Chapter 1019 Terrifying in Hindsight (Patreon)

Recognizing the heavy mental burden Bucky carried, Sam stepped into the role of a counselor. His advice helped the former assassin finally loosen up.

Outside the light screen, Steve Rogers met his friend's gaze. "Sam is right, Bucky. You really should give it a try. Stop worrying about me and just live your own life."

Bucky fell silent, lost in thought.

Eddie shot them a bizarre look. "Your relationship is so weird. If one of you were a woman, this would make a whole lot more sense."

Bucky and Steve both leveled a hard glare at him. Eddie immediately threw his hands up in surrender. "Just kidding, relax! I'm honestly jealous of your brotherhood. Really. I've never had a buddy I could trust like that."

Peter Parker tactfully changed the subject. "It looks like Sam is going to take up the shield after all."

On the screen, the future video resumed. After Bucky's departure, Sam had a heart-to-heart with his sister, Sarah. Grounded by his family's support, he finally shook off his lingering doubts.

Sarah voiced her concern. "So, are you really going to let Isaiah Bradley get in your head? Are you going to let him decide what you do with your life?"

Sam shook his head. "Isaiah went through hell. If I were him, I'd feel the exact same way. But if we refuse to stand back up and keep fighting, then what was the point of all that pain and sacrifice?"

Watching the scene unfold, Steve offered a warm smile. "Well said. He finally found his way."

Bucky nodded in agreement. "I think I get why the future you chose him. Sam has the same stubborn refusal to quit that you do. Even in the darkest moments, he never gives in to despair."

Peter sighed softly. "He has an incredibly strong heart. But honestly, if he had figured this out sooner, John Walker's tragedy might never have happened."

Eddie nodded. "Yeah, when you think about it, Sam kind of screwed Walker over. Though the guy obviously brought a lot of his own issues to the table."

Erik Lehnsherr scoffed, a look of distinct disapproval crossing his features. "If Sam Wilson had simply picked up the shield right from the start, it wouldn't have ended well for him," he stated plainly. "Thanks to prejudice and discrimination, both the government and the public would have kept him under a microscope. Every minor flaw would have been magnified a thousand times. But things are different now. John Walker's scandal cleared the path. When Sam Wilson steps up to claim the mantle now, he'll face a fraction of the resistance. If he orchestrated this whole sequence of events... I have to admit, I admire his ruthlessness."

Erik paused, noticing the stunned looks on everyone's faces—save for Charles. He simply shrugged. "What? Am I wrong?"

Hughie Campbell shook his head, looking slightly disturbed. "That's just a really dark way to look at it. Sam couldn't have done that on purpose, right?"

"Of course not," Steve interjected firmly. "Sam just hadn't made up his mind yet. But Erik does make a fair point."

Erik had offered a completely fresh perspective, one that hadn't even crossed the minds of Steve or the others. Upon closer reflection, they had to admit the mutant made a lot of sense.

If Sam had confidently announced his succession as the new Captain America at that initial press conference, the government absolutely would have pushed back—especially given Isaiah's buried history.

But instead, Sam surrendered the shield. The government propped up John Walker as their golden boy, only for him to spectacularly botch the job. While Walker ruined his own reputation, the government ultimately suffered the heaviest blow. With the new Captain America embroiled in a bloody scandal, the authorities lost both their credibility and their pride.

Now, the stage was perfectly set for Sam to step up. While calling him the people's unanimous choice might be a stretch, the bureaucratic roadblocks had effectively vanished.

If Sam had genuinely mapped out all these political pitfalls from the very beginning, his foresight would be nothing short of terrifying. Naturally, anyone who actually knew Sam realized how slim that possibility was. Frankly, the man didn't possess the Machiavellian mindset required to use someone as a sacrificial pawn, nor did he operate on the cynical belief that the tallest nail gets hammered down.

Returning to the video, Sam launched into a grueling training montage the moment he made his decision. As the audience watched him repeatedly throwing and catching the heavy vibranium shield among the trees, a few couldn't help but comment.

"Steve tosses that thing around like it's nothing, but Sam has to train like it's his ultimate move. You have to respect the grind!"

"Honestly, I can totally get behind Sam as the new Cap. If there's one thing he's got over Steve, it's aerial combat!"

"Are you sure? Didn't John Walker rip his Falcon wings clean off? He even left his broken suit with his buddy."

"Use your brain, man! You don't even need to watch the rest of the video to figure it out. That metal case Bucky brought? It's obviously a brand-new suit custom-built by the Wakandans. With their tech, it's going to blow his old Falcon gear out of the water!"

The audience's chatter obviously couldn't reach the Sam Wilson on screen. He continued his relentless training, oblivious to the dark currents surging in the outside world.

The scene cut to Sharon Carter. She was on the phone, speaking in hushed, urgent tones. Based on the conversation, she was clearly acting as the employer. Whoever was on the other end was likely a mercenary or a professional assassin. Sharon offered to double their standard rate to get a job done.

The scene immediately shifted again, this time to the Flag Smasher, Karli Morgenthau. She had just managed to link up with Georges Batroc.

Batroc was no small fry. As a notorious international mercenary, he would take on any job—so long as the price was right. He had already made an appearance at the very beginning of this footage. Sam had busted up Batroc's operation during a military op and ultimately landed him in prison.

Thanks to that little incident, Batroc held a deep, burning grudge against Sam Wilson. It didn't take long for him and Karli to find common ground.

Driven by a desire for vengeance against the GRC, Karli was planning a fresh wave of brutal attacks. Securing a heavy hitter like Batroc was a crucial part of her plan.

In the viewing room, Steve's brow furrowed tightly. "Batroc is highly likely the mystery man Sharon was just talking to on the phone."

Bucky looked completely baffled. "What exactly is Sharon's endgame here? If she just wanted to take out Sam and my future self, she had plenty of chances to do that back in Madripoor."