The lead writer of Disney+'s latest smash Marvel Studios series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is addressing those new rumors about fan-favorite hero Bucky Barnes possibly being canonically bisexual in the show...
In a recent interview with NME, screenwriter Malcolm Spellman (whose credits include the queer-inclusive, musical FOX series Empire) was asked about what he thinks of all the MCU's fans and their long-running theories of Bucky being bi, which have recently resurfaced after the premiere of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
"I’m not diving down rabbit holes, but just keep watching..." Spellman answered.
For context, in the first episode of the latest Disney+ MCU miniseries, Bucky (played Sebastian Stan) goes on a date with a bartender named Leah, and reveals that since he's rusty when it comes to the love department, he's put himself on the Dating Apps™. The reason many fans think Marvel is hinting at Bucky's bisexuality is that, during his date with Leah, Bucky makes a comment about how he's noticed a lot of people with profile pictures featuring tigers. Apparently, since men are more likely to have profile pics featuring tigers, fans have surmised that Bucky is perusing both men and women while on the apps and are hopeful that this is Marvel Studios' way of working being queer into Bucky's storyline. Queer MCU loyalists most often ship the Winter Solider with his childhood bestie Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America (made famous by Chris Evans).
We know it seems like a reach, and that's probably because it is, especially when you consider Marvel Studio's long, lackluster history of not giving LGBTQ+ viewers the real, honest, and authentic representation they have been craving for years in their many films and TV shows.
While we always hope we get proven wrong, especially since it would be so cool to finally get an explicitly queer hero in the MCU, we're not quite getting our hopes up just yet. As Spellman said, we'll just have to keep watching...
The Falcon & the Winter Soldier is currently streaming on Disney+.
