There are a lot of lingering questions in the wake of Avengers: Endgame. For one, why didn’t Black Widow get a send-off similar to those of her fellow fallen Avengers? Also, where did Gamora go at the end? And was old Captain America a part of the MCU the whole time?
While these are, arguably, the bigger issues remaining, there are some smaller, more personal questions still hanging about. One of the most frequently brought up is whether Bucky knew of Steve Rogers’ plan to remain in the past to be with Peggy Carter.
In the film, Captain America stands on a platform, ready to go back and replace the Infinity Stones. The plan is for him to then return and move forward with whatever’s next for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Instead, the First Avenger is a no-show, causing a panic until a much older version of the character appears to say goodbye and provide clarification.
Fans have been wondering ever since if Bucky, who very somberly bid his oldest friend goodbye before he went back in time, knew of the plan. During a recent interview, the creative team behind the film replied to this very question, with co-writer Stephen McFeely stating:
Yeah, I think it’s clear from Sebastian’s performance here that he’s been clued into Steve’s decision. Why would he say “I’m gonna miss you” if it’s gonna be five seconds?
Co-director Joe Russo was then quick to follow up on this assertion, saying: “Mhmm. He knows. Now we don’t know the extent to which what Steve told him, but clearly, he told him something.”
And if this wasn’t enough insight into the final moments of the movie, they also went on to clarify why Old Steve Rogers chose to give the Falcon his shield instead of Bucky. Christopher Markus, the other half of the Endgame writing duo, explained:
It’s pretty hard to give it to Bucky. As much as we love him, he is on the dark path and is recovering from that. Sam really is a truly stand up guy. It wasn’t a wildly difficult choice, certainly. I think Bucky has a lot more story as Bucky and as someone headed on a path of atonement. And Sam has ascended into this new role.
So, there you have it. Bucky, while perhaps not aware of every aspect of Cap’s plan, did know that he wouldn’t be seeing him again, at least as the young man he was throughout Avengers: Endgame. And we imagine that’s a plot thread that we’ll see explored a little bit more in the upcoming Falcon and Winter Soldier TV series.