Fic: Full Circle

[przed]

So, I saw Endgame, and was inevitably enraged by the way they sidelined Bucky. (Heck, even the Sweetie, after he saw it, was like, "Wow, they really didn't want Bucky in that movie, did they?").

And I have inevitably written a fixit fic.

Full Circle (1128 words)
Fandom: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Offscreen James "Bucky" Barnes/Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers
Additional Tags: Post-Endgame, Endgame Fix-It, Time Travel

Summary:
The two of them sit on the bench for the longest time, staring out at the shimmering surface of the lake in front of them, a pregnant silence building between them.

Steve is the one who speaks first.

“I saved him,” he says. “I couldn’t save you, but I saved him.”

A big thank you to halotolerant for providing the title and helping make it better.

Comments

[kore]

T said "It turns out the end of the line was more like a stop on the express train." Haha! LOL, SOB

It felt like the amount of no-homoing in that movie was considerable, except for maybe Tony's fight with Steve and that one glorious brief moment with Sam, and wow, I think SebStan had more lines in TWS. He certainly got to act more. They said people who didn't get a chance to do a lot in the first movie would have bigger parts in the second! Little did we know that meant ANT-MAN. Because when I see the last Avengers movie ever, I sure do want a whole lot of Ant-Man in it. (STEVE WOULD TOTALLY NOT LEAVE BUCKY. HE JUST WOULDN'T.) (I also don't think Steve Fucking Rogers would abandon a whole bunch of newly returned baffled, probably terrified, civilians, when two of the OG6 are gone, and two are retired and one fucks off.)

Your story is lovely. And “Didn’t have to,” he says proudly. “Peggy figured it out. And Howard wasn’t far behind her.” YYYYEAH PEGGY AND HOWARD.

He lets Sam approach first, lets Sam have his moment, glad when he sees Sam take up the shield. Sam deserves it. He's maybe the best of all of them, flying into danger without any special powers or super healing. And Sam is a friend. Maybe the person he's closest to, after Steve. He's also relieved that it'll be Sam carrying the shield, that glorified target.

And SAAAAAAAAAAAM. I like that a whole lot too.

I dunno. That movie was really pretty -- gorgeous even. There was lots of fun fanservice. The ending was great, up until THEN. But if it were a fic it would need some serious betas. ("You need to cut this Hulk bit. I know you think it's funny. It's just not good." "No, your time travel theories still don't make sense....")

[przed]

I've got to stop reading articles about Endgame (or interviews with Markus, McFeely and the Russos), because I just about make peace with it and then I get angry all over again. It honestly would have taken pathetically little to placate me (would it have killed them to give Steve and Bucky a fucking eyeline on the battlefield?!?!) and they couldn't even manage that. You're not kidding that it needed serious betas.

The worst part is, there's good stuff in there. But my disappointment with the stuff that's not has completely killed any enjoyment I can get out of it.

As for the fixit, SAM IS THE BEST!!! Of everything Endgame did, I am honestly happy they gave him the shield.

[kore]

I've got to stop reading articles about Endgame (or interviews with Markus, McFeely and the Russos), because I just about make peace with it and then I get angry all over again.

Ohhh ghod, the latest thing I read was "Yes the Hulk is permanently injured from using the gauntlet, remember Thanos? He is burned, he's really not as strong" (the HULK? uhhh okay man) "and that's going to affect him. He lost his arm, he lost Natasha...." and I was just like WHAT DO YOU FUCKING MEAN HE LOST NATASHA? HE DITCHED HER FOR FIVE YEARS APPARENTLY! THEY EXCHANGED 2 FUCKING LINES IN THE MOVIE! YOU ARE MAKING HER A PRIZE YET AGAIN?! WHY, RUSSOS, WHY YOU DO THIS. I wonder if there's some genius (probably female) editor making sense of their goddamn scripts and films, because some of the movies are so good and then they open their mouth and pure shit just flows out

It honestly would have taken pathetically little to placate me (would it have killed them to give Steve and Bucky a fucking eyeline on the battlefield?!?!) and they couldn't even manage that.

TINY things would have made it better for me. A remembrance of Nat on the battlefield. The WOMEN remembering Nat on the battlefield (a lot knew her or had met her). A joint memorial service. A REAL reunion between Steve and Bucky. Them having an actual conversation! Poor SebStan had what, a tiny little blip in the battle? Gahh.

