#I like the mcu version of these characters

[mindswriters]

out of hide ✰ buckyXOC!

pairing. bucky barnes x OC!alina vetrova (that’s slow burn again dont kll me)

mcu timeline. tfatws (ft. sam and zemo!)

summary. bucky broke zemo out of prison to find the serum, the baron had a long list of convenient contacts. and that’s how they met alina.

word count. 4.5k

warnings. death of a character (minor, “irrelevant”), fighting and that’s all + my current works are reviewed by ai.

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“I didn’t think I’d see you again, Zemo,” she said, as she opened her apartment door. “But then again, I always thought prison was too boring for you.”

She had spent years in the shadows, hiding behind false identities and buried research papers, far from the bloodstained corridors of her past. Alina Vetrova no longer answered to the KGB, nor to any master with a badge or flag. Her loyalty was her own now — quiet, calculated, and dangerous when tested. The world had changed since the Blip, and so had she. But when whispers of super soldier serum began to resurface, so did the ghosts she thought she'd outrun.

News — the real kind, the kind that didn't make headlines — traveled fast in her world. She’d known about Zemo’s prison break before the guards had time to update their shift logs. And she knew exactly who had made it happen. Only one man would bother pulling Zemo out of a high-security cell without leaving a trail: Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. She hadn’t seen him in person — not until now. But her network was efficient, and she’d already connected the dots. Barnes had been spotted visiting Zemo, and soon after, the Baron vanished from behind bars. The reappearance of the Flag Smashers, the resurgence of the serum, the chaos forming across Europe… it all pointed to something bigger. Something inevitable.

So, when the knock came — heavy and measured — Alina didn’t flinch. She wasn’t afraid of Zemo. She didn’t trust him either. Yet she opened the door.

Zemo smirked. “And you’ve always been too curious for your own good.”

The apartment was modest and warm — not what any of them expected. Lace curtains filtered the afternoon light. A bookshelf full of titles in Russian, English, and German stood beside a potted Ficus that looked like it had been there for years. The place smelled like cinnamon and ink.

Alina welcomed them with a small, polite smile, her sweater sleeves pushed up, a mug in her hand.

Sam gave her a friendly nod. “Thanks for letting us in. We just want to talk.”

She nodded once. “Unexpected combo, but I figured you’d come. Sit wherever.”

They moved into the living room. Alina perched on the arm of a chair, casual but attentive, like someone who’d hosted diplomats before. While Zemo and Sam took their seats on her couch, Bucky stood mysteriously beside her bookshelf, staring closely, but mute.

“I assume this isn’t a social visit,” she said, sipping her tea.

“It’s about the super soldier serum,” Sam began. “Someone’s been replicating it. You used to run in circles where that kind of information floated around. We were hoping you might’ve heard something.”

Alina didn’t interrupt. She just listened, head tilted slightly, expression unreadable.

“There’s a group called the Flag Smashers,” Sam continued. “They’ve got it. They’re using it. We’re trying to figure out how the hell it resurfaced.”

She set her mug down on a coaster. “I know about the serum. And I know who thinks they understand it.”

That got their attention.

“But the version you're chasing?” she continued. “It’s messy. Incomplete. Someone out there is trying to be Erskine without understanding what made him dangerous.”

Zemo’s smile faded. “Do you know who?”

Alina leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. “I know names. But I also know what happens if they leave my mouth.”

There it was. Resistance.

Sam sat forward. “Look, we’re not here to trap you. We just want to stop whoever’s behind this before it gets worse. If you know anything, we could use your help.”

Alina held his gaze for a moment. She didn’t distrust him — not entirely.

She stood, walked to a drawer, and pulled out a slim folder. “This might help you track the supply chain. But I’m not handing you the whole map.”

She placed it on the table. Zemo didn’t move.

“That’s not enough,” he said.

Alina shrugged. “That’s all I’m offering.”

A silence settled in.

Then Zemo spoke again, quieter. “Soldat.”

Bucky stiffened. Took a slow step forward.

Alina’s expression didn’t change — not at first. She watched Bucky with mild interest, head tilting, as if evaluating an art piece.

