Falcon and the Winter Soldier Star Sebastian Stan Supports Fans Shipping the Heroes

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier came to a close last month, providing audiences with an action-packed look at the adventures of Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). With both characters having shared the screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for quite some time, it was safe to assume that viewers would bring their own preconceived notions for the duo. For many, that involves viewing Sam and Bucky's dynamic in a romantic context, with the "SamBucky" ship skyrocketing in popularity on social media sites prior to and during the series' launch. In a recent interview with Variety, Stan was asked about the fans who ship Sam and Bucky romantically, and endorsed the idea of viewers embracing the duo's dynamic in whatever context.

"I'm just happy that the relationship is embraced, and it should be embraced in whatever way or fashion that people desire and want it to be," Stan revealed.

Prior to the series' launch, ComicBook.com spoke with Tumblr's Trends Expert Cates Holderness, who dove into exactly why SamBucky has become so popular among fans.

"These characters have always had a very antagonistic relationship, to put it nicely," Holderness explained. "They always rebel [against] each other, and it's been fun to see the fanfic and the edits that people are making of 'I can't wait to see them interact and I want to see how they go.' It's very much — I don't want to say enemies to lovers, but it's antagonists to lovers. They're united by their friendship with Steve, so there's been a lot of fanfic that I've seen that goes over how they negotiate a relationship together when Steve's not a part of it."

And while The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ultimately didn't make SamBucky canon, some fans gravitated towards a line of dialogue in the series premiere, where Bucky remarked at the sheer number of "tiger photos" on dating apps. Given the fact that photos posed with a tiger are commonly associated with men's profiles, some wondered if the line was confirmation that Bucky might be bisexual. According to series director Kari Skogland, that wasn't necessarily the case.

"I think we just thought of it as an oddity of the times, because he's so confused by it," Skogland told Variety last month. "Because don't forget, he's 106 years old. So he's just confused by the whole thing."

"What we were really more trying to display was his complete lack of technical skills, as well as being part of any kind of community," Skogland continued. "He doesn't fit. So that was I think more our intention there that try to point to any one particular affinity."

Watch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+.

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