Stucky (fandom)

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Comic panel from "Gwenpool Strikes Back" #3 in which Gwenpool comments that Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes should wrestle, and Kamala Khan privately tells her to read fanfiction
An exchange between Gwenpool and Kamala Khan from Gwenpool Strikes Back #3 (2019) interpreted by commentators as a humorous acknowledgement of the Stucky fandom by Marvel.[1]

In

portmanteau
of "Steve" and "Bucky".

Though Rogers and Barnes have appeared in media dating to the 1940s, Stucky fan works grew substantially in popularity in the 2010s after the characters appeared in the

LGBT characters in superhero films
and the nature of fandom on social media.

Background

Marvel Comics

paternal figure to Barnes, the emergence of Stucky as a phenomenon in fandom is a relatively recent development.[4] In early Marvel fandom communities focused on shipping (fan works that depict a romantic or sexual relationships between two characters whose relationship in the source material is typically neither romantic nor sexual, also known as a "ship") and slash fiction (shipping fan works featuring characters of the same sex), Rogers was most commonly depicted with Tony Stark / Iron Man in a pairing typically abbreviated as "Stony" or "Superhusbands".[4][5]

While hero-and-sidekick relationships in comics have been interpreted as having a

homoerotic subtext,[b] in Marvel canon, the relationship between Rogers and Barnes is strictly platonic, and is not depicted as sexual or romantic.[9] Rogers and Barnes are depicted in-canon as having a deep and meaningful personal bond, with some critics likening their relationship as wartime compatriots to Achilles and Patroclus.[9][10]

Marvel Cinematic Universe

See also: Steve Rogers (Marvel Cinematic Universe) and Bucky Barnes (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Actor Chris Evans at a press conference in 2014
Actor Sebastian Stan at San Diego Comic-Con International in 2019
Actors Chris Evans (left) and Sebastian Stan (right), who portray Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, respectively, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

The popularity of Stucky as a ship in fandom rose substantially following the introduction of Rogers and Barnes to the

portmanteau that blends the names "Steve" and "Bucky", became the name for the ship in accordance with shipping naming conventions.[10]

Across the Captain America trilogy of films, Gavia Baker-Whitelaw of The Daily Dot notes that Steve continually "rebel[s] against authority for the sake of Bucky's wellbeing, escalating from disobeying orders in World War II to becoming an international fugitive in Civil War".[12] The relationship serves as the driving plot to The Winter Soldier, where Bucky's memory of Steve causes him to overcome his conditioning as a brainwashed assassin;[15] Bucky recalls his identity through Steve's declaration of "I'm with you till the end of the line", a phrase repeated by Rogers and Barnes throughout the series as an expression of kinship.[16] Civil War again depicts their relationship as a central plot element, Rogers protecting Barnes after he is wrongly accused of committing a terrorist act, while also developing Sharon Carter as a love interest for Rogers.[17] While Carter has an established history as a canonical love interest for Rogers in the comics, Joanna Robinson wrote in Vanity Fair that the depiction of Carter was the "one flaw in the otherwise great" film, arguing that the film's kiss between Steve and Sharon exists primarily to "put the nail in the coffin of speculation" around a homoerotic interpretation of Rogers's and Barnes' relationship.[18] Rogers and Barnes appear in the next two films, Infinity War and Endgame, but less time is spent on their relationship.[19][20] Robinson and other critics hypothesized that their interactions were minimized to build popularity for Sam Wilson / Falcon as he assumes the title of Captain America,[c] and to emphasize the canonical love story between Rogers and Peggy Carter.[14][21][22]

Analysis and impact

Stucky as a phenomenon in fandom emerged from online communities that produce fan works. These online communities are typically mostly female, in contrast to the majority male mainstream comics fandom.

LGBT historian George Chauncey, has been used by some fan creators to accurately depict aspects of this history, including real-life period-specific gay bars that existed in Rogers's canonical Brooklyn neighborhood.[26][27]

subjectification of Steve Rogers as character, "with fans writing stories that flesh out his politics, his relationships past and present, his religion, and his sexuality".[29] In Captain America, Masculinity, and Violence: The Evolution of a National Icon, author J. Richard Stevens similarly argues that fans of Captain America use the character "to reconstruct and reconfigure cultural significance in their own lives",[30] noting that "throughout the character's history, which contains messages from ultranationalist jingoism to a critique of the role of nationalism in the propagation of racism and terrorism, [Captain America's] narratives have provoked incredibly articulate responses."[31] In the specific case of Stucky, Coppa notes that the unlikelihood of Marvel's acknowledging a queer reading of Rogers's and Barnes' relationship in canon "means that much fan energy is spent visualizing what a queer superhero relationship might look like".[25] In this regard, Stucky as a phenomenon in shipping is notable in that it devotes significant focus to the characters' imagined gay or bisexual sexual identity,[27] in contrast to slash fan works of the 1970s and 1980s that "distanc[ed] beloved characters from the stereotypes and even the identity of gayness", opting to instead depict the characters as "sharing a great, transcendent love that eliminated the boundaries of gender".[32]