He stopped a foot from her, his metal arm catching a sliver of sunlight.

She blinked. Then exhaled softly, taking a small, calculated step back. “So that’s how this goes.”

Zemo watched like a conductor. “Perhaps a reminder of what you used to run from would be... persuasive.”

Bucky said nothing. His eyes were blank. Controlled.

Alina looked between them all — Zemo’s sharp smile, Sam’s hesitance, Bucky’s silent intensity.

Then she laughed. Short. Low. Sharp.

She turned to Bucky, eyes dancing. “You know, this is cute. Very Cold War drama.”

Bucky’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes flickered. Just enough for her to catch it.

“Wakandans did a good job,” she said suddenly, her voice like velvet over glass. “Cleaning up that old brain of yours. No more triggers. No more chains.”

Sam blinked. Zemo froze.

Alina smiled wider. “You really thought I’d fall for that? I know your history, Sergeant Barnes.”

She stepped closer, almost nose to nose with Bucky now, voice dropping.

“You’re not his puppet anymore, not anyone’s.” She whispered. “And I’m not scared of ghosts.”

She turned away, picked up her tea, and sipped like nothing had happened.

“Next time,” she said over the rim of her mug, “try asking nicely. It works better.”

For a moment, no one spoke.

Zemo’s jaw tightened, eyes flicking to Bucky like he wanted to scold him for breaking character — but the game was up, because Alina never actually fell for it. Sam leaned back in his seat with a sigh, shaking his head slowly.

“Okay,” Sam said. “So... you knew.”

Alina gave him a mock salute with her tea. “I read fast.”

Bucky didn’t move. He just stood there; eyes fixed on her with something unreadable — something just a little less cold.

Zemo, trying to salvage authority, cleared his throat. “We didn’t come here to play games. People are dying. If you have more, give it to us.”

“I already gave you something,” she countered. “That’s more than most people do when strangers show up in their living room using an ex-brainwashed assassin as a threat.”

She looked at Sam again. “But I assume you want more.”

“I want to stop whoever’s making that serum,” he said simply. “That’s all.”

Alina looked down at her mug for a long beat.

Then, with a sigh, she walked back to the table, opened a drawer beneath it, and pulled out a folded map with notations in Russian. She flattened it with one hand, pointing to a mark near the edge of a forested region in Eastern Slovakia.

“There’s a facility,” she said. “Not government, not private. One of those grey-zone places that used to belong to Hydra, then got passed around like a dirty secret. I don’t know who runs it now. But the trail leads there.”

Zemo leaned in, his interest piqued.

Sam studied the location. “You know how to get inside?”

“Didn't you give them a briefing?,” she frowns to Zemo, faking outrage. “I got out of KGB when I was 18. I can get in anywhere by now.” She said with a smirk.

Zemo narrowed his eyes. “Then tell us how.”

She looked at him. Calm. Steady. “I’m not giving you that.”

His lips thinned. “Why not?”

She shrugged. “Because you’ll screw it up.”

Sam frowned. “So you’re just gonna... sit on it?”

Alina hesitated — just a second — then shook her head. “No.”

She looked at them, and for the first time, something genuine crept into her voice.

“I’ll take you,” Alina said. Bucky scoffed, his first verbal interference until now.

The words hung in the air like a loaded gun.

Zemo straightened, visibly intrigued. Sam blinked. “You’ll what?”

“I’ll go with you,” she repeated, matter-of-fact. “I know the facility. How it works. How to shut it down without triggering alarms. If you go alone, you’ll walk into a trap.”

“You’re willing to risk exposure for that?” Sam asked, brow furrowed.

Before she could answer, Bucky spoke.

It was the first thing he’d said since they’d arrived.

“Why should we trust you?” His voice was calm, but hard-edged. His eyes were on her — sharp, guarded.

Alina met his gaze without flinching. “You shouldn’t,” she said. “I wouldn’t.”

She let that sit for a beat.

“But the people behind that serum... they’re worse than any of us. They don’t care who gets hurt. I’ve spent too long watching things happen from the sidelines. If I can help stop this, then I should.”

