While I Do Think There Are Some Inherent Similarities Between Mcu!Sam And Steve, I Also Think There Are

While I do think there are some inherent similarities between mcu!Sam and Steve, I also think there are some big, key differences that is going to make Sam!cap so interesting. Sam is actually a soldier. He’s been a part of the military. He’s seen the not just the horrors of war, the idealistic kids being killed or turned into killers, BUT he’s also seen just how bad the military complex is. He’s seen how poorly the VA is funded, how many vets are left behind. He saw people who joined the military simply to murder foreigners, or had misplaced and racist ideas of the war in the middle east. His experience and perspective on it is, I believe, a lot more nuanced than Steve’s is, and a lot more realistic. A bit of a side note on this, but I was just thinking about Sam’s perspective on Bucky in winter soldier - he’s seen how war transforms men, he’s seen the aftermath in a way Steve hasn’t, and knows that sometimes people can’t come back from it. He’s not wrong to point out the dangers and disagree with Steve on how to approach the situation (this is the point! Sam has different reasoning + opinions than Steve! regularly! They share a lot of similar morality and characteristics, but they’re also very different!).

I think Sam, while still headstrong and even a bit reckless at times, is more conscious of his decisions (and the potential consequences of them), mainly because he has to be. He’s a black man living in America, he doesn’t have the luxury of just doing whatever the fuck he wants, whether he’s cap or not.  Plus he actually understands the experience of being marginalized (and specifically a black person) in modern america in a way Steve just can’t. He has more patience, and has more to consider when making decisions about his actions as cap. Moreover, he likely feels more responsibility, and every decision bears more weight. He is absolutely carrying the mantle as his own, but there is a legacy before him that people will compare him to no matter what. He’ll also face far more criticism for each mistake, and every decision will be picked apart in a different way than Steve’s ever were. That’s got to impact on his character development and his story as a whole, and thats going to be interesting to watch unfold. 

This doesn’t mean though that he holds back, or that he won’t step in when there’s something wrong going on. He still has his own moral code and set of values that he sticks to strongly, even in the face of danger/ostracization (exhibit A being him adamant against the accords, and being the first member of the avengers to argue against them). I think it’s more that he has to be diplomatic about certain things, or at least that he’s aware of how his actions will be perceived differently than Steve’s would, and that influences his decisions. 

There’s also some obvious differences too, like Sam has a far different family dynamic than Steve did/does (pls can we see this @ Marvel), and of course different personality traits, life experience, and so on. We haven’t seen nearly enough of Sam as an entity on his own, and I hope we get to experience that more in TFATWS. There is still definitely strong parallels between Steve and Sam’s ethos, but they’re still distinct characters and I want to see Sam Wilson explored!

Anyways I was just having some thoughts (and honestly I’m barely scratching the surface on this topic) and wanted to write them out so feel free to tell me i’m wrong and why, and honestly pls discuss your opinions (and what you want or are looking forward to with Sam as cap)!