Halfway through the 147 minutes of Captain America: Civil War, I was perched at the edge of my seat. It wasn’t because of the cheesy one liners, set up perfectly for the video game adaptations. Nor was it because of the incredibly long and gratuitous fight scene between Marvel’s starting twelve. What had me at the edge of my seat was the palpable sexual tension between Steve “Captain America” Rogers and James “Bucky” Barnes, so thick that two seats away from me, my dad shouted out, “Just kiss already!”
Civil War is a love story, with more in common with The Notebook than The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Captain America vows to protect his army-pal-turned-evil-assassin-turned-misunderstood-victim Bucky from all who try to come for him, from the international community to his former crew, like a true ride or die. As a result, for two films now, fans have been shipping Cap and Bucky, and those involved in the films are taking notice.
Captain America: Civil War is not the only romance film hidden under the guise of an action blockbuster. A few months ago, I was also on the edge of my seat, waiting to see if John Boyega would chase after Oscar Isaac in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Currently, the internet is filled with Poe and Finn fan fiction trying to make a point that Rey was in fact third wheeling for the entirety of the film.
Many are now beginning to wonder why major studios haven't acted on the obvious chemistry between these actors. Of course, the unspoken detail in both aforementioned couples in that all the parties involved are men, and by formalizing their relationship, one would be introducing a gay couple into the film mainstream. And although in many circles, gay couples are no different than straight couples, not everyone feels the same way. Inside and outside the United States, non-heteronormative behavior is still seen as being taboo.
Three years ago, Disney released a little-known feminist, animated feature film called Frozen. One of central characters, Elsa, lived on her own, with no interest in romance, and sang a catchy song about embracing who you are. As a result, many conservatives labelled Elsa a lesbian and accused Disney of "pro-gay propaganda". Others embraced this interpretation and the #GiveElsaAGirlfriend campaign was born.
What if Elsa was a lesbian? The final message of Frozen was that familial love is as valid as heterosexual love, so why not extend that to include homosexual love, too? By giving Elsa a girlfriend, children all over the world get to see that love takes many forms. As more and more people around the world accepting this truth, movies should reflect that. Putting Captain America and Bucky together would be a positive step in that direction.
There would, however, be one negative consequence of confirming these unions. Romanticizing Cap and Bucky would unintentionally confirm the popular but unpleasant sentiment that friendship between two men, beyond a certain point, becomes sexual. By making them a couple, you send a message that men can be close, but not too close, because then it becomes something else. Teenage boys are notoriously skittish when it comes to their friendships with other boys, avoiding all sorts of actions for fear of coming off as gay, and as Marvel’s largest demographic, they would be impacted most significantly if Captain America and Bucky Barnes became official.
These fears become even more pronounced when the men involved are minorities. When Vanity Fair posted a photo of actor Michael B. Jordan with his hand on the back of director Ryan Coogler’s head, many found offence with the photo, especially in the black community. The closeness of these two prominent black men was uncomfortable to those who place limitations of male intimacy. And more often than not, crossing these lines can sometimes have dangerous consequences. By keeping friends platonic, especially with POC like Poe and Finn, men are allowed to be close friends without it meaning anything more, and this message, too, is an important one.
The homoerotic relationship between Captain America and Bucky Barnes is a fun one to watch on screen and how Marvel will choose to move forward will be interesting to watch in real time. Will they stop fighting the chemistry between Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan and allow their friendship to formally become more romantic? Or will they leave them as friends, proving that your ride or die can be someone of the same sex, without there being anything “gay” about it? Either way, the stakes are high, not just for the future of film, but for the lives of the millions round the world waiting eagerly for the next blockbuster, sitting at the edge of their seats wondering comes next.
