question/discussion: Sam Wilson aka, Falcon

[stalkerbunny.livejournal.com]

It seemed to me this post is withing acceptable guidelines, b-but still a bit nervous. Hello, fellow community members. I'm currently writing an alternate universe Steve/Tony fic in which Sam Wilson/Falcon is a prominent supporting character, but unfortunately I haven't read enough canon he appears in.

So, if anyone has thoughts/characterization tips (or even recs for comics he appears in, though I can't vouch being able to find them if they aren't online somewhere) regarding Sam, I'd be very grateful if you could share them. Since it's an AU (set in medieval times) I'm especially interested in his personality, as that's not something I can read about on wiki very much. :')

Comments

Sam Wilson (part 1)

[jazzypom.livejournal.com]

If you can get the early trades of Captain America (after Steve comes out of the ice), Sam is pretty hard core. In that, he speaks truth to power, and has some pretty harsh things to say about his country, but he likes his country enough to keep on trucking. Sam is a proud man, like, not cutting off his nose to spite his face proud, but proud enough. For instance, when he was offered a place on the Avengers to join their team, he turned it down because he didn't know if it was due to his own merits, or because of Affirmative Action (because the Avengers team was rather white, iirc, and they were trying to make it not so much so).

In addition, even though he knows that the world sees him as an appendage to Steve, Sam takes great pains to point out that he's his own person in the Civil War series, Sam was all, "I am not his sidekick!"

Relationship wise, Sam and Steve are pretty close. Sam speaks truth to power, and just like Tony, he isn't cowed by the August presence that is Steve₁. Steve seems to like Sam in that Sam is plain speaking.

Sam gets on with Steve, Bucky and was a source of comfort to Sharon when Steve died. Sam and Steve are close, as evidenced during the Civil War (sorry, mainlined that series over the weekend, so it's fresh in my mind), when Sam was the only one who knew where Steve's secret meeting place was. Sam and Tony don't like each other, and rarely share the same page, but Sam and Steve are very close.

I did a bit of meta here (http://jazzypom.livejournal.com/56915.html#cutid1). I do like Ultimates Sam over 616 Sam, true, but I think their personalities are similar enough in the comics, although their origins are different. Sam in all forms is a pretty intense guy, I feel.


₁ ^{In that, Steve Rogers and Captain America are so interlinked people tend to be awed by the man/legend and default to him more than they should do, at times}

Re: Sam Wilson (part II)

[jazzypom.livejournal.com]

There are writers who do Sam/Steve. I think harmonyangel is one. I don't know if her fic is flocked, but she has an AO3 account. gloss writes a lot of Sam Wilson fic. Not necessarily Sam/Steve (although there is that), but her stuff is well written, no matter which way you slice it. I'd say, if you can't get a hold of 616 Sam, I'd say 1610 Ultimates Sam is similar enough (intense and very proud) - but Ults Sam is a scientist and a former member of the armed reserves, whereas 616 Sam was a pimp (Marvel was in a bad place in the 1970s) before he became a social worker.

I think in order to write Steve and Sam versus Steve and Tony, you have to realise that Steve likes each guy for his own merits, and Steve isn't one to compare the two. I've noticed that anyway - if either guy (Sam or Tony) tries to object to the other's presence in Steve's life, Steve just doesn't... go there.

[stalkerbunny.livejournal.com]

I just read the meta you linked, and it was very interesting and informative, thanks a lot for the link.

When it comes to Sam/Steve I can completely see why people would ship it, but unfortunately I tend to be kind of a ship monogamist (with some exceptions, and also some of my ships are polyamorous but anyway) so... I think if I read fic I might kind of avoid that. :'3

"I think in order to write Steve and Sam versus Steve and Tony, you have to realise that Steve likes each guy for his own merits, and Steve isn't one to compare the two."

That's good to know, I was wondering how that would work out, since in the story I'm writing Sam is actually the first (and pretty much only, for a while) person Steve meets in a strange country and time, and as such he might place quite a lot of weight on his opinion. On the other hand, even if he seems to have some abandonment issues at times, Steve also seems rather... pigheaded? :')

Do you know exactly why Sam dislikes Tony so much though? I'm asking mostly so I could work out if/how to convert that into the au verse.

Hmmm

[jazzypom.livejournal.com]

Do you know exactly why Sam dislikes Tony so much though? I'm asking mostly so I could work out if/how to convert that into the au verse.

Sam dislikes Tony because Tony Stark tends to be high handed, and can be read as 'arrogant'. We might like Tony for his vulnerabilities, but in the comic verse, you have to know Tony to see what makes him weak. If you don't really know Tony, you can't see it. Most of the Avengers tend to think of Tony as being a dick though.

In the books, there's no big deal as to why Sam and Tony don't get on, so I pretty much treat it as them just not getting on, and the only thing they have in common is Steve, and that's all right.