Joe Russo, co-director of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, has (sorta) acknowledged what erotic fanfic writers have known for years: The Captain America saga is a love story between Cap and his erstwhile sidekick, Bucky Barnes. “What’s fascinating about the Cap–Bucky story as well is it’s a love story,†half of the Russo Brothers team said in an interview with Empire. “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.â€
Hmm. Brothers, eh? Unless Russo is kinkier than we give him credit for, that kinda rules out romantic love. What’s more, Sebastian Stan — who plays Bucky — was quick to add a little no homo disclaimer. “I think it’s easy and generalizing it to say that they’re lovers, when you’re forgetting that one has a lot of guilt because he swore to be the protector of the other, the father figure or older brother, so to speak, and then left him behind,†Stan said. “I have no qualms with it but I think people like to see it much more as a love story than it actually is. It’s brotherhood to me.†Suuuuuuure.