“And what do you get out of it?” Bucky asked, still skeptical.

Alina smiled faintly, almost to herself. “A cleaner conscience, maybe.”

Zemo scoffed quietly, but didn’t interrupt.

She continued, this time more measured. “Look — I know what I am. What I’ve done and what I didn’t. But if I was the enemy, I wouldn’t have opened the door. And I sure as hell wouldn’t be giving you coordinates to a Hydra graveyard.”

Sam looked at Bucky, eyebrows raised, silently asking if he was satisfied.

Bucky held her gaze for another long second.

Then gave a slight nod. “Alright,” he said.

Alina exhaled, her posture easing a bit. “Good. Then we leave in twenty minutes.”

She disappeared into another room, likely to pack.

Sam ran a hand over his face. “This is getting complicated.”

Zemo just smirked. “Isn’t it always?”

But Bucky didn’t answer. He stayed quiet, his eyes lingering on the hallway she’d disappeared into — still trying to read her. Sam stretched his neck with a quiet crack. Zemo poured himself more tea, uninvited. But Bucky stayed where he was. Still not sure whether they were walking beside an ally. Or another ghost from the dark.

After a minute or two, the soft sound of boots returned — lighter than expected, but purposeful. Alina stepped back into the room, and for a moment, neither of the men said anything.

Gone was the cozy cardigan and the mismatched slippers. She now wore fitted black cargo pants, a charcoal long-sleeved shirt, fingerless gloves, and a light tactical vest — civilian enough to blend in, but clearly chosen for function. A compact utility belt hugged her waist, with tools tucked into neat compartments. Her hair was tied back, and her expression had sharpened.

She caught them staring and raised a brow. “What? You come in looking like the three musketeers and I can’t have my dramatic wardrobe change?”

Sam huffed a quiet laugh. Bucky didn’t smile, but he took in every detail.

She walked over to the table again, unfolding the same map and marking two quick paths with red pen.

“Here’s the target zone,” she said, tapping a square near the forest line. “The main facility is buried underground. Cameras on the outer perimeter feed into a secondary relay hub here —” she circled a building off to the side “— which I can disable manually. Once we’re past that, we follow a utility tunnel that leads to a lower-level access hatch.”

Sam leaned over, impressed. “You scouted this yourself?”

“I love architecture.” she said, eyes steady, earning confused stares from the three men. “And I’ve been on Hydra labs before. A long way before. The rest I updated over the years through... unofficial research”

Zemo tilted his head. “You do realize we’re trusting your memory and a very outdated blueprint.”

“I’m trusting myself,” Alina replied. “You’re just tagging along.”

Before Zemo could respond, she rolled the map up and tucked it into her belt.

“We’ll need a car that doesn’t draw attention. No flash, no plates with flags. I’ll ride up front. I’ll guide.”

Sam nodded slowly. “You’re really used to working alone, huh?”

She paused in the doorway, glancing back at him with a dry half-smile.

“People don’t tend to stick around,” she said simply.

Bucky watched her for a second longer before finally falling into step behind her.

#

Outside, the chill air bit against their faces as the group moved toward the nondescript black SUV Zemo had secured. The sky was fading into twilight, casting long shadows on the pavement.

Alina walked with quiet confidence, pulling a small device from her belt to check the signal jammers she’d set in place earlier. She moved like someone who had done this a hundred times — maybe more — but always alone.

As they approached the vehicle, Bucky caught up beside her.

“You sure you’re not walking into a trap?”

She didn’t look at him. Just answered flatly.

“I’m always walking into traps. I just make sure they close on the other guy.”

He didn’t press further. But for the first time, he didn’t look at her with suspicion. He looked with understanding.

An abandoned shipping yard. Rusted containers. Silence.

“That’s it?” Sam asked, cutting the engine.

Zemo stepped out first, looking around. “Underwhelming,” he muttered.

Bucky raised an eyebrow. “You’re sure this is the place?”

Alina didn’t answer immediately. She walked forward, boots crunching gravel, scanning the surroundings with practiced eyes. Then, with a sharp nod, she motioned to a stack of containers. “Follow me.”

