In Infinity War, when the army in Wakanda is charging forward to meet Thanos’s army, you see Steve and T’challa fly past everyone because they both run super fast. But Bucky is just as fast. And Bucky was not with them. Bucky looked at the army of weird alien monsters and thought to himself “I’m not in any hurry to get to that. I’ll jog it.”
Bucky, watching Steve and T’challa sprint headlong toward a possibly deadly fight: My god, now there’s two of them.
Mentioned: Sam Wilson, Helmut Zemo, T’Chaka, Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter
“Hope when you take that jump, you don’t fear the fall. Hope when the water rises, you built a wall. Hope when the crowd screams out, it’s screaming your name. Hope if everybody runs, you choose to stay.”
Shuri took a shaky breath, glancing around at those around her. She felt unprepared. Sad, even. She knew there was always a chance that this would happen, but she never imagined the day would come so soon. She was only eighteen. She wasn’t ready to be the Queen of Wakanda. She wasn’t ready to be Black Panther. She would never be ready for that. But after her brother’s death, the burden fell on her shoulders. She wore the ring that signified leadership. No one had challenged her when the time come. All of Wakanda was satisfied with her taking the throne, but she was hesitant.
“This shouldn’t be happening,” she whispered, looking up at her mother. Ramonda was still grieving. They all were, but she was still supportive of Shuri. She had stayed by her side the whole time, promising to help her, though adding that she wouldn’t need it. “I’m not ready.”
“You are, Love,” Ramonda assured her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’m sure that your brother will be happy to speak with you.”
Shuri nodded slightly. She knew that she would soon speak to T’Challa. He would welcome her as his successor both as the royal head of the Wakandan Empire and as the next Black Panther. While she wanted to see him again, she wished that he were here beside her instead. He wasn’t meant to leave her so soon.
“We’re all here for you when it’s over,” Ramonda reminded her, prompting Shuri to look up at the others. Okoye, Ayo, and many other Dora Mijae Warriors were there. Nakia too, who had been extremely quiet since T’Challa’s death. Bucky was there too, which had been a fight.
Many believed that a white man should not be allowed to see the ceremony, and Shuri had been infuriated. At first he had been nothing more than a patient, a “broken white boy” that she felt she needed to help. But in time, they had grown closer. T’Challa had even given him the title of “White Wolf” and named him a member of the royal family. Shuri was fervent in reminding the people of this, promising punishment who anyone who disrecpted him when he and Sam arrived in the city. She was grateful that no one caused trouble and she had been able to hug her pseudo brother away from the crowds, quietly thanking him for coming so far for her.
“Of course, Shuri,” he murmured. There was sadness in his voice, but she noticed it was different than the ever-present sadness that he had when he was living in Wakanda. He was happier now, healthier too, and she found herself making eye contact with Sam, silently thanking him. Because she knew that the man must have helped him.
“T’Challa would be glad that you’re here,” she continued sadly. She knew the two had a rocky past. Bucky had been accused of murdering T’Chaka, and T’Challa had set out to kill him before learning that it was another man, Helmut Zemo, who had been trying to frame him. While they had made up and forgiven each other, Bucky always felt some sort of guilt that Shuri noticed when he spoke to T’Challa. She felt that he needed to know that he did see him as a friend and brother.
“I hope,” he replied uncertainly. “I know I can never replace your brother, but I hope you know that I’m always here for you.”
“You are my brother too,” Shuri whispered. The tearful “thank you” and tight hug was enough to show her that he believed her.
Now, Bucky watched from the corner as an elder came to bring a flower to Shuri. She spoke in Xhosa and Shuri replied in her native tongue to tell her she was ready. It wasn’t completely true, but she knew it was too late to change her mind now. This was what she had to do.
“Hope that you fall in love and it hurts so bad. The only way you can know is to give it all you have. And I hope that you don’t suffer but take the pain. Hope when the moment comes, you’ll say:”
Shuri woke in a colorful field. Her corset was gone, replaced with an ancient robe that came near her ankles. There was a tree nearby, several dark-furred panthers lying in the branches. One of them looked up as she came closer, sleeking down the trunk and morphing into a familiar figure; T’Challa.
T’Challa was smiling as he looked at his sister, his eyes warm and proud. Shuri felt like crying as he came forward and pulled her into a hug before saying a single word. “I’ve missed you, Brother,” she choked out, cursing herself silently for sounding so upset. She had to be strong. She had to prove that she was ready.
“I have missed you as well,” T’Challa replied, pulling away from the hug to look at Shuri. “You are worried that you are not ready.”
