mcu-thoughts - Tumblr blog

[mcu-thoughts]

I decided to start working on Living in the Present, Clinging to the Past again, and the next chapter has to do with Peter.

Originally I had it where No way Home never happened. I didn't want to deal with it.

...Now I have an idea for it.

[mcu-thoughts]

Steve Rogers did, in fact, realize that something was off when he saw the outline of the woman’s odd bra (a push-up bra, he would later learn), but being an officer and a gentleman, he said that it was the game that gave the future away.

[mcu-thoughts]

the thing about “angry chihuahua” pre-serum steve is that on a vacuum, I get why people like it? like it’s cute, smol steve being angry and sassy, it’s funny, not everything in fandom has to be 100% serious and angst-driven etc etc, i understand that

but at the same time… it bothers me so much because it’s just. so. condescending. like… “awww look at this poor disabled man thinking he can stand up to people, haha, so adorable, thank god he has bucky around to keep him alive!111!”. 

(i don’t want to get too much into how this devalues the stucky dynamic bc i don’t even go here, but bucky! respected! pre-serum steve! immensely!! he didn’t see him as a reckless idiot who needed him to survive! it’s like people take the “the little guy from brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight” quote and only remember this part and forget the rest, the most important part, “I’M FOLLOWING HIM”! bucky knows pre-serum steve was way more of a hero than some dude dressed as the american flag shooting a fake gun at movies!!! that’s the POINT!!)

it’s just so… dismissive of steve’s bravery and cleverness. people take ONE scene in the first avenger where steve gets into a fight he’s clearly not going to win, ignoring that a) the framing of the moment when the guy stands up and steve’s face makes very clear that he KNOWS he’s in trouble, he has no delusions about ACTUALLY being able to win the fight; b) the dude is being an asshole and disrespecting others in the theater and steve! gets! him! to stop!!!! The guy LEAVES to beat him up in the alley, thus accomplishing the main point of Steve’s intervention, aka to let the grieving lady watch the tribute to the troops in peace. 

and that’s like… THE ONLY TIME IN THE MOVIE where pre-serum steve does something like this. right on the first enlistment scene, some dude is clearly trying to tease him with the “makes you think twice about enlisting, huh?” talk, and steve just goes “nope” and IGNORES THE GUY AND DOESN’T TAKE THE BAIT. because it doesn’t matter! it’s just some dumbass who isn’t threatening anyone! steve doesn’t need to get into a fight because someone is underestimating him - if he did, he’d fight with everyone all the time, because guess what, as a disabled man in the 40s, steve is barely considered an actual man. there’s a LEGITIMATE scientific view in this time period that argues that people like him should be murdered at birth. he KNOWS how he’s perceived. he’s aware. when he’s talking to the doctor, he’s not brattish - he asks give me a chance and is there anything you can do?. his tone in the latter line specifically is TIRED, not defiant. 

and then!! the One Scene apparently everyone who thinks pre-serum steve was a moron with a macho complex didn’t watch: the training montage! where that hodge guy deliberately fucks with the barbed wire just to get in steve’s way and STEVE! DOESN’T! REACT!!!!!!!! he just grits his teeth and tries to keep going and the officer has to be like “rogers take this rifle out of the mud”. there’s no indication that steve EVER tried to fight this guy in the movie, despite the fact that he’s constantly shown laughing/bullying steve during the training. why? because it’d be a pointless fight to pick. it’d be a fight picked out of nothing but pride and steve can’t afford to do that. he stands up for what’s right, not for everything and anything that pisses him off.

it frustrates me that people don’t seem to get this because it’s like… the very core of steve’s character. he’s not a wannabe bully. he’s kind and polite to others (meeting peggy, talking to dr. eskrine. eskrine isn’t just impressed by the “i don’t like bullies” moment, he’s clearly also very pleased by the fact steve doesn’t show prejudice against him for being german). the only moment where he adopts a “fight me” posture that gets him in actual trouble, it’s to protect and help others who can’t stand up for themselves. i get that in theory the idea of smol bean steve fighting everything and everyone might sound fun, but in reality, a person who craves violence and sees it as a prime way to achieve their goals is the opposite of who steve rogers is meant to be.