Sam stayed back on lookout as the others approached what looked like an ordinary blue freight box.

Zemo folded his arms. “I was promised secrets, not scrap metal.”

Alina didn’t react to the jab. Instead, she crouched beside the container and pressed a gloved hand to a barely-visible panel. A soft click broke the silence, and a narrow hatch popped open from the ground just behind it.

She stood and looked over her shoulder with a cocky smirk.

“This place is giving me tetanus just by looking at it,” Sam muttered.

Zemo brushed some dust off his coat. “Camouflage often comes in less-than-glamorous forms.”

Alina stood with her hands on her hips, expression unreadable.

“So…” Sam looked between them. “Who’s going in?”

Zemo gestured toward the container Alina had identified. “All of us, of course. The fewer loose ends—”

“No,” Alina cut in, tone calm but firm. “Too many bodies down there makes it harder to control the situation.”

She pointed at Sam. “You stay up here. Keep watch.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Me? Why do I have to be the lookout?”

“Because you’re loud,” she said, smirking faintly. “And charming. If anyone shows up, you’re the best shot at buying time.”

Bucky actually let out a soft breath that might’ve been a suppressed laugh.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Fine. But if I get shot, I’m haunting all three of you.”

“Noted,” Alina said, already moving toward the hidden hatch. “You two, try to keep up.”

Bucky followed first, then Zemo, descending into the narrow passage. Dim lights lined the tunnel, casting long shadows on the concrete.

They moved quickly.

At the end of the corridor, a steel door buzzed open to reveal a small lab — sterile, fluorescent, and humming with quiet machinery. A single man stood inside, startled by their arrival: middle-aged, nervy, in a white coat.

He raised his hands. “Who are you?”

Zemo stepped forward. “We’re here for a conversation.”

The interrogation unfolded quickly. Alina played the calm mediator, asking questions with just enough edge to make the man nervous. Zemo circled like a vulture. Bucky kept to the back, watchful.

Suddenly, a voice crackled in their earpieces — Sam’s.

“Hey. We’ve got company. Four—no, five hostiles approaching from the east side. Moving quiet. Real quiet.”

Alina snapped her head up. “How long?”

“They’re spreading out. I’ll keep a few busy, but you’ve got maybe two minutes.”

The team shifted into motion.

Bucky moved to the door, pressing an ear to the cold metal. Alina scanned the room, already spotting their secondary exit — a service hatch on the far wall.

“Zemo, with me,” she ordered. “Bucky, hold position.”

But before they could finalize the escape route, the first agent burst through the door — not with gunfire, but calculated, efficient force.

Bucky reacted instantly, slamming the man into the wall. Another followed — this time aiming for the scientist.

Alina stepped between them, blade flashing. The attacker dropped.

She turned, breath steady, and saw Bucky finishing off a third. Their eyes met — just briefly — a nod passed between them like muscle memory.

And then — a single gunshot cracked through the lab.

Everyone turned.

The scientist slumped forward, a clean bullet wound through the chest.

Zemo stood behind him, arm still extended, expression cold.

Alina’s face darkened. “What the hell, Zemo?!”

“He was a liability,” Zemo said simply, holstering his pistol. “And we got the info we needed.”

Bucky took a step toward him, fists clenched. “That wasn’t part of the plan.”

Zemo didn’t flinch. “Plans change.”

Outside, the sound of more boots crunching gravel echoed down the tunnel.

Sam’s voice came again — breathless, strained. “Now would be a really good time to come out and help me.”

Alina cursed under her breath. “Let’s go.”

She was the first to move, already climbing toward the surface, Bucky stayed a beat longer, eyes still on Zemo, before following. Outside, the night had shifted — quiet traded for chaos.

As Alina emerged from the hidden hatch, the scene was already unraveling. Sam was ducked behind a rusted-out forklift, pinned down by suppressive fire from three agents closing in.

She didn’t hesitate.

Sliding into cover behind a low crate, Alina drew a flash device from her belt. With swift precision, she lobbed it high over Sam’s position.

