Marvel Retconned Avengers: Endgame's Biggest Captain America/Bucky Problem

Warning! Spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 5.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's penultimate episode, "Truth" fixes the biggest issue with Steve Rogers' ending in Avengers: Endgame concerning Bucky. Being the oldest pals in the MCU, the pair's friendship goes way back — long before they became Captain America and the Winter Soldier respectively. While their relationship was the crux of several films in the franchise, not everyone was thrilled with how they parted ways in the Joe and Anthony Russo 2019 film.

Endgame functioned as the finale for the Infinity Saga and the swan song for some of the MCU's founding heroes. With Thanos defeated thanks to Iron Man's snap, Captain America was tasked to return all six Infinity Stones from the time heist to their original locations. After that, he decided to go further back to the 40s to reunite with Peggy and live a quiet life. The specifics of this final mission are still uncertain at the moment, but before he fully walked away from his superhero gig, Steve made sure to hand Sam the shield, effectively choosing him as his successor as the next Captain America. Unfortunately, feeling the pressure of following the footsteps of the original Star-Spangled Avenger, not to mention having other personal issues to tackle, Falcon ultimately gave up the shield. This paved the way for John Walker to wield it as the government-appointed Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — something that Bucky was very disappointed about.

Coming from the cliffhanging ending of episode 5 where John Walker killed a member of the Flag-Smashers after the death of Lemar Hoskins in battle, he was stripped of his title as the Star-Spangled Avenger. But before the government can retrieve the shield from him, Sam took it — an indication that he's finally ready to take on the Captain America mantle. Following an emotional conversation with Isaiah Bradley, Sam also had a heart-to-heart with Bucky as they discussed their respective situations following Steve's retirement. In it, Bucky reveals a key moment between him and Steve in Endgame that was never showed on screen.

Avengers: Endgame Short-Changed Steve & Bucky's Relationship

Chris Evans Captain America Bucky Avengers endgame

Like Steve, Bucky can live long enough to be in the modern era thanks to the super-soldier serum, albeit a different version of the potion and under very different circumstances. Following his perceived death in Captain America: The First Avenger, Bucky was taken in by HYDRA and brainwashed to be an assassin known as the Winter Soldier. It was only during the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier that the pair encountered each other again; but with Bucky still mind-controlled to be the ruthless assassin, it took a little more time before a proper reunion. Considering how much Bucky factored in a lot of Steve's decision-making in his trilogy, particularly in Captain America: Civil War, it's a massive missed opportunity that their relationship was barely explored again in Avengers: Infinity War and subsequently, Endgame. Granted that there's a bigger story at play in the aforementioned movies, but a brief conversation between the old friends would've done the trick to service in their relationship in Infinity War. Instead, despite being both in Wakanda, they didn't have any more interaction past their initial meeting.

Endgame only made this issue worse; even after Steve personally witnessed Bucky turn into dust due to Thanos' snap, he didn't specifically mourn his friend in the movie. Iron Man and Spider-Man had much less time together compared to the super soldiers, and yet, Tony Stark was more heartbroken by the death of his mentee — something that was established in the film without taking much screen time. By the time the snap was reversed and Bucky came back, Endgame still didn't give him and Steve a moment to themselves other than a reference to their original farewell from Captain America: The First Avenger. While subtle details like this often work, this one felt lacking, especially since this is supposed to be the pair permanently parting ways.

Falcon & Winter Soldier Retcons In A Proper Steve & Bucky Goodbye

Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes in Falcon and Winter Soldier

Marvel Studios' handling of Steve and Bucky's relationship in Endgame was one of the more divisive aspects of the movie. Many didn't like that they didn't have a proper conversation about what Steve was planning on doing and what that meant for Bucky moving forward. As the only person who implicitly trusted him, losing Steve was a big blow for the former Winter Soldier especially as he's still not fully settled in his new life in modern times which was clear in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. To correct this loophole, there have been theories about Steve actually letting Bucky know what he was planning before going back in time. This was backed up by Bucky not panicking after his friend didn't return as planned on the Quantum platform the way Sam did. He even seemed to expect Old Steve Rogers to show up, hence why he urged Sam to approach the centenarian who was peacefully waiting for him on the bench by the lake.

Now, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 5 confirmed this theory with Bucky revealing that Steve told him about his plan to hand Sam the shield. "When Steve told me what he was planning, I don't think either of us understood what it felt like for a Black man to be handed the shield. How could we? I owe you an apology. I'm sorry," he said, also referring to his previous frustrations about the rightful new Captain America refusing to embrace the responsibility. While Bucky didn't get into specifics about their final interaction, it's safe to assume that Steve told him his whole plan — that includes going back in time to be with Peggy. This means that the pair had a proper farewell, it just didn't play out on the screen.

Can Falcon & Winter Soldier Complete Bucky's MCU Rehabilitation?

Bucky is one of the most unique characters in the MCU. While he had been in the franchise since Phase 1, his heroic arc is just beginning. The character's history as the Winter Soldier, not to mention his origins as another man out of time, makes his journey moving forward so much more interesting. But, to be able to do this, Marvel Studios needs to put a steady focus on him and not treat him like a side character as he has been for the longest time. After he played an integral part in Civil War, there wasn't much progress on his character other than his appearance in the Black Panther post-credit scene where he was debuted as the White Wolf. However, even that hasn't gone anywhere yet.

With half of the original Avengers now retired from the MCU, it needs new heroes to step up and become the new faces of the universe. Granted that Bucky has been in the franchise for a while now, there's still so much story about him that hasn't been told yet. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 5 set up his forthcoming adventures as he makes amends for the crimes he committed as the Winter Soldier. It's unclear how this will be chronicled moving forward considering that there's only one more episode left in the Disney+ show, but it can be the premise of a new project that focuses on him ultimately becoming the White Wolf. So, while Steve didn't pick him as his Captain America successor in Avengers: Endgame, he can still have a long future ahead of him in the MCU.

More: Why Bucky Didn't Wear A Suit For Iron Man's Endgame Funeral