(and that’s not even getting into when people write POST-serum steve with this “fight me” attitude which is like… how… do you think… that’d be ok… how do you not see a difference between a ninety-pound disabled man and a literal supersoldier trying to intimidate people physically… which part of “a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion” you didn’t understand…)

so imo, this characterization weakens not only steve’s character, but his arc, and even the story of tfa as a whole? the serum works on steve because he’s already a noble, brave, good man. if he was an asshole who bites off people’s hand for looking at him wrong, none of this would make sense. by this logic, eskrine might have as well picked hodge.

[mcu-thoughts]

"Steve Rogers is a golden retriever" this, "Steve Rogers is a golden retriever" that...

I personally disagree.

I think that Steve is a herding dog/sheepdog.

Most of why I see Steve compared to a golden is he's got blond hair.

You know who else has blond hair, and *has* golden energy?

Thor "I'm gonna focus on that my FRIEND is here and not the fact I have to fight him in an arena" Odinson

But back to Steve.

What have we noticed from Steve? He's either doing something (missions, fighting, training) or being generally glum.

We could say that's because he's in the present and not used to stuff.

But remember how determined he was to join the army?

How he felt like he needed to DO more?

He wanted to be of service?

Have you ever seen a sheepdog NOT look for a task?

A quote comes to mind. "If you do not give a [sheepdog] a job, they will assign themself one. And that job just might be disassembling your couch."

When Steve doesn't have anything to do, he will probably go to the nearest Avenger/Stark employee/SHIELD agent for a task.

To be busy. To distract. To be helpful. Doesn't matter.

Steve is a sheepdog.

[mcu-thoughts]

probably been said before but headcanon that sam was a captain america fanboy sorta like coulson and he was like “wow I can’t believe that’s captain america running past me, he’s such a great guy I had his ACTION FIGURE when I was a kid”

then after the 30th on your left sam is like “never mind, this steve rogers guy is an asshole”

[mcu-thoughts]

not to get emotional about steve rogers on main again, but do you ever just want to crawl into a bed for the rest of the day because you made the mistake of thinking about how young steve actually is?

like. steve only remembers living until 26, remembers drowning and freezing and dying at 26 and suddenly he wakes up in 2012 and he’s meant to be turning 94, 68 years of life that went un-lived but are supposedly his? he goes from living his present, from accepting his death, to being the only one who could remember it, and remember it clearly and constantly and consistently, not in the way it’s been warped since he fell, not in the way he’s been twisted into since he died: he becomes an actual, living, breathing testament to what was, and finds himself standing in the face of and struggling to reconcile with what is.

steve is only 26 when they unfreeze him and ask him to fight again. he’s younger than even natasha, but no one remembers that, because steve is 26, but captain america is 94, 95, 96, and they’re both ageing but it’s only steve who’s growing older, but not fast enough. steve is 26 and he remembers, perfectly, so clearly, his war, and bucky’s, and peggy’s, and howard’s, and the commandos’. steve is 26 and he remembers dying but he’s alive again, only to fight again, to fight back against something he’d died to put to sea, only for it to be used to summon aliens from another world. steve is 28 when he finds the soldier but 30 when he finds bucky, and in between, he remembers, clearly, so clearly, the word fascist spray-painted over his face in sokovia, and wonders how it’s come to this. he’s 30 when peggy dies, when the accords come into play, when he and tony fight, and ‘so was i’, and the raft, and the threat of five more winter soldiers appear. he’s 30 when he becomes steve rogers again; captain america doesn’t make it to 100 – it turns out all it takes to kill a myth, a legend, is doubt, is lack of faith – but steve remembers the weight of the shield in his hand, anyway, and how the cowl had obscured him in favour of a symbol: let the rest of the world remember captain america how they want to; he’s trying to remember steve.