Bang. A burst of light cut through the dark. The agents reeled back, blinded.

Sam took his chance, popping up and taking down one with a clean shot to the shoulder.

The second agent turned toward Alina, gun raised—

Before he could fire, a dark blur intercepted. Bucky — fast, lethal — disarmed the man with a twist of his metal arm and slammed him into the side of a container.

Alina turned to thank him, but paused.

He was already looking at her. Their eyes locked — just a second.

She nodded.

He nodded back.

No words needed.

The third agent lunged for Sam from the side, but Alina swept in, low and fast, using the butt of her blade to crack him across the jaw. Sam straightened, panting.

“Okay,” he said, glancing between them. “Maybe you should’ve been the one watching from above.”

Alina gave a crooked smile. “You’re welcome.”

Suddenly, a distant boom echoed through the yard — smoke rising at the far end.

They all turned.

Zemo stood atop a stack of crates, looking remarkably composed, one hand holding a small detonator.

“What did you do?” Bucky asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Diversion,” Zemo replied smoothly. “The fuel drums were poorly stored. Sloppy oversight, really.”

Another explosion rocked the ground, this one closer. Lights cut out across the perimeter.

Alina winced. “That’s going to bring more attention, not less.”

“Yes,” Zemo said. “Which is why we should leave. Now.”

Sam exhaled hard. “You’re mental.”

Zemo smiled. “Efficient.”

Without wasting another second, the group broke into a run, weaving between stacks of containers toward their escape route — sirens now wailing in the distance.

Bucky stayed close to Alina’s side, watching her movements — calculated, focused, but there was something behind it. A tension he recognized.

As they ducked behind a final barrier before the car, she glanced at him. “Thanks,” she said, voice low. “For back there.”

He gave a small nod, still catching his breath. “You didn’t need it.”

Alina shrugged, adjusting her jacket. “Still.”

He looked at her a moment longer. Then: “You’re not what I expected.”

A flicker of amusement in her eyes. “Good. I hate being predictable.”

They slipped into the backseat, Sam already revving the engine, Zemo looking far too pleased in the front.

As they sped off into the night, the fire behind them painted the sky orange. The job wasn’t done. But something had shifted. Even if none of them were ready to admit it yet.

Inside the car, tension rode thick between them, louder than the whir of the tires on asphalt.

Zemo sat in the front seat, hands calmly folded. Sam, behind the wheel, looked ready to throttle him.

“You shot him,” Sam snapped. “He was the only one who knew how the serum was replicated—he was our lead!”

Zemo didn’t flinch. “He was a threat. The existence of that formula is a threat.”

Sam turned halfway in his seat. “You don’t get to decide that!”

“We don’t have time for this,” Bucky cut in from the back, voice rough. “He’s dead. What matters now is finding Karli.”

Alina sat beside him, gaze fixed out the window. For once, she didn’t interject. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, jaw set, like she was trying to separate herself from the rest of them. Her silence said more than words.

Zemo leaned slightly back. “I have a contact. A jet. I can get us to Riga by morning.”

Sam groaned. “Of course you do.”

They rode the rest of the way in loaded quiet.

#

At the edge of a private hangar, lights low, the sleek jet idled on the tarmac — another piece of Zemo’s vast, morally ambiguous Rolodex of resources.

After thanking you, and sharing an awkward goodbye, Sam slung his bag over his shoulder and threw a last glare at Zemo before climbing the ramp.

Zemo followed with infuriating calm, nodding politely to Alina as he passed. “It’s been... educational.”

She gave a tight smile. “Can’t say the same.”

Then she turned to say goodbye to Bucky, who was already watching her.

“Hey,” before she could say anything, Sam called back from the top of the ramp. “You sure about this? You came this far.”

Alina paused, then gave a small shrug. “I already crossed the line bringing you to that lab. I don’t have a reason to go any further.”

Her voice was even, but Bucky could hear the uncertainty beneath it. He waited until the others were inside before stepping closer.

“You’re really walking away?”

Alina didn’t look at him right away. When she did, her expression was guarded, but something flickered in her eyes. “I did what you needed. That was the deal.”

