). I know he had a dark past with Shield manipulating him, but he redeemed himself, and exactly because of these regrets and shaded past, a film showing him turning into a selfless heroe needing to prove to himself and others he can be a great captain america would be an apt transition for his character. Common people would love to see a more mature story with non black and white characters, that still progresses Steve's legacy.
Barnes did take on the mantle of Captain America following Rogers' apparent death in 2008, but Rogers eventually gets better and returns. For a while they were both Captain America, but eventually Bucky's identity as the Winter Soldier becomes public and he's put on trial. He is acquitted, but gives up the mantle because he thinks his checkered past taints the symbol.
A few years later, Steve grows old and retires, and specifically picks Sam as his replacement. Sam wonders why it wasn't Bucky, and spends most of his time as Cap trying to prove himself.
Neat story, it is also good. But the MCU has showed tons of people with checkered pasts still giving their best and overcoming it, and audiences accepting it. Starting with Iron Man, the ex merchant of death, and going Bruce Banne with Hulk (to the in-universe people), Black widow, Loki (twice), Ant-man (ex thief), and probably others i dont remeber.