Where Bucky's Apology Fails (VIDEO SCRIPT)

This video is sponsored by BlackTooth Publishing

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Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had a whole lot of firsts when it came to the MCU

It was the first time we saw US Agent

It was the first time we saw Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson suit up as Captain America

It was SUPPOSED to be the first series Marvel Studios was supposed to release on Disney Plus before Covid 19 caused it to do the ol’ switcheroo with WandaVision

And it was the first time a white man has ever apologized to a Black man for not knowing systemic racism existed until he saw it with his own eyes in the MCU

Oh, yeah. We’re talking about THAT today.

Now there have been people who watched the second-to-last episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier -- both white and black -- that vented frustrations, were skeptical, and showed distrust of Bucky’s apology, and others that just flat-out hated that they had Bucky apologize in the first place. I’ll let you figure out for yourself which belongs with which.

Okay, I’m just gonna assume you associated the right concerns with the right group of people because YES. Thanks to how Marvel Studios has handled the likes of racism and systematic oppression in the first three phases, a lot of us black folk weren’t really feeling Bucky’s words

But while that’s an important factor -- and something I’m definitely gonna bring up in Today’s Lesson -- there are also other factors that play a role as to why some people of color were cautiously optimistic about Bucky’s realization regarding why Sam was initially slow to pick up the shield

Things like, how fiction has depicted certain characters from certain timeframes in the recent years, and real life individuals that make it extremely difficult for folks like Bucky that actually learn the error of their ways to be taken seriously by the people they want to make amends with. Let’s begin.

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Hey, Readers. La’Ron here. Offering you analysis and perspective on your favorite bits of geek and pop culture media

And right quick, I wanna talk about the sponsor for today’s video, BlackTooth Publishing

Blacktooth is in the business of creating comics featuring stories surrounding African American heroes from multiple walks of life

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And my favorite out of the bunch, Dogpile, who not only is chill with and can speak to 7 different dogs -- each with their own unique personalities...

/but has teleportation powers, a backstory I really can’t wait to get into with future installments, and genuinely just wants to protect his neighborhood while also dealing with a lot of the same systemic and capitalist problems and issues a lot of us have to deal with regularly in real life/

Right now Blacktooth Publishing is running a Kickstarter to get this volume and the solo issues of Dogpile, Adastra and Snakebite out into the world

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The kickstarter is currently live and will be live until November 14th 2022, so make sure you check out the link in the description and show some love.

/Thanks again to Blacktooth Publishing for sponsoring this video. Now onto the lesson/

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So What's The Deal With Bucky and Steve?

I say this because in order for us to understand where Bucky’s coming from in his apology, we also have to take a look at the individual who had the most influence on his current worldview and decision-making process outside of Hydra during his Winter Soldier days.

/And that’s none other than Steve Rodgers himself./

Now there are at least two aspects surrounding Bucky’s mindset when it comes to Sam’s decision to not immediately pick up the mantle of Captain America, both warranting Bucky’s apology in the second-to-last episode.

The thing about these aspects is that despite one of them being more personal and on a self-conscious level, it’s strongly linked to the one that’s the main problem and why both Bucky AND Steve have this train of thought in the first place

As we know, Bucky took Sam’s turning down of the shield pretty hard at first.

Because this was a combination of something he and Steve planned and how hard he struggled on seeking the forgiveness of both others and himself for his actions as the Winter Soldier, it was sorta like a confirmation of the capability of his own character since he believed Steve to be a good judge of it.

/So when Sam in episode 2 continued to be nonchalant about it, that’s why Bucky -- like the Michael Jordan meme -- took that personally/ (Because if he was wrong about you, then maybe he was wrong about me)

However, the keyword in that situation regarding how Bucky reacted when Sam initially turned down the shield and what prompted Steve to make the decision to give Sam the shield in the first place, is “Character.”

Because as we’ve seen in Bucky’s apology, the content of Sam’s character was the only factor the two of them took into account whether or not they’d trust him to pick up the mantle

/The color of his skin? Not so much/ (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)

Now why would Bucky or Steve not take into account such an important factor in deciding to pass the mantle of Captain America down to Sam?

Well, that’s mostly because, thanks to how Marvel Studios has shaped the MCU, Steve and Bucky are both depicted and treated like idealized versions of white northerners; the type of white folk that modern media loves to depict as “the good ones” when it comes to how their views differ from the southern states on slavery and equality during and after the Civil War and even the Jim Crow era.

Even though as history has revealed that wasn’t exactly the case...

Now Steve Rodgers is the Clark Kent/Kal-El of Marvel Comics, so it makes sense that he’s depicted this way even before being given the Super Soldier serum.

