Greetings Shippers welcome back and it’s time to look back at a favourite for many
shippers Stucky the pairing of Steve rogers and Bucky Barnes but this time with a twist.
A lot has gone on with Stucky throughout the years as the MCU has evolved as this is very
much an MCU phenomenon but Dark Stucky or Hydra Stucky found a way to blend comic and
mcu canons in an intriguing way.
This video was one of the winners of the monthly video vote over on Patreon.
Yes one of there were two ships so neck in neck I just had to do both.
Special thanks to all who voted it helps us get some intriguing ships and vids out there.
Now a brief overview of Stucky.
We’ve talked about this pairing a fair bit on this channel including the rather lackluster
send off these two got in endgame not even from a shipping perspective but from a narrative
one, from central focus to saying their goodbyes off screen.
Some feel that fans wanting an onscreen moment is entitlement while others state they know
the film will unfold as the creators intend but it would have been nice for these two
to have a proper send off after so much build up.
Stucky exploded in the MCU fandom post 2014’s Captain America 2 The Winter solider.
A loose adaptation of the comic of the same name which had only reintroduced Bucky to
Marvel comics fans in 2005.
Up until that point Bucky had been considered the one true comic book death.
The bond between Bucky and Steve became a driving force in the Captain America movies
and Steve’s motivation for many of his actions in the MCU.
Their devotion and connection quickly launched them to become the dominant pairing for a
time.
There was always some jostling with Stony a pre-established ship with firm comic roots.
Of course there were multishippers who loved both for different reasons.
And for the most part the ship wars were minor at the start until 2016’s Captain America
Civil War where fans became as divided as the avengers and for some fans firm camps
formed.
Stucky or Stony Team Cap or Iron Man the character bashing fics from this time period are legendary
and some never left their camps.
Over time Stony has moved more into prominence one more but Stucky is a fandom staple and
core pairing in the MCU.
Like all MCU pairings it has ridden the waves of change and tropes of the times.
As each MCU era produced unique fics a good example being the domestic avengers which
we have done a video on if you missed it you know the drill card, link.
An era that was at it’s peak from 2012 to 2014.
Now Stucky has become one of those pairings where one find pretty much anything they’re
looking for trope and plotwise so of course the pairing has angst and dark fics, but Hydra
Stucky is a little bit different.
Now there had long been dark fics dealing with Bucky’s brainwashing and him whether
not being fully out of it or not remembering his past self at all and Steve’s struggle
with that or Bucky taking advantage of that for nefarious, purposes.
There was also dark Cap and evil Captain America but that was a rarer animal at least until
2016 through 2017 where several comics would coallign to grace the world with and then
quickly retcon away/undo Hydra Cap.
The Panel of Captain America stating Hail Hydra has become a meme at this point and
many are at least loosely aware of how poorly it was overall received though not universally
as some feel that once complete the whole plot was worth more than some give it credit
for.
So what exactly happened here well on May 25th of 2016 the issue of Captain America
Steve Rogers was released with the now infamous panel, that was even mocked in Avengers endgame.
This was quite salient as Chris Evans who plays rogers had tweeted out about this panel
upon it’s release stating Hydra?!?!?
#sayitaintso
Now this was actually the first issue of this comic which followed a rather convoluted plot
at least for those jumping in in the middle.
Steve rogers had had his super solider serum removed and hence was no longer captain america
the mantle passing to Sam wilson aka the falcon.
However this comic saw him reprising his role as Captain America as well as being de-aged
after an encounter with the cosmic cube.
However, this deaged Steve rogers was not the Steve people remembered no he was a sleeper
hydra agent hence the panel.
People did not take this well for a few reasons.
One Captain America especially post MCU is a very recognizable and beloved figure with
a similar but not identical status to superman at least in the ideal apparent meaning part
of his appeal is what he represents.