and he’s 30 on the run but at least he’s steve now, he’s the closest to himself he’ll ever be, shield or no shield, 31 on the run, 32 on the run, and then not even 33 yet when another war comes, when a worse war comes, and – just like the first time – he comes out of it alive and on the other side, maybe wishing he’d finally met his death this time, why couldn’t it have been him this time, because not again, but then. but then, we know steve rogers stands up, anyway. he will stand up and square his shoulders and keep going, because he was steve rogers before he was ever captain america, and captain america is dead, the shield is gone, the uniform is dirty, there’s no more cowl to hide behind, but steve rogers is still alive. he is still so young in the face of the world, in the face of the gods and men and kings he keeps company with, but he has seen as much as any of them, stands shoulder to shoulder with them, and moves forward, and it’s staggering, i think, when you think of how much he has lived, only to consider what’s left to be lived.

[mcu-thoughts]

Happy Birthday Bucky!

He's 107th today, so here's a little gift for fans.

Here's a hint (spoiler for The Marvels under the cut):

Who could this be?

[mcu-thoughts]

Happy birthday, Bucky! Hope your day was filled with nothing but good things and sweetness! (@mcu-thoughts)

Thank you! It was great. I had so much cake & to be honest I might have sugar rush now

[mcu-thoughts]

avengers + name meanings

“‘cause if we can’t protect the earth, you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it.”

[mcu-thoughts]

the super soldier serum NEVER corrupted James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes

he continued to serve in the army, in a team, where he was never a leader. and he loved the boys. genuinely cared.

he never acted on the Hydra version of the serum that was in his system strong enough that he survived a fall that would normally not only kill, but leave a man with not trace.

he didn't look for glory and didn't strive to be the top of anything.

he still believed in the kid in Steve, believed that physical power meant nothing. we never see him violent in any of his combat scenes (deleted and official ones)

he always wanted to help, to be of service.

he was kind, humble and self sacrificing.

anyone else could have taken on the mission of jumping on the top of a moving train, but he went. and he was nobly ready to die for his fight.

[mcu-thoughts]

I'm glad other people are having similar ideas.

#MarvelGiveBuckyaFlerkin2024

[mcu-thoughts]

This is roughly what I plan to do with my current story.

Except it's less 'Fury shows up' and more 'Bucky puts out feelers on where to get a cat and Fury is all 'I have something better' but doesn't tell him Alpine is NOT a cat until she eats something'.

Nick Fury has to figure out what to do with a bunch of Flerkins. He shows up on Bucky's doorstep with this ferocious alien fluffball.

[mcu-thoughts]

Huh, mine is also a self-insert. But it's for the MCU, where Bucky. survives the train and ends up in the 21st century. Unlike the self-insert person, I know everything that happens in the altered past and will be able to act accordingly.

But it's Marvel, and Hydra is still around. 6/10 danger rating (assuming 10 is maximum danger).

Although... considering it's been from Bucky's POV so far... does that mean I get isekai'd into Bucky?

...That's too weird to think about.

you are personally and directly hit by a bus¹ and isekai-ed, via resurrection, into the body of the main character your most recent WIP

reblog and tell me: on a scale of 1–10, how screwed are you right now?

¹ this is, transparently, a plot device, so if you are about to tell me "joke's on you, I never leave my fifteenth floor apartment!" then you may rest assured it will have tremendous comedic value when the bus is launched into the sky and crashes through your apartment wall to flatten you anyway

[mcu-thoughts]

Hi! I'm still figuring the difference between messages/inbox tbh but as long as you send in the request I'll get to it. I'm trying to keep all requests anonymous when posted so sometimes I'll message a link to whoever sent it. If it's anonymous I might start replying to the message so the sender is notified (assuming that works)

thank you for the request, I hope you enjoy <;3 (last disclaimer- I'm British so my only context for 1940s America is from movies and anecdotes)

Date Nights Trigger warnings for?nothing v v lighthearted fluff? Bucky Barnes x F reader Oneshot 1500 words fluff & comfort 18+ MDNI

Bucky tells you what your dates would've been like in the 40s.