/After all, seeing your fellow man as equal while at the same time acknowledging that you’re no different than anyone else is definitely something I can see Dr. Erskine checked off on his “Good Man” list in finding candidates in The First Avenger./

And as we see over the course of Steve’s career as Captain America in the 21st Century, he continues to casually hold this up.

/He isn’t caught off guard when he sees Nick Fury -- a black man -- in a major position of power in the American government.

/Even though he factored in the safety of everyone on the Helicarrier, he views Bruce Banner first and foremost as the man that he is unlike everyone else who looks at him as the monster he becomes.

/Steve and Sam initially bond over the combination of being veterans and losing someone close to them on active duty./

Even his respect for T’Challa -- both before and after the Black Panther reveal -- is pretty much set in stone because of his status as a monarch.

/Although they try a bit too hard to make Steve the respectable one by having Sam be the rude one, which NEVER really sat right with me/(So you got a thing for cats?)

So while this isn’t necessarily a problem when it comes to Steve, because who he represents pretty much makes him HAVE to be this way, Bucky and a lot of the other white characters in Cap’s lexicon in the current timeline-slash-mythology of the MCU are also in this bubble of respectability as well

/A great example of this being how the non-white members of the Howling Commandos -- Gabe Jones and Jim Morita specifically -- are treated no differently both by the white members within their squad and among other battalions./

It’s even ESPECIALLY surprising in Morita’s case because he was Japanese American and fighting for the allied nations during 1943; smack-dab in the middle of America’s internment of Japanese citizens.

Now it would be one thing if this was done to highlight that in the MCU, things like racial and ethnic prejudice, systemic racism and oppression, and events centered around certain groups of people across the globe simply don’t exist.

But we can’t really say that because Black Panther acknowledges the transatlantic slave trade happened in the MCU, Ms Marvel acknowledges that the partition of India happened in the MCU...

/And Falcon and the Winter Soldier both confirms that both systemic racism exists in the form of loan denial and racial profiling, and events that reflect real-life atrocities that were performed on African Americans ala Tuskegee Experiments in the form of Super Soldier experimentation happened as well./

If Bucky’s reaction to seeing Sam be racially profiled is as genuine as the show wants us to believe that it is -- as well as it falling in line with the explanation behind his apology to Sam in the second-to-last episode...

Then we must assume that he only believes so because there’s an aspect about him -- and even Steve to a certain degree -- that has never had to deal with the daily struggles of being a minority in America, nor has ever seen said struggles play out before in order for this to play a factor.

And considering that both Steve and Bucky were both white, born in the late 1910’s and raised in Brooklyn New York, that makes them both prime candidates to be considered modern-day media’s ideal depictions of white northerners who believe in equality over ethnicity; those who genuinely believe and apply the portion of Dr. King Jr’s “I Have A Dream” speech that says he hopes his children “will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” More on that later.

And here’s the kicker; when it comes to superhero universes that apply this in the writing of their stories -- whether intentional or otherwise...

The MCU Isn’t The Only One

Usually when we’re dealing with superheroes who are white, live in the Northern states and exist in a time period relative to racial injustice at its “zenith” -- and I use that term VERY loosely...

There are a few pulp heroes that meet the standards of being an ideal white northerner that have received films and television shows about them in the last few decades that immediately come to mind.

One in this instance is 1994’s the Shadow, based on the pulp character that’s existed since the 1930’s and one of the two inspirations for Bob Kane and Bill Finger’s Batman.

/In it, titular character Lamont Cranston -- a white New York playboy and socialite -- frequently visits a prime fictional location across all Shadow mythos, the Cobalt Club./

Like its real life inspiration the Cotton Club, the Cobalt in the Shadow universe is an upscale nightclub that’s not only exclusive to the very wealthy...

/But where African Americans were allowed to perform but never patronize./

Meanwhile both Lamont and his alter ego The Shadow in the movie would prove his Ideal White Northerner status by saving the life of Chinese American university professor Roy Tam...

/Making him one of his agents spread across the city, and seek his aid in figuring out that his arch-enemy Shiwan Khan was planning on destroying the city by creating the first ever atomic bomb, showing no differences in how he utilized the other agents we see over the course of the movie, despite Roy Tam being the only person of color among them./

The same can be said with 1996’s The Phantom, based on the pulp character that’s existed since the mid 1930’s. But ONLY with the movie.

/Because The Phantom is a legacy hero who’s mantle has been passed down from Father to Son since the 16th Century, Kitt Walker -- the 21st Phantom -- was raised in the states -- presumably 1930’s New York -- until a mercenary named Quill killed his father protecting the fictional African country of Bengalla, in which he had to take his place in order to make due on the whole “Ghost Who Walks” part of the Phantom’s immortality schtick./

And before you ask, yes: White men from a single family dating all the way back to Christopher Columbus’ whack-ass protecting the natives of an African nation for over 400 years DOES sound like some Missionaries of Africa-slash-White Father-ass shit.