“You were meant to be king for many more years,” Shuri reminded him. “Baba was king for many years before his death and he still died far too soon. I’m not supposed to be here right now. I’m not supposed to be a queen.”
T’Challa gave her a sad smile, looking over his shoulder at another panther that was watching from the trees. Shuri silently wondered if it was T’Chaka, but didn’t ask. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know that her father was there but couldn’t speak to her. “When father died, I didn’t think I was ready,” he told her as he turned back. “I always imagined that he would step down before dying of old age many years in the future. I never expected such a sudden, unexpected incident to take his life from us.”
Shuri glanced at her bare feet, remembering the call that had came over her Kimoyo Beads from T’Challa years ago. She had been hopeful and excited when her brother called, wanting to hear all about the Sokovia Accords and the Avengers that he knew he was likely to meet. She had felt her heart snap when he instead told her that their father had been killed.
“I felt like I was too young to be king,” he continued. “But you are much younger than I was at the time. You haven’t lived your life yet. You haven’t fallen in love. You haven’t seen the world. You have so much ahead of you.
“I don’t want this to take your life. I want you to live. To fall in love, to see the world. I want the people to scream your name. I want them to see how amazingly smart you are.” T’Challa looked in her eyes as he spoke. “You deserve all the best things in life, Shuri.”
“But so did you,” Shuri whispered, feeling tears collecting in her eyes. T’Challa was older than her, but he was still young. He was in love, but he never got to be married and raise a family. He saw different places in the world, but there was so many places he wanted to visit and never had the chance. People didn’t come to know him as the Black Panther. They didn’t worship him in the same way they did the Avengers.
“You deserved to live.”
“I, I did it all. I, I did it all. I owned every second that this world could give. I saw so many places, the things that I did. With every broken bone I swear I lived.”
“I did, Sister,” T’Challa said softly. “Look at all that I’ve done. I’ve been the Black Panther. I’ve been King of Wakanda. I’ve fought alongside the Avengers. I’ve fell in love… I swear to you, Shuri. I have lived. Now, it’s your turn.”
“T’Challa…”
“Shuri, look at me.”
Shuri looked up at T’Challa, her eyes swollen with tears. It was hard for her to look at her brother now, knowing that he is no longer in the living world. He had already passed to the next world. She would not see him again. Not until she passed into that world. It was something that she didn’t want to think about.
“I love you with all my heart, Shuri,” T’Challa said quietly. “Before everything, you are my baby sister. I want you to have everything. You deserve it. Never forget that. It is your turn to shine.”
“I don’t want to do it without you,” Shuri breathed. She feared that if she spoke too loud, her voice might break. “T’Challa, I miss you so much already.”
“I know, I know,” T’Challa murmured. “I miss you too, Shuri. But I will always be with you. From now until the end of time. When you cross the border to this world, I will be here waiting for you. Baba too.” He turned and glanced at the panther that was still watching them from the tree. “But I hope that will not be for many more years.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” Shuri sighed, seeing the illusion starting to fade around her. “Please, Brother.”
“I’m sorry, Shuri.” T’Challa wrapped his arms around his sister once again. “You are more ready than you know. Go now and lead the people of Wakanda. You will be the greatest queen and the greatest Black Panther the world has ever seen.”
“I could never be greater than you, Brother.”
“You will,” he countered. “You’ll see. Good luck, Shuri. You’ll do great.”
“Hope that you spend your days but they all add up. And when that sun goes down hope you raise your cup. I wish that I could witness all your joy and all your pain. But until my moment comes, I’ll say:”
“Shuri?”
Shuri turned around. She was in her lab, working on the new Panther Habit. Even if T’Challa’s would have fitted her, she felt wrong using it. She had designed it specifically for him. It was his. It would always be his. “Yeah?”
“Are you alright?” Bucky asked, stepping closer. He and Sam had decided to stay behind for a few weeks. They said it was simply because they weren’t busy, but Shuri knew it was because Bucky was worried about her. He didn’t do a great job of hiding it, but she couldn’t blame him. This was someone who had lost everything; he had a right to be worried about the few people he had found in his new life.
“I’m fine,” she assured him, turning back to focus on her work again. She heard a clinking noise as he fiddled with his metal arm. She had been the one to design it and build it for him. She had not been fond of the idea of asking him to fight when Thanos was threatening the world, but she knew that he would never let Steve fight alone. “How about you? You seem to be doing better?”