"I'm tellin' you, Buck" Y/N beams, "if it's got food and candles, it counts as a date night."

Barnes is still tugging at his boots in the door way, looking apologetic as ever, like him being late off a Quin-Jet is something he could've prevented.

Her eyes roll, "It's fine- you text me to let me know you where behind schedule, the pizza has been here for ten minutes, and- you've finally got your boots off-"

He cuts her off with a kiss, dipping her back dramatically like hoping that the corny gesture might add to the romance.

The feeling of her laughter against his lips makes him smile so hard that his cheeks ache, and then they're eating and drinking red wine that is too good to have with stuffed crusts from Albie's.

and that's when his mind wonders again,

to dance halls and evening walks in formal jackets and what it might be like to push her on a rope swing in a pretty sun-dress-

"what are you day dreaming about?" Y/N chuckles, quirking a brow at the pinkness in his cheeks.

"…date nights" is the reply he settles on after a minute, pressing a kiss against her cheek before settling back onto the couch.

"wow" she says, laughing again, "that's impressive even for you, sweetheart, can you even get sweeter than fantasising about date night while you're literally havin' a date night?"

He rolls his eyes, before melting down into her lap. Smiling almost smuggly as she recieves him more than eagerly, discarding her wine glass to card through his hair with her fingers.

"Wait" she says teasingly, "Before you get all this fussin'- the person you were with in this daydream was me wasn't it? because if it was Steve your puppy dog eyes are goin' to be about 12% less effective"

"88% is still pretty good" he says playfully, before shaking his head in response to her mock look of hurt, "of course it was you, darlin' it just that back in my day-"

"Back in my day?" Y/N mimics, beaming down at him like he's the best thing she's ever seen, "Did you really just say that, outloud?"

Her teasing is tempered with unwavering affection, but still it makes him laugh, a true soft chuckle bursting through his chest when he realises how it sounds.

"Still" he murmurs, feigning grouchiness, "goin' on a date meant somethin' different back then, it was more of an event..."

"Oh, yeah?" Y/N presses, seeing the trace of nostalgia in his eyes, "tell me about it?"

He blinks at her, before looking away, genuinely bashful again;

"You don't wanna hear me dronin' on about ancient history, Sugar-"

"Actually" she objects, "After missin' you for 2 days because you've been galivanting across Russia, I think that's exactly what I want."

He paws at his jaw before sighing, surrendering to the arm your holding him by snuggling into your front.

"Well, they didn't usually include this much touchin' for a start"

"Is that a complaint?" Y/N quips, raising a brow in genuine curiosity.

"No- never-" he's quick to tell her, "I just don't really know where to start, doll. It's all real different now."

She just smiles down at him again, letting her thumb brush his temple as his eyes flutter shut.

"What would our first date have been like, d'ya think?" she asks, "and don't just rattle off some Grate-Gatsby story, I know you and Rodgers didn't eat Caviar in tuxedos when you took girls out for the night"

"God" he scoffs dreamily, smile firmly on his face now, "Gatsby was more my ma's era, darlin'… I'd have probably taken you out for a walk first, asked you when I could pick you up and spent a couple of hours gettin' myself ready… I'd have brought flowers, -I might've had to pick them from the garden-" he allows, "-but I'd have brought ya' something, and then I'd knock for ya'…"

"And would I be wearin' one of those pin-up style dresses, victory curls and red lipstick style?"

"No" he snorts, "All the dames back then wore sweat pants"

"You're gettin' sassy in your old age" Y/N is quick to tease, "I meant for a walk… since that's where you said you'd be takin' me… is that the kinda thing ladies got all dolled up for back then?"

He's grinning like a fool as he hums, picturing exactly the kind of thing she might've been wearing.

"It'd probably have been some kind of dress" he allows, shyly at first "somethin' nice but not, not the whole nine yards unless you wanted me to be fightin' all the other men in town away all night."