Now the reason I specified the movie version of The Phantom is because while the comics and pulp stories have Kit being raised in the states after his father trained him as well, they depicted him being raised in Missouri instead of New York like the movie does. And Missouri was considered a confederate state during the Civil War.

However, while these both serve as proper depictions of white heroes from the 30’s representing what it means to be an ideal white northerner according to modern media, none REALLY get close to what Bucky experiences over the course of Falcon and the Winter Soldier -- and accidentally so...

/Than the Netflix show Jupiter’s Legacy/

Now I go more into detail about it in my video talking about Sheldon Sampson’s code as The Utopian.

/But Sheldon being a privileged white man during the Great Depression who is pro-capitalism and only judges people by the content of their character -- not taking into consideration how his privilege allows him to benefit from a system that initially caters to people like him because he and his family doesn’t have to worry about experiencing the hardships that come with not being white or as privileged -- is a perfect setup for why even in the modern day, Sheldon constantly struggles with change and why he can’t personally grasp it./

And the way that the show allows us to see that he has all of this on his plate is by reworking his laid off steel worker Fitz Small -- who would later become the Flare -- from white in the comics to black in the television show.

The change better drives Sampson’s naiveness home to the audience that even though his family is in the northern city of Chicago and away from the Jim Crow laws of the south, the struggles Fitz and his family will suffer being black and unemployed during the Great Depression will be completely different than that of those who are white and unemployed.

Especially when you know thanks to shows like Lovecraft Country that just because you’re black in a northern city during those times doesn’t mean your life will be any more easier than those in the Jim Crow South.

/So because of a combination of Sheldon’s privilege, him being blinded of what Fitz will have to deal with as a black man during the Great Depression because he as this idealized version of a white northerner puts equality over sympathy, and him having this unshakable faith in capitalism, Sheldon will never see this difference that will allow him to change his perspective, unless it presents itself square in the face./

And that’s kinda what happens to Bucky in Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

He, like Steve and a lot of other white characters in the MCU during World War II are written to have this equality first notion about them that make it seem like they aren’t privy to the plights of others with different backgrounds than them.

And while part of this is due to how Marvel Studios decided to handle racism and real-life events that surround the persecution of oppressed minorities in the MCU, recent additions to the timeline that acknowledge said real-life events in order to course-correct these situations initially force us to see the actions of these characters as those who just either choose to view or naturally view equality in those who are different than them first and foremost.

/That’s why Bucky was so surprised when he saw Sam get racially profiled outside of Isaiah Bradley’s home. To him, this was Falcon. This is a hero; a dude that stood with him to fight Thanos. This is a dude everyone should know just as well as Captain America and Iron Man, because he’s an Avenger that deserved to be with them on equal standing./

But considering Sam’s response to the cops before they finally recognized him, this was also his first time seeing the “Paper Bag Test” play out in real time in comparison to Sam failing it multiple times beforehand.

/And considering how his apology in the second-to-last episode went, one can assume that neither Bucky nor Steve ever had to consider these struggles in their decision-making process. Let alone factor them into choosing Sam to become the next Captain America./

So unlike Sheldon Sampson, at least Bucky has had his eyes opened regarding why things wouldn’t be as simple for Sam as they were for Steve, and has made a step in the right direction to rectify certain things.

But Here’s The Thing, Though...

While yes, this situation acts as a great way of showing that white folk need to factor in everyday experiences and struggles of their fellow men who don’t have the same skin color as they do, it becomes bittersweet as a result. Because it reminds us of the white folk that exist who DO know better and choose not to apply the sympathy.

And because it seems that more of those individuals exist than those of the ones Marvel Studios hoped to highlight with Bucky experiencing the everyday life of black folk under the systemic racism of the US -- Avenger or otherwise -- our trauma causes us to react to said genuine empathy at face value for our own protection

So why do some of us who know that Bucky’s experience is genuine, and know that Steve was cut out of a cloth that always genuinely viewed the world in the way he’s depicted to view it in the MCU?

What is it about the real world that despite the Phase 4 writers trying to course-correct the lack of acknowledgement of racism and events in history surrounding non-white peoples up until then, causes people to be slow to react positively to Bucky realizing that while the content of their character is important, that empathy and sympathy must be factored in as well when it comes to how people of color are treated in America versus how it applies to him?

What red flag have we experienced in real life that makes us look at this moment and still narrow our eyes in distrust?

Well, the red flag in question is in the form of a four-worded phrase: I don’t see color.

