You might not have noticed it at the time, but in Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers AKA Captain America (Chris Evans) told Sam Wilson AKA Falcon (Anthony Mackie) why he chose to pass the mantle of Captain America to his friend before he went back in time – we just never noticed.
In the film, Steve has to go back in time in order to return the Infinity Stones to the moments in time they were stolen from earlier on in the movie.
But he doesn’t return a moment later like everyone else in the film does when they time travel, instead he stayed in the past and lived out his life with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell).
Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) first notices old Steve sitting on a bench nearby and tells Falcon to talk to him, this is when Steve hands him the Captain America shield.
What we didn’t realise, was that Steve actually told Sam the reason why before he went back in time. According to Screen Rant, right before he entered the Quantum Realm, Sam offers to go with Steve, but Steve says, “You’re a good man Sam. This one’s on me though.”
This might not seem like that big of a deal, but the fact that Sam is a “good man” is exactly why he chose him to be the next Captain America. It’s a callback to Captain America: The First Avenger where Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) tells Steve the reason he was chosen to undergo the super soldier experiment.
Erskine said, “Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are, not a perfect soldier, but a good man.”
While Cap had super strength, super speed and a bunch of other enhanced abilities, the core of his character is his morality. Without his powers, Steve is a good man – even when he was a small wannabe soldier, he was jumping on grenades.
Falcon doesn’t have superpowers like Steve (or even Bucky), but he’s always proven he has the same moral compass and has always been willing to fight alongside Steve.
Sam offering to go back in time with Steve is just another reminder of why he’s chosen to take over as Captain America.
Some fans were upset Steve chose Sam over Bucky, but it makes sense he wasn’t chosen purely because Hydra is still somewhere in his subconscious and even though we now view him a hero, he’s better known throughout MCU history as an assassin.
In the DVD and Blu-Ray commentary for Endgame, the movie’s co-director Joe Russo asks writer Stephen McFeely whether Bucky knew what Steve was going to do all along, “Now clearly Bucky knows something here, right?”
McFeely responds, “Yeah, I think it’s clear from Sebastian’s performance here. He’s been clued into Steve’s decision.”
“Why [else] would Bucky say, ‘I’m gonna miss you.’ Especially if it’s only going to be five seconds?”
Russo agrees, “Yeah, he knows,” adding, “Now, we don’t know the extent of what Steve told him, but clearly he told him something.”
McFeely continues, “Yeah, I don’t think he said, ‘I’ll go sit on the bench over there.’”
“I think he’s certainly surprised to see that [part],” he added.
So, Bucky probably didn’t expect to see his best friend looking like a grandpa, but he knew of his plans.