“No deal,” he said. “You volunteered.”

She huffed softly, lips twitching at the corner. “Don’t make it sound noble.”

“You knew where to find that lab. You had intel none of us did. You don’t move like someone who wants to stay out of things.” He said practically in a whisper.

“I don’t want to die for things that don’t change.”

That made him pause.

But then he stepped closer, lowering his voice. “You came out of the shadows for this. Don’t pretend you don’t care.”

Alina’s eyes scanned the ground, then the plane.

“You really trust me that much?” she asked, softly, almost teasing — but not quite.

Bucky looked at her for a long moment. “No.”

That made her raise an eyebrow.

“But I know what it looks like when someone’s running from something. And I know what it feels like when you want to stop.”

Their eyes held, a quiet standoff laced with recognition. Neither of them good at letting people in. Both of them too tired to keep carrying it alone.

After a beat, Alina exhaled sharply and slung her bag back over her shoulder.

“I’m not sitting next to Zemo.”

Bucky smirked. “Leave it to Sam.”

She started up the ramp without looking back. And he followed, matching her silent pace.

As they entered the jet’s cabin, Sam raised an eyebrow immediately, already reclined in one of the seats. Zemo looked up from a hardcover book with a curious, almost amused expression.

“Well, I see a change of plans,” Sam remarked, arms crossed. “What did you do to her, Barnes?”

Alina paused only long enough to glance at them — first Sam, then Zemo.

“Blackmail.” She lied sarcastically, dropping her bag in an empty seat.

Bucky passed her and dropped his jacket onto the opposite seat before casting a brief look their way.

“She can scold you both,” he said, dry sarcasm in his tone. “Someone’s gotta help me with the babysitting function.”

Sam scoffed but didn’t press the matter. Zemo, as always, smiled in silence — his eyes dancing with some private conclusion no one asked for.

As the jet hummed steadily through the sky, Alina kept her eyes closed, but sleep didn’t come. Too many pieces were shifting beneath the surface — the mission, the people around her, the decision she’d made to step out of the shadows. She told herself it was temporary. Just one detour. Just one piece of information they needed. But deep down, something had shifted the moment she stepped onto that plane. And for the first time in a long time, the quiet pull she felt wasn’t just survival. It was the beginning of something else entirely. She didn’t know where it would lead — only that it had already begun.

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A/N: yayy that’s the first step on alina’s timeline! i hope you guys like it, and i’m also leaving some important links if you want to dive more in the story. thanks for reading!!

intro on alina • asks open

[the-autistic-vulcan]

The Righteous and The Wicked [Series]

[JOHN WALKER X READER]

Synopsis: Life seems to be throwing stones at you. Every instance you were in, somehow it went swirling down the toilet. You and John were pretty much in the same boat by the time you both got back in contact with each other. It's one phone call. How complicated can this be?

Inspiration: The Righteous and The Wicked by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

gif credit: @us-agent-atyourservice

Information before Reading:

I do not own John Walker or Marvel. This is a pure work of fiction based on the characters and Marvel Cinematic Universe. I am not writing Marvel Comics canon John Walker, I'm writing the MCU version.

Reader is female in the context of her backstory. She is of any size, race, height, etc. Reader is a Black Widow.

Reader's sexuality isn't made hyper-specific in the story, but she does like John romantically later on.

All images and gifs I use throughout are not mine, credit to the original creators (if known, I will tag them)

Chapters:

Will you be My Friend? {Published 28/05/2025}

You Don't Know My Mind {Coming soon}

[secretly-a-catamount]

Every time I’m reminded that they changed Teddy’s name to Eddie, my eye twitches

[tisajest]

Okay so Peter in Gotham fics are neat and all

But what about Dick in NYC fics?

Dick somehow dimension travels to a Marvel universe and needs to figure out how to get back home

He encounters the Avengers and Spider-Man and they help him out

Some way or another, he or Peter connect Richard Parker to him and it’s suddenly “oh hey this is a superhero alternate version of my father”

I just think it’d be fun

[the-thunderbolts-real]

For John because he specifically said he did NOT want to know and I hate him(affectionate): one of the relationshippings is you and Bob

Have fun with that information :]

WHAT IN THE EVER-LOVING FUCK IS THAT ABOUT.

