Chin-Stroking Scene
| Synonyms: | |
| See also: | WinterBaron; Hydra Trash Party |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier fandom, the Chin-Stroking Scene refers to a scene from the show in which Helmut Zemo, as a part of an undercover plan, is negotiating the exchange of the Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes) for an information about super soldier serum while playing with the Soldier's chin.[1]
The scene caught the attention of fandom as fuel for the pre-existing Hydra Trash Party subfandom/group of tropes. It also contributed to the rise of Winterbaron shipping.
Behind The Scene
Daniel Brühl (Zemo) said in an interview that the chin-rubbing act was an improvisation. He added that Sebastian Stan (Bucky) had been suffering while shooting the scene, as there had been a couple of takes where he couldn’t deal with it.[2] Sebastian Stan confirmed this on his Instagram story, claiming that there had been only one take where he had managed not to laugh.[3]
The Fandom
Demands for the Bloopers
The way Daniel and Sebastian described things that had been happening off-screen fueled fans' curiosity and excitement for the bloopers. Unfortunately, the bloopers weren't included in "The Making of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier".
[frumosseb on Twitter]
daniel brühl confirming that he in fact improvised the scene of zemo playing with Bucky's chin, lmfao faghajakakak. marvel better give me the footage of sebastian stan losing it 👁👄👁🔪[4]
[fan on Discord]
the fact that there's only one successful shot of that scene and it's the one in the series really makes me sad that marvel didn't release bloopers of it. i just want to see daniel and seb constantly cracking up
Controversies
Different Takes on Zemo's Attitude
There are two divided takes on this scene. Some consider this scene as Zemo merely showing his queer side, but others see this scene as a way for Zemo to assert his power over Bucky.
[JAKEJILLENHAUL on Twitter]
my main takeaway from this episode is that Zemo is part of the alphabet mafia cus there was no reason for him to be rubbing on bucky’s chin like that or pointing out that there’s a bit of green in the blue of Steve’s eyes.[5]
[missingIinked on Twitter]
the fact that people took the scene where zemo is holding bucky’s chin as a way to exert his power over bucky and bucky getting visibly uncomfortable and made it about zemo being gay is very weird to me.[6]
Hydra Trash Party
Many fans believe the words, "he will do anything you want," refers to the one controversial MCU trope - Hydra Trash Party - that has been going around since 2014. Fans of the trope called the release of this scene as "HTP confirmation day",[7] and antis of the trope found it disturbing that Disney had found a way to confirm it. Some were upset by how the hilarious behind the scene had watered down the implication of the actual scene. They commented on the way Sebastian and Daniel were able to laugh it off on set, questioning if it was the ignorance of abuse issues.[citation needed]
Winterbaron Pairing
The scene contributed to the rise of Bucky Barnes/Helmut Zemo (Winterbaron) pairing. Many fans noticed the sexual tension between the two characters, making BDSM a common trope in fanworks. The possible implication of Hydra Trash Party in the scene did make the shippers the objects of ship-shaming, which was at its peak around April-June of 2021.
Although some shippers genuinely enjoy the abusive trope, it's far from universal. Some of them complained about the hate they were getting from other shippers, claiming that all that they ever wanted for Winterbaron were comfort and growth in their relationship. Winterbaron remains a diversely-shipped pairing with different shippers liking different dynamics and tropes - dead dove, hurt/comfort, and fluff included.
Fanworks
Fanarts
- Catbucky, Archived version by guenopon
- 🐰😾, Archived version by nosa80711967
- Bucky aint taking more, Archived version by hyokka
- He'll do anything you want, Archived version by TheGreatTrash
- ジモ→バキはいいぞ。, Archived version by kumanuk
Fanfiction
- Anything You Want by Takupaku
- inches and anatomy (I Give You Him) by kickflaw
- Proof by galaxylentil
- Toe Cap and Tongue by Exorin
References
- ^ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Season 1 Episode 3 "Power Broker".
- ^ Richard Nebens (2021-04-07). "Falcon and Winter Soldier: Sebastian Stan & Daniel Brühl's Improvised Scene Revealed". The Direct. Archived from the original on 2022-09-19.
- ^ Eryn Murphy (2021-04-28). "'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier': Sebastian Stan Laughed Through Nearly Every Take of 1 Scene". Showbiz CheatSheet. Archived from the original on 2022-09-19.
- ^ frumosseb (2021-04-07). ""daniel brühl confirming that he in fact improvi…". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2022-09-19.
- ^ JAKEJILLENHAUL (2021-04-02). ""my main takeaway from this ep…". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2022-09-19.
- ^ missingIinked (2022-04-02). ""tfatws spoilers // the fact that people took the sc…". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2022-09-19.
- ^ 5ummit (2021-04-02). "We serve trash here, sir, "We described Zemo and his interaction with…". Tumblr. Archived from the original on 2022-09-19.