It's her turn to laugh then, it swims through his head like music, making his chest flutter happily.

"We'd probably spend a while just talkin', darlin', and I'd have asked you for a second date before I took ya' home."

"Is that when you'd have asked me if I had any friends for Steve?"

He chokes on a breath as he realises that's exactly when he'd have done that.

"and I'd have said "sure, but don't be late"… and then, you'd have arrived together at least 10 minutes after we'd arranged, but- you'd have been so charmin' that I wouldn't have minded one bit."

"Maybe" he murmurs, not wanting to tell her just how well she's got him figured out.

"And where would this double date be?"

"Probably dancing" he says surely, "I got tired of trying to take girls to the pictures with Rodgers. He could never stay out of trouble."

"He still hasn't figured that out"

He grins again, eyes still shut but as her hands go back to soothing his muscles, she notices that they're definitely relaxing.

"You'd have been more dressed up for dancing- but so would I, it'd be full uniform, sugar" he murmurs, "and you might've even found some stocking with seams if you'd thought I was worth the trouble…"

"Oh, you're definitely worth the trouble" she whispers, loving the dreamy quality his voice has taken on, it seems so sweet, how content he is just talking about all this, "I'd have done my hair too, and put on that lipstick"

He smiles at her description, picturing it so vividly in his mind that he could reach out and touch her lips and his fingers would come away red.

"And my pretty friend would be takin' care of Steve…" she tells him decisively, "so what would we be doing?"

"I'd get us drinks, doll…" he says, "the band would be playing, not through speakers like now, but they'd have a singer, and a whole set up, we'd ditch our glasses and I'd ask you to dance… there were always so many people there, sugar, the room was so warm- and we'd be laughin' and I'd pretend that I didn't… but if it was you in my arms I'd have forgotten all about Steve by the time the music stopped."

The fingers in his hair are like magic, drawing every facet of tension from his body as she untangles the strands with ease. He hadn't even notice how tense he'd been before. The mission had been quick and easy and without complication until the end, when Tony's "un-freezable" engine had frozen, needing 30 minutes to warm back up before they could head home. He'd been wracked with guilt for the entire flight, hating having to tell you he was going to be late for date night. The date night he'd been looking forward too all week.

"I'd have taken you for a bite on the way back to your place" he continues, clinging to the fantasy like a blanket in the cold, "I'd have wanted more time with ya'- so I'd have insisted on a diner instead of a hot-dog stand or somethin'… I wouldn't have let you drink to much, we'd have gotten cokes in the glass bottles- I swear, it tasted so much better than it does now, even with the rationing-"

"Is that when I'd steal your hat and put it on over my pretty curled hair?" she asks cheekily.

"hat?" he asks, opening his eyes to look at her curiously,

"You said you'd be in uniform- I've seen the pictures."

"Well, yeah, but-"He blinks, still not understanding "Why would you take it, doll?"

"Isn't it like cowboys?" Y/N presses warmly, still carding through his hair

"Cowboys?" Bucky echoes, confused.

"Mhmm" she hums in confirmation, "plus, if I ran away with your hat, you'd definitely follow me home wouldn't ya?"

"I'd have walked you home anyway, m-maybe even kissed ya' at the door if I was feelin' brave" he stammers, still caught up in the mental image of the most beautiful girl in the world wearing an outfit that would've put Marilyn Monroe to shame and his hat.

"Well, yeah" she agrees, "but this way you'd have to chase me inside."

Suddenly, a flush fills his cheeks as the imagined dress vanishes, leaving him with a fantasy that does more than make his face hot.

"It's your birthday in March" Y/N says coolly, "I'll see what I can do".

Masterlist

[mcu-thoughts]

i feel like this is how it goes in all the steve's & bucky's childhood fics

Bucky: this is my best friend, Steve

Bucky's family: aw, our best friend, Steve

i love it

[mcu-thoughts]

Watched a clip from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, so... I'm in category 2. Firmly.

[mcu-thoughts]

Bucky would absolutely LOVE the httyd movies, you cannot change my mind