People who claim to not see color tend to use the phrase to insinuate that they -- like Steve and Bucky -- follow the whole “not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” line. But in doing so, they no longer feel the need to relate or understand the dangers of what it means to black, asian, or any other oppressed minority in the country because everyone is equal

So in actuality, they use the preaching of equality as a mask to convince others that they follow Dr. King’s dream, while also using it to keep their bigotry hidden. And they are the representatives that are embedded in our minds instead of the lesson that Bucky learns due to there being more of them and willfully taking advantage of this loophole.

These are the ones who complain at the inconvenience they face whenever a group of minorities are protesting for equal rights and proper justice

These are the ones who make statements about just complying with police if they don’t want to get shot or murdered, knowing they never have to deal with that form of brutality themselves.

These are the ones that will clearly mobilize for immediate change on a popular streaming network when something is directly affecting THEM, but stay silent when their fellow users of color are constantly getting bombarded with hate messages and slurs because it doesn’t affect them.

It’s fine, I just became an affiliate; I can make that critique.

These are the ones who will directly use Martin Luther King Jr.’s words against you whenever anything more radical than peaceful protesting in order to get the point across is even entertained...

/And the reason we as black folk hold this clip from The Boondocks Season 1 in such high regard/ (If Martin Luther King were here today, he’d be-)

Because as we all know, the ideal white northerner that media loves to present to us, doesn’t necessarily exist in the way that its presented in movies and television, or sold to us in our High School history books

Yes, northern states didn’t believe in practicing slavery, but white northern america’s depiction of African Americans was still pretty off. The majority of them thought that the abolition of slavery meant the abolition of slaves. That if they got rid of slavery, then they would just go away

But clearly (looks around and then himself) that didn’t happen. So instead they decided to keep their racism hidden. Become the silent ones that allowed the systemic oppression of the land to do their work for them through certain laws and agitated frustrations, never really being accused of the same blatant displays of racism like their southern counterparts because the display of equality among their fellow men is technically still there and always has been.

After all, how else do you explain the previous existence of Sundown Towns in northern states?

Don’t believe me? In my relocation back to Detroit, Michigan proper, I recently just moved out of a suburb next door to a previous Sundown Town, Livonia, MI.

Was I surprised to learn this? Not at all.

It’s situations like this and what I previously mentioned that are the reason why a lot of southern black folk chose to stay in the south.

Why move up north and have to learn and deal with the subtle ways your white neighbors enact their racism against you, when the racism you experience where you live is blatant, easily recognizable and ways are in place for you to mostly avoid it?

It’s like the old saying goes; Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t

So while Bucky might have realized that his decision not to see color got in his way regarding why Sam was slow to pick up the shield, he can only speak for himself in that regard.

And considering how many white folk got mad seeing Bucky making that realization, shows exactly how many people consciously choose not to see color for the reasons why the phrase is such a red flag to people of color in the first place.

Conclusion

There are plenty of reasons that factored into Bucky’s apology not having the impact the writers and showrunner for Falcon and the Winter Soldier thought it would have

Is that the show’s fault? Not necessarily

But one can’t ignore the combination of Marvel Studios’ early refusal of acknowledging racism and systemic oppression...

History revisionism playing a HUGE factor in how certain characters of certain American regions are usually displayed in fiction...

And how real life has left most of us jaded from any course correction and realization that new creators and writers expose said characters to...

Played a role in why those worth a damn didn’t see Bucky’s apology -- as sincere as it was -- as a much needed step in the right direction that it truly is.

And honestly, while the new blood at Marvel Studios is doing a decent job at tackling at least two out of the three problems I just listed -- because, let’s just be honest; bigots are gonna bigot even if a show calls them out on their bigotry -- I can’t really blame those who originally looked at the scene with narrowed eyes for doing so.

Both fiction, real life, and the real life reaction to fiction -- yes, including the reaction to the fiction that’s created by US (points to back of hand) -- has left us tired and untrusting

Now that’s not to say don’t do ANYTHING, because shit like that is ALWAYS going to play a factor regardless of how new or treasured the IP in question is

/But in the face of everything, when you’re faced with that “why even bother” feeling, you do what the writers of episode 5 of Falcon and the Winter Soldier did when they decided to have Bucky apologize in the first place, and follow Granddad’s advice from The Boondocks season 2:/ (You do what you can)

But, I digress, Readers. Your homework assignment for the day:

Write in the comment section below what you thought of Falcon and the Winter Soldier if you’ve seen it.

Or, if you feel like sharing with the rest of the class, a moment in film or television that had a sincere development of one of its characters that would’ve also been better received if certain forces -- outside or otherwise -- didn’t already jade individuals’ perception of the concept-slash-situation.

Whichever question you decide to answer, I’d love to know your thoughts.

/A HUGE shoutout to my Patrons both big and small for helping make this channel possible.

Make sure you check out the card at the end of the video to join, or click the link to it or any of my affiliates in the description box below.

But until then, this is Readus 101. Class dismissed./