The popularity of Stucky in fandom has been widely commented on by mainstream pop culture and entertainment sources.[16][26][33] In Tumblr's annual rankings of the most popular ships of the year (as measured by number of reblogs), Stucky placed 17th in 2014,[34] 9th in 2015,[35] 8th in 2016,[36] 10th in 2018,[37] 16th in 2019,[38] and 18th in 2020.[39] As of February 2023, over 59,000 Stucky fan works have been published on Archive of Our Own.[40]

#GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend

In May 2016,

Disney, of which Marvel is a subsidiary.[48][49] The LGBT rights organization GLAAD commented that the hashtag was "a sign that audiences are eager for significant LGBT characters in their superhero movies".[45]

The Hollywood Reporter cited #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend as an example of how social media has altered the dynamic between creators and audiences, as the medium increases both visibility of fan discussions and the willingness of creators to respond to those discussions.[50] The outlet further commented that #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend "highlights demographic shifts that have yet to be reflected in the texts audiences are responding to", in reference to the popularity of Stucky relative to the lack of LGBT characters in superhero films.[50]

Response from Marvel

What's fascinating about the Cap-Bucky story as well is it's a love story. These are two guys who grew up together, and so they have that same emotional connection to each other as brothers would, and even more so because Bucky was all Steve had growing up.

— Joe Russo, Marvel Cinematic Universe director[51]

Several individuals affiliated with Marvel have commented on Stucky, frequently in a context that affirms Rogers's and Barnes' canonical heterosexuality while offering support for the broader Stucky fandom.

Rogers's actor

Wizard World Philadelphia posing with cosplayers kissing while dressed as Rogers and Barnes went viral in 2016.[49]

Joe Russo, who co-directed four of the five MCU films in which Rogers and Barnes jointly appear, has described their relationship as a love story but also indicated the kind of emotional connection to be that between brothers,[51] later saying that "people have interpreted that relationship all kinds of ways, and it's great to see people argue about it, what that relationship means to them. We will never define it as filmmakers, explicitly, but however people want to interpret it, they can interpret it."[14][15] Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who jointly wrote the Captain America film trilogy, Infinity War, and Endgame, though describing the Rogers–Barnes relationship as platonic, likened it to a love story and described the characters as soulmates in the foreword of the trade paperback edition of the comic book series Captain America: White.[56]

Other individuals who have remarked positively on Stucky include writers Ed Brubaker, who co-created the Winter Soldier with artist Steve Epting,[57] and Mark Waid, who remarked in an interview with Marvel regarding his 2016 run on the comic book series Black Widow that both Black Widow and Barnes "have had a crush" on Steve Rogers.[58] A scene in the 2019 comic book Gwenpool Strikes Back #3 in which Gwenpool (a character who is aware she is in a comic book) says that Rogers and Barnes "look good together" was interpreted by commentators as a humorous acknowledgement of the Stucky fandom by Marvel.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The names Wintershield, Starbucks, and Barnes & Noble are also less commonly used.[2]
  2. Frederick Wertham in his 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent, which asserted that Batman and Robin's relationship promotes homosexuality and pederasty. The book was part of his campaign against comics, which he believed caused juvenile delinquency; his research has since been discredited.[6][7][8]
  3. ^ As depicted in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).

