Bucky & Steve Rogers Saw Each Other Before Infinity War

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Avengers: Infinity War

Joe Russo reveals that Steve Rogers' and Bucky Barnes' reunion in Avengers: Infinity War isn't the first time they've seen each other since Cap went underground after being labeled a fugitive in Captain America: Civil War while his best pal has been sorting himself out in Wakanda. The most enduring relationship in the MCU, the two men out of a time have gone through so much over the last several decades. And just like what they've promised, they were there for each other until the end of the line, at least for now.

With the number of characters that the Russos had to juggle for Infinity War, there were some storylines that understandably were cast to the side. That includes an almost unsatisfying reunion with Bucky and Steve as seen in the trailer, especially considering that they've supposedly been away from each other for quite some time. However, as it turns out, that wasn't the first time they saw each other in the last two years since Bucky decided to go back into cryogenic stasis while he was trying to fully recover from HYDRA's brainwashing.

The Russos, alongside Sebastian Stan, sat down with BUILD Series to talk about Infinity War when one fan asked why the hug between Steve and Bucky didn't seem to be as emotional as it should be considering what they're both going through. Stan hilariously answered that it if screen time wasn't an issue, the monumental embrace would've been a third of the film, causing the audience to chuckle. Joe Russo, then, chimed in and shared that for him and Anthony Russo, they were under the presumption that it wasn't the first time the two are seeing each other since Bucky got out from his frozen sleep.

"We make these choices based on the story real estate that we have, and you know, it was appropriate for probably the amount of time that passed for Bucky to be healed since Civil War. Shuri's been you know, a genius, perhaps the smartest person in the world and... she found a way to repair Bucky when no one else could for many years. So I think for us, I think clearly Steve, who has been on the run since Civil War has been keeping close contact with Shuri and T'Challa. Obviously, he's been hiding somewhere. I think he's made his way to Wakanda a couple of times... and that is how we directed that scene, that was not the first time that they were seeing each other since he woke up."

Captain America: Civil War - Cap and Bucky

In reality, Steve didn't really do much in the movie in terms of plot, especially compared to his fellow heroes like Iron Man and Thor. However, fans can look forward to Avengers 4 as it's promised that the super soldier will play a bigger role in the film, especially with the cast only down to the Phase 1 characters and some supporting ones. The long-running theory is that the Phase 3 capper will be Chris Evan's swan song as Cap considering that his contract is done after that movie. However that pans out, fans just hope it will be a fitting send-off.

As for Bucky, he's now supposedly dead, alongside half of the universe following Thanos' finger snap. Not much is known with regard to Avengers 4, but considering where Avengers: Infinity War left things, it's safe to say that fans will see the remaining heroes deal with their failure to contain Thanos, and then they'll work to find a way to rectify the situation. Whether or not that includes resurrecting the snuffed characters such as the White Wolf, remains to be seen.