That... that's not right...

I am NOT having fun with this information. I said I didn't want to know, but of course... you guys ADORE torturing me.

[silveme]

POV sitting thru Marvel What If waiting for Moon Knight to show up as advertised bc this is literally the first content we’ve gotten for him in years since the series ended. Meanwhile they won’t stop talking about gamma rays and hulk absorbing another more evil hulk to become one big hulk to lead all the other hulks

[goldenhawk-k]

The main problem with MCU!clint (other than not being deaf) is the fact he’s too cool. Clint Barton is a loser idiot bozo three-time-divorced ex-carnie dumbass broke archer. And that’s integral to his character

[stealingyourbones]

Total amount of 30 comic Marvel x Danny Phantom fanfic prompts have been made.

They have been queued and will intersperse my DPxDC prompts with the tag #dp x marvel

[tyrannuspitch]

i'm always thinking about how different the media landscape of the mcu must be. like... it's actually extremely possible that they have a different version of the norse myths, given that, among other things, the tesseract is briefly implied to be present in them in CATFA, but we don't know how different they might be, to reflect (or not reflect) the differences between mcu canon and OUR myths.

similarly - captain america comics canonically exist in the mcu. but they can't be our captain america comics, because they're based (probably loosely, but still) on a real person, and because the undeniably supernatural elements of steve's story were probably official secrets. so did they go full on scifi or are they more, like, bond-esque with gadgetry just beyond the plausible? and how much did they fictionalise him? do his real friends and allies make it into that part of his legacy, or is the propaganda character of Captain America surrounded by a specially-designed cast of further fictional characters?

and this is one that i might actually find an answer to if i was more balanced in my interaction with subfranchises, but i haven't yet, and seriously - did the mcu even HAVE the fictional concept of a superhero before they got the real thing? and if they didn't, what popular genres did they have instead?

[comeback-from-the-dead]

the worse thing that ever happened during the multiverse of madness era is Wanda being headcanon as a sw*ftie, like god...free Wanda Maximoff from that woman's song..like...Wanda Maximoff is the type of person that would HATE T*ylor swift

[mrscienceman4000]

I just realized how picky I am with how Moon Knight is handled- for instance Marvel Rivals (I know most games have exaggerated versions of characters but I still don’t really like how they did him) his gameplay doesn’t match his character, some of his voicelines aren’t my favorite, they made the dracula thing canon, which wouldn’t be bad if that wasn’t what everyone talked about, and his storyline is just fine.

I mean I know I shouldn’t care about how a pvp game handles a character, but MK is my favorite “hero” of all time, so I guess I would be naturally picky.

[b1ckwdcw]

this   blog   will   be   using   the   dynamic   for   alexei   and   yelena   as   portrayed   in   the   mcu   by   default.    i   simply   prefer   the   family   dynamic   that   they   gave   them   in   the   movie   and   would   like   to   use   that   for   my   portrayal   going   forward.    THIS   BLOG   IS   WILLING   TO   WRITE   WITH   COMIC   PORTRAYALS   OF   THOSE   MUSES.    just   wanting   to   explain   that   a   little   before   diving   into   rp.    while   i   do   use   the   canon   of   nat   and   yelena   acting   as   siblings   ,   ┈┈   natalia   was   still   born   back   in   1928   and   posed   as   a   college   aged   sister   to   yelena.    at   the   time   ,   she   hadn't   defected   yet   ,   and   was   still   the   version   of   herself   she   doesn't   like   now.    it's   the   lie   she   had   to   live   in   front   of   yelena   that   pushes   her   to   be   a   good   sister   to   her   now.

[ronqueesha]

I finally decided to renew my disney subscription for Andor, but also to catch up on things I missed like Agatha and Daredevil.

But really the first thing I'm doing is watching the new season of What If to see if my beloved animated maria hill makes any more appearances.

[liaswritesrobots]

More pride icons!