You're not kidding that it needed serious betas.

I think they got Too Big To Edit, like JKR and other super famous authors. They mentioned in one interview how Age of Ultron had done less well than Avengers (yeah, people mock the idea of the million-dollar flop in Hollywood, but that's how producers and studio heads think) and then Whedon left and it was a mess, and then Feige got his way and apparently the big test of whether or not they could bring it off was Civil War. (Feige famously wanted that storyline in MCU, no matter what.) They brought it off, so I think after that they could do no wrong. And the contrast between Black Panther and Captain Marvel, or even the Ant-Man films, and Infinity War/Endgame is amazing. IW/EG has so many giant plot holes and 90% of the "characterization" takes place offscreen and yeah, the f/x are great but they completely fail as stories. They are really giant comic book crossovers brought to life. Now EVERYONE can have that kind of experience, not just comic book fans!

The worst part is, there's good stuff in there. But my disappointment with the stuff that's not has completely killed any enjoyment I can get out of it.

Yeah, I was totally NOPE about it because I thought Steve was going to die, and then I heard he wouldn't and it would be Tony, and I saw that battle footage at the end in the leak (yes I am a bad person LOL) and was SUPER JAZZED. I was just like, oh man I have to see that in the theatre. And then I heard the spoilers about Nat, and Steve, and it was like the movie was polluted. It was like someone serving you beautiful lobster salad that gives you food poisoning.

As for the fixit, SAM IS THE BEST!!! Of everything Endgame did, I am honestly happy they gave him the shield.

Two things actually made me HAPPY and even hopeful (despite myself) for the future, the wonderful entrance they gave Sam with "on your left" and then the moment Steve gives him the shield. Apparently Mackie and Evans both cried, it was a real passing of the torch, and I really hope the future movies don't either sideline Sam or do some awful Nick Spencer "not my Captain America" storyline with him. Because Sam is Best.


....oh dear sorry to rant rant rant (boy this movie has made me WARY of the MCU. Especially after BP and CM. After BP, IW destroyed Wakanda, and then after CM, Nat got killed off. Not a great look, guys!)

[przed]

I've been doing nothing but rant since I saw EG, so it's honestly comforting to know I'm not the only one.

I've been focusing on the horrible way they treated Bucky and Steve, but Nat was also treated horribly. By all means, lets let her sacrifice herself for the guy who's basically become a mass murderer. And not acknowledge her sacrifice or give her any sort of memorial, because heaven forbid we dilute the adoration of Tony Stark. (I like Tony, really I do, but the way he always dominates the narrative in Avengers movies has only gotten more irritating.

But yeah, I am hopeful about the passing of the shield to Sam, and I really hope they don't go all Nick Spencer on his tenure as Cap. I was all set to pick up the run of Sam as Cap once I had all the Brubaker run, and then I found out that they'd done that "not my Captain America" crap and put all thoughts of it out of my head.

They are really giant comic book crossovers brought to life. Now EVERYONE can have that kind of experience, not just comic book fans!

OMG, that is exactly what these films are. And I like them about as well. Which is to say, not much at all.

::sigh::

[halotolerant]

*hugs*

[przed]

*hugs back*

[catalenamara]

I saw Endgame. I don't ever have to see it again.

Did you see these articles?
https://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/280702/why-avengers-endgame-sidelining-stucky-matters

and:

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/avengers-endgame-captain-americas-ending-ruins-the/1100-6466487/

[przed]

I was planning on seeing it again, but I just get furious when I think about going.

I hadn't seen those articles, but I've certainly read enough like it. Heck, even Vanity Fair had one:

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/04/avengers-endgame-steve-bucky-stucky-captain-america-shield-sam-wilson-falcon

Grrrrr.

[kore]

Vanity Fair had a "you fridged Nat, you bastards" article, too. Hell, even ESQUIRE had one. I dunno if they realized they have pissed off a large portion of the fanbase and don't care, or, seemingly like the Magicians showrunners, they think it's awesome people are talking about it.

[przed]

Given the utterly ridiculous amount of money the film has earned, I don't think they're going to learn the right lesson from any of those articles, which is going to make me even more wary of what's to come in the MCU. (In nearly thirty years in fandom I have until now always avoided big, current fandoms, and now I'm remembering exactly why. Working with older, fixed canon means there are no big, horrible surprises waiting for you around the corner.)