And that was true. He looked a lot happier and healthier now than the last time she had saw him. His hair was cut shorter now like it was in pictures she had seen of him in the 1940s. Still, he frowned now at the question as he leaned against the wall. “Been better. Been worse,” he shrugged a bit. “Sam’s nice. He’s given me a home that I don’t feel like I deserve.”
Shuri started to speak but Bucky gave her a warning glare. “I know what you’re going to say,” he told her. “It wasn’t me, right? That’s what Steve said too. I thought that we were fine, you know. He said he didn’t blame me. I thought we were getting somewhere. Thought I could tell him soon. Look how that turned out for me.”
Shuri frowned at the hurt in his expression. She knew that he loved a Steve. She didn’t see that ever changing. But Steve lived a woman and left Bucky for her. She understood why he was so upset. And she also knew that although he was healing, he wasn’t completely stable. She hated to think of the possibilities. She couldn’t lose him too. Not so soon after losing T’Challa.
“Sorry,” he sighed. “I’ll be okay, really. It… It’s been better. I just miss him, you know?”
“I know,” she told him. She slowly moved over and pulled him into a hug. She knew that physical contact wasn’t Bucky’s favorite thing, but she also knew that she was one of the few people who had permission to do so. “I love you, James.”
Bucky pressed his face into her shoulder and she thought that she could faintly feel him smiling against her clothes. That wasn’t something that hadn’t happened often since Steve left. “Love you too… Sis.”
“I, I did it all. I, I did it all. I owned every second that this world could give. I saw so many places, the things that I did. With every broken bone I swear I lived.”
Shuri smiled softly before pulling out of the hug. “I needed to talk to you, actually,” she told him. She could see his face morph into a mixture of surprise, confusion, and curiosity.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she confirmed, leading him over to an area where they could both sit. “As you already know, I am the youngest child of King T’Chaka. I was the last in line for the throne, and until I have children of my own, the bloodline ends with me.”
Bucky nodded to show he was listening. He didn’t speak, a habit that he had picked up when he was under Hydra’s control. He had told her that he was only allowed to speak when given permission, and that was a rare occasion. He had gotten better about it, but still seemed to struggle at times.
“Because of this, I am required to name a successor in the event that something happens to me,” Shuri continued. She paused, meeting Bucky’s eyes. She could see the exact moment that the words sunk in and the man understood what she was saying.
“Shuri, no,” he said sternly. “That— that’s not a good idea and you know it.”
“Why not?” she countered. “You’re my brother, Bucky. You’re the White Wolf. You—”
“I’m a weapon, Shuri,” he pressed. She watched him clench the fist of his metal arm. “I’m the Winter Soldier. I’m— I’m a monster. I’m not a hero and I’m definitely not a prince. And even if I wasn’t, the people would never accept me. I’m a white man.”
“And I am the queen,” Shuri told him, standing up. “T’Challa made you an honorary Wakandan long ago, therefore I am yourqueen.”
“Shuri, please. Listen to me. It’s not a good idea,” Bucky told her. “I mean, I barely even know the language. I don’t live here anymore. I just visit. I can’t— I’m not the right person for this. There has to be someone else. Okoye? Nakia? Sh*t, shouldn’t it be Nakia?”
“Bucky,” Shuri started softly, making sure the man was looking in her eyes. “There is no one else that I want to be my successor. You are not just my first choice. You are my only choice. You’ve come so far. The people respect you. The children love you.” She smiled and tapped his metal hand. “They trust you with our most precious weapon.”
“(With every broken bone) I swear I lived. (With every broken bone) I swear I—”
Bucky flexed the arm, looking it over. “When I was with Hydra, I was the weapon,” he said quietly. “Not my arm. Not the programming they put in my head. Me. They didn’t even treat me like I was a human being. I was an animal to them. They broke me, Shuri. You don’t want a broken man to be the heir to the throne.”
“We are all a little broken, Brother,” Shuri told him. “Griot, could you pull up file T-189, please.”
“Of course,” Griot replied, pulling up a holographic image of T’Challa. It was a video, actually, that was currently paused. She turned to Bucky before commanding Griot to play the message.
“Are you sure about this?” The timid-sounding voice off-screen belonged to Bucky. “What if it doesn’t work? What if I hurt one of you?”
“Shuri has been working on this for months,” T’Challa assured him. “I believe that my sister is the best engineer in the universe. If there is anyone on this planet who can help you, it is her.”
The recording morphed. T’Challa was in a different outfit now. He was sitting, as well. He had a smile on his face. “I am glad to hear he is doing well,” he was saying. “I hope that he is able to forgive me for the past. I truly believe that he is a great person.”