Headcanon: Windblade is a lesbian!

[k8felge]

nothing hurts more than seeing ur fave character depicted in an official au story or elseworld where details ab them r different but it explores the character in a new way -- its good in a vacuum, but u know it isn't the Definitive Version of that character. Just a new exploration (cool!). but because the adaptation brought in so many new fans and/or was a huge success it ends up being treated like its the Definitive Version and all discussions of prev versions are overshadowed bc of it... even worse when studios / execs see the success and try to pivot to this New Version only and never try to explore new routes for the character ever again (can you tell this is about comics yet)

[ohfugecannada]

Fanfic/fancomic idea I just thought of while watching SpongeBob clips:

Semi-early on in Rocket and Groot knowing each-other/working together, Groot sees Rocket’s cybernetics for the first time. Maybe it’s a similar moment to when Quill first saw them in the prison scene in Vol.1, maybe it was during a particularly intense battle with a bounty and Rocket gets the back of his shirt torn up exposing his back but just yells at Groot to focus on beating the other guy etc.

Whatever the case, Groot sees Rocket’s cybernetics and, not yet fully understanding the concept of cyborgs or anything, tries asking Rocket about them later. But Rocket just keeps either trying to deflect and change the subject or just tells Groot to shut it and quit bugging him about it.

So Groot, having no context or idea of Rockets trauma and everything, starts thinking and filling in the blanks in his own way. And after putting together:

The metal things on rockets body

His habit of stealing peoples robotic prosthetics, batteries and other electronics

The fact Rocket hates taking baths and (seemingly) most liquids apart from alcohol

The fact Rocket never laughs at Groots jokes

And the fact he never shows any genuine emotion other than rage or cockiness

Groot comes to the Galaxy shattering realisation that Rocket is, in fact… A ROBOT.

Aside from the intital internal screaming he has about everything making so much more sense now, Groot does find it strange how mammalian Rocket looks. But then Groot figures, since they have previously caught robot bounties who tried (and failed) to pass themselves as organics by wearing artificial skin, Rocket’s probably doing the same thing.

And oh no, maybe that’s why he was so defensive before about those metal parts of him showing?? Maybe he’s been discriminated against for being a robot and is trying to pass himself off as an organic animal to protect himself? And/or he has a deep seeded internalised robot phobia???? And Groot trying to push him about it made it worse?!??!??

So Groot, after realising the “truth”, tries to be more supportive of rocket and him being a robot. He doesn’t directly confront Rocket or try to press him on it. Since he tried that before and fails and he’s figured out it’s a sensitive subject for rocket. But Groot does his research on robots and tries to figure out what make and model rocket is (with very few results) so he can better look after him incase he malfunctions or something, he makes sure to “borrow” extra batteries and oil canisters when ever they’re at a place with electronics because he figures that’s what he really uses for sustenance instead of all the burgers and junk food he eats in front of Groot for (what he thinks is) the sake of appearance, tries to stop him from getting wet whenever it rains or they visit a mostly water-covered planet, calls Rocket out if/whenever he makes crude comments about other robots because (internally) Groot draws the line at Rocket taking his own issues about being a robot out on his fellow robots etc etc. All because Groot doesn’t care what Rocket is and just wants his best friend to be happy and feel safe and accepted as he is. As well as for him to trust Groot enough to come out in his own time when he feels ready.

Meanwhile Rocket is just. Completely baffled by Groot acting so weird around him all the sudden and doing all this. And no idea Groot thinks he’s a robot because of his cybernetics. Eventually culminating when things escalate out of hand and Groot cutting to the chase, gently telling rocket he knows he’s a robot and that he doesn’t have to be afraid of hiding it anymore because Groot still cares about him no matter what.

…And rocket, slightly less gently, telling Groot that goD FLARKIN DAMNIT GROOT!!! IM NOT A GODDAMN ROBOT YOU STUPID MOLDY OVERGROWN PEICE OF CRAP TWIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Basically, it’s the Krab Borg episode of SpongeBob if SpongeBob tried being a supportive robot ally to Mr.Krabs instead of jumping him in his office with Squidward.