References

  1. ^ a b Dyce, Andrew (10 October 2019). "Captain America/Bucky Fanfic Exists in Marvel's Universe, Too". Screen Rant. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  2. The Mary Sue
    . Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  3. ISBN 978-1440861239
    .
  4. ^ a b c d Downey, Meg (25 April 2018). "Captain America is best when he's shipped". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  5. ^ Coker 2013, 1.8.
  6. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (19 February 2013). "Scholar Finds Flaws in Work by Archenemy of Comics". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  7. S2CID 144314181
    . (subscription required)
  8. ^ Heer, Jeet (4 April 2008). "The Caped Crusader: Frederic Wertham and the Campaign Against Comic Books". Slate. Archived from the original on 27 May 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  9. ^ a b Gillen 2009, p. 109.
  10. ^ a b Myers, Maddy (5 July 2016). "On Captain America: Civil War, Stucky Fandom, and 'Why Can't They Just Be Friends?'". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  11. ^ Coker 2013, 1.7.
  12. ^ a b Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (10 May 2019). "How the straight agenda ruined 'Avengers: Endgame'". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  13. ^ a b Alexander, Julie (9 April 2018). "Stucky, Tumblr's favorite Avengers pairing, only grows stronger after latest tease". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  14. ^ a b c d Robinson, Joanna (26 April 2019). "Avengers: Why Was This Crucial Friendship Sidelined in Endgame?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  15. ^ a b c Bell, Crystal (28 December 2015). "'Captain America' Director Is Totally Down With Your Steve And Bucky Shipping". MTV. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  16. ^ a b Steele, Amanda (15 August 2019). "10 Times Stucky Was Canon". Screen Rant. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  17. ^ Yamato, Jen (9 May 2016). "'Captain America: Civil War' Star Sebastian Stan on Whether Bucky and Cap Are in Love". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  18. ^ Robinson, Joanna (9 May 2016). "Is This the One Flaw in the Otherwise Great Captain America: Civil War?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  19. ^ Florio, Angelica (26 April 2019). "The Lack Of Stucky Moments In 'Endgame' Has Steve & Bucky Shippers In Their Feelings". Bustle. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  20. ^ Peters, Megan (11 June 2018). "The Internet Has Lots to Say About Bucky and Captain America's 'Infinity War' Reunion". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  21. ^ Burt, Kayti (31 July 2019). "Why Avengers: Endgame's Sidelining of the Steve & Bucky Relationship Matters". Den of Geek. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  22. Comics Beat
    . Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  23. ^ a b Coker 2013, 1.1.
  24. ^ Coppa 2017, p. 220.
  25. ^ a b Coppa 2017, p. 226.
  26. ^
    The Mary Sue
    . Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  27. ^ a b Coppa 2017, p. 224.
  28. ^ Coppa 2017, p. 217.
  29. ^ Coppa 2017, p. 223.
  30. ^ Stevens 2015, p. 10.
  31. ^ Stevens 2015, p. 2.
  32. ^ Coker 2013, 1.9.
  33. ^ Coppa 2017, p. 225.
  34. ^ "Most Reblogged Ships". 2014 Tumblr Year in Review. Tumblr. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  35. ^ "Most Reblogged Ships". Tumblr 2015 Year in Review. Tumblr. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  36. ^ "2016's Top Ships". Fandom on Tumblr. Tumblr. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  37. ^ "2018's Top Ships". Fandom on Tumblr. Tumblr. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  38. ^ "2019's Top 100 Ships". Fandom on Tumblr. Tumblr. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  39. ^ "2020's Top Ships". Fandom on Tumblr. Tumblr. December 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  40. ^ "James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers". Archive of Our Own. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  41. ^ a b Flint, Hannah (24 May 2016). "People are sharing why Marvel should #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend". Metro UK. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  42. ^ Jackson, Gita (23 August 2018). "Shipping, Explained". Kotaku. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  43. ^ Otterson, Joe (24 May 2016). "A Gay Captain America? Marvel Fans Debate Hashtag Demanding Boyfriend for First Avenger". TheWrap. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  44. ^ Nolfi, Joey (24 May 2016). "#GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend campaign goes viral on Twitter". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  45. ^ a b Bahr, Lindsey (25 May 2016). "GLAAD responds to #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend". Associated Press. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  46. ^ Guarino, Ben (25 May 2016). "Some fans want Captain America to have a boyfriend, though it won't be easy to rethink this superhero". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  47. ^ Locker, Melissa (24 May 2016). "Twitter Really Wants Captain America and Bucky Barnes to Be a Couple". Time. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  48. ScreenCrush
    . Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  49. ^ a b Whitbrook, James (8 June 2016). "Captain America and Winter Soldier Make Out as Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan Look on Approvingly". io9. G/O Media. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  50. ^ a b McMillan, Graeme (24 May 2016). "Making Sense of Captain America's Boyfriend, Jane Bond and Fans Online Demands". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  51. ^
    Empire
    . Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  52. ^ Davis, Oli (1 May 2016). "Is Captain America in love with Bucky Barnes? Chris Evans talks about Steve Rogers' sexuality". Flickering Myth. Retrieved 8 November 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  53. ^ Berlinger, Max (16 May 2016). "Sebastian Stan on Social Media, Style, and Life After Captain America". GQ. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  54. ^ a b Carbone, Gina (15 October 2015). "Chris Evans Clarifies That 'Avengers 4' Tweet, Gives Big Bucky Tease". Moviefone. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  55. ^ Wieselman, Jarett (17 August 2015). "Chris Evans Has A Theory Why Fans Love His Relationship With Bucky So Much". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  56. ISBN 978-0785133766
    .
  57. ^ Johnson, Rich (27 May 2016). "Ed Brubaker Talks Captain America. Or Not". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  58. ^ Cooke, Sarah (28 November 2016). "Black Widow: Star-Crossed". Marvel Comics. Retrieved 28 October 2019.

Bibliography

Further reading

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