“He is one of us now,” the image had changed once again. “White Wolf is a title that has never been given in the Golden Tribe, and I do not take this decision lightly. Sergeant Barnes has become a brother to me, and I am honored to give him the title.”
One last time, the image changed. This time, T’Challa was lying in bed. He looked sick, and Shuri knew that was because he was. He knew he was dying. He knew that he didn’t have much time left. “Have you called him?” he asked.
“He is very busy, Sir,” someone replied.
“Did you call him?” T’Challa repeated.
“King T’Challa, he is a white man. Are you sure that you want him here?” The off-screen voice replied.
“Bucky is my brother,” T’Challa replied. “He is my brother whether you like it or not, and I want him here. Now go and call him before I get up and call him myself. And be respectful to your prince when you speak to him.”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
“He wanted me here?” Bucky asked, his voice quiet. His eyes were fixed on the holographic figure. “He… He called me his brother.”
“He did,” Shuri assured him. She smiled and stepped in front of him. “He also called you a prince. So… PrinceJames Buchanan Barnes. I, Queen Shuri, hereby ask you to accept the title of heir to the throne of the Golden Tribe of Wakanda.”
“You are sure that this is what T’Challa would have wanted?” Bucky asked.
“Positive.”
Bucky closed his eyes, lowering his head. He took a shaky breath before looking up at her again. She noticed his eyes move to look at the now-frozen hologram as if he was asked T’Challa for permission. Slowly, he looked back at her and raised his arms, crossing them over his chest. “Wakanda forever.”
Shuri smiled brightly and mimicked the action. It was the first time that she had seen Bucky use it. For a moment, she was sent back to a time when she would repeat the action to T’Challa like she had done time and time again. Bucky was right. He could never replace T’Challa, but he could help her fulfill his wishes. He could help her live the life that T’Challa wanted her to live.
“Wakanda forever.”
“I, I did it all. I, I did it all. I owned every second that this world could to give. I saw so many places, the things that I did. With every broken bone I swear I lived. I swear I lived.”
Avengers #105 (Englehart/Buscema, Nov 1972). Seeking Pietro in the Savage Land, the Vision realizes he — unlike his fellow male Avengers — is unaffected by the siren Lorelei. He concludes that he must be incapable of love. I think he’s just such a Wife Guy (Wife Bot?) that seductresses have no affect on him.
Avengers #106 (Englehart/Buckler & Tuska, Dec 1972). While the Vision broods over his inability to love, Steve receives visions of missions with Rick which never happened. The remaining Avengers seek Pietro, but discover instead a long-forgotten foe.
Daredevil and the Black Widow #99 (Gerber/Kweskin, May 1973). Hawkeye’s really reverting to his old shitty self. I’d be disappointed with him, except I guess it’s always on brand for Clint to be a human tire fire. Anyway, DD’s an Avenger now.
Avengers #110 (Englehart/Heck, Mar 1973). I’ve been trying to read in six-issue chunks, but it’s getting tricky ‘cause everything’s so intertextual now! Quicksilver’s whereabouts were revealed last month in Fantastic Four, so now I’m ahead of that book. Hawkeye wanders into an issue of Daredevil. And Magneto emerges from the Savage Land to overwhelm the bookless X-Men. Phew! This world’s just not gonna stop expanding now, and I have to accept there’s no correct and fully coherent way to track it.
Avengers #109 (Englehart/Heck, Mar 1973). With Vision and Wanda finally making things official, jealous Clint puts his old purple suit back on and strikes out on his own. Kinda startling to watch him leave — he’s one of the most tenured Avengers now!
Avengers #108 (Englehart/Heck & et al, Feb 1973). The Vision and Captain America concoct a convoluted plan to defeat the Space Phantom and the Grim Reaper. There’s been an almost delirious amount of retconning lately, and it’s an interesting device for the moment — discovering new plots and relationships between the panel margins…
Avengers #107 (Englehart/Starlin & et al, Jan 1973). The Space Phantom and the Grim Reaper conspire to transplant the Vision’s synthezoid brain into Captain America’s body. I truly doubt Vision’s really gonna go through with it, but the suggestion that his lovesick misery might conceivably drive him to it is pretty neat.
i’m gay for the whole dora milaje, nakia, shuri, alsO RAMONDA?? IM IN SO FUCKING LOVE SHES AMAZING and of course T’Daddy. chADWICK BOSEMAN IS JUST SO EXTREMELY HANDSOME LIKE HAVE U SEEN THIS MAN? I’M IN LOVE