So to have the symbol of American virtue take up his mantle once more again something fans
always anticipate original characters taking up their mantles only to essentially be presented
as the antithesis of everything they stood for did not sit well with some.
Another factor was the climate 2016 was quite a turbulent year for The United States arguably
the location where Captain America has the most significance and depending upon where
one stood having Captain America shift in such a way after such an election was simply
too much, as always mileage varies.
All of this was the start of a long plot which ultimately culminated in a mega crossover
event as most things tend to at Marvel these days Secret Empire.
Wherein Captain Hydra as the fans had come to dub hims machinations were revealed and
the heroes had to rally against him and Hydra to counteract a full takeover.
Extreme cliffnotes version Hydra Cap was actually manipulated by the red skull through the cosmic
cube and a mind fragment is revealed to be the true/original captain america, Even though
it was still sorta Hydra who was the original but for appeasement purposes most accept this
explanation.
So Captain Hydra or Hydra Supreme as he was going by by this point was relegated to poor
decision history to potentially live another day.
However all of this took the span of years and over that time Hydra Cap had an intriguing
impact on fandom and Stucky in particular.
Some came to have a fondness for Hydra Cap or at least the concept of him and how he
could be employed in fandom.
Suddenly to have a dark Cap required no great canonical leap or twisting of character which
people would reject.
There was a real dark cap and so some fans found themselves utilizing this dark mirror
for pairing purposes.
It could manifest as a swap in the dynamic a secretly sleeper agent Steve breaking the
heart of a newly healed Bucky.
It could also take the form of the two being evil Hydra agents together a dark force to
be reckoned with reveling in their villainy.
These fics will also often delve into the kinkier aspects of fandom and employ one of
the more enjoyable tags out there hydra trash party.
The fanart also has a particular aesthetic with many basking in Cap’s darker colors,
and Hydra uniform.
Now there are some who find this problematic because of the elements present in Hydra and
the uniform feeling that dive into this would be to admit an interest in such fare or an
affinity or an apology for real world historical events.
While others feel there is a separation to be made between actual and fictional groups
such as Hydra and that much of the enjoyment comes from evil steve and that the hydra connection
is incidental as it is simply the massive villain organization that Marvel attached
him too and the most well know for more mcu based fans.
Captain AIM doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Some also just find the concept of such a virtuous character turned so dark appealing,
akin to the massive amounts of love some have for dark superman.
As for the aesthetic some feel that is a completely separate appreciation more to do with enjoying
a uniform or uniform kink than the specific uniform.
Others simpler still now the colour schemes of Bucky and Steve match.
Still if one is uncomfortable with it there is plenty of other stucky out there to be
explored which far out numbers the amount of hydra stucky out there.
Dark fare is not for everyone, nor is hydra cap.
Hydra Stucky was an intriguing phenomenon floating on the margins of stucky until comic
events allowed it to have a focal point to latch onto.
It was also smaller because being an mcu or stucky shipper does not guarantee one is a
comic book fan or if they are that they are reading Captain America...Steve Rogers.
All and all Hydra Stucky has a home in the hearts of certain shippers or is a fun offshoot
to visit for others, while some missed it entirely, or prefer a more mainstay fare untouched
by comics.
As the mcu is so large at this point it does have solely movie based fans.
Or some fans may just not want it to be touched by that specific comic arc.
Hail Hydra.
Is Hydra Stucky for you or when you think of Dark Stucky does something else come to
mind?
What did you think of the Hail Hydra incident?
Also if you like hearing about comics and want more in depth info but relayed in our
usual infotainment style then we have a second channel casually comics check it out if you’re
interested!
We’re having a fun time over there.
Thanks so much for taking some time out of your day to spend it discussing shipping with
me I always appreciate it.
Special thanks to all my patrons for voting and helping to make all these shipping vids
possible.
I really appreciate it.
There are as always more videos coming soon so please like share comment subscribe and
stay tuned.
For there are as many ships put there as there are stars in the sky.