Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanoff/Sam Wilson
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| Moresome · Ship · Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Relationship: | Bucky/Steve/Natasha/Sam |
| Alternative name(s): | Barbershop Quartet |
| Gender category: | Poly, M/M/F/M |
| Fandom: | Captain America Movieverse, The Avengers Movieverse (Marvel Cinematic Universe) |
| Canonical?: | No |
| Prevalence: | Small |
| Archives: | none |
| Other: | Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanoff Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanoff |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
| Needs Updating: This page is out of date. Editors are encouraged to add more recent information. |
In the wake of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, several pairings sprang up connecting the four characters Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanoff, and Bucky Barnes. There were common pre-movie ships for Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanoff; post-movie, Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson gained popularity suddenly, as did the previous Avengers ship Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanoff.
Fandom
The OT3 ship Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanova was already popular from the comics and from before the movie. After the movie, several shippers produced Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson works as well. A small subset of fans incorporated all 4 characters into an OT4, or the gen version of it. Some shippers prefer to make some of the relationships within the group non-sexual, while still incorporating all four characters into a relationship of some form.[1]
This ship is often referred to as the Barbershop Quartet, inspired by a line in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.[2]
This ship is not yet as prevalent as the OT6 was after the first Avengers movie, but it shares many of the same Found Family tropes.
Common Tropes
Winter Soldier Blanket Fort by Ani Bester. Possibly the first art posted for this ship (April 2014), it is also one example of the chibi style often used for this OT4.
- Post-Winter Soldier Road Trip - Steve and Sam make clear at the end of the movie that they plan to go on a road trip in search of Bucky. Natasha doesn't clarify that she'll come along, but in OT4 works, she does.
- Up All Night To Get Bucky - A catchphrase used both to describe shenanigans on the road trip and sexual activities once Bucky is found. This trope is shared with the other ships involving these characters.
- Bucky Barnes Recovers - A major obstacle to any stable relationship is Bucky's mental state after what was done to him. Most OT4 works focus on Bucky's healing as a main element.
- Bucky Barnes Whump - Bucky is often injured when the others find him. He is almost always suffering from major psychological damage and memory gaps.
- Found Family - Much like Avengers works, Cap 2 works focus on the characters coming to know and trust one another.
- Counselor Sam Wilson - Much attention tends to be paid to Sam's experience as a VA counselor and how that might help Bucky (or in many cases, Steve and even Natasha). This trope is also present in OT3 works with Bucky/Steve/Sam and in Gen works.
- Natasha Romanoff's Backstory - Movie!Natasha has a different history from various Comics!Natasha versions. Fans have made different compromises between these, but it's common for movie fans to maintain the Red Room style indoctrination, even if it's attributed to a different group. Some also maintain her past comics connection with Bucky; others avoid it. This often intertwines with Bucky's recovery as well.
- Domestic Avengers - If the work isn't set in the actual road trip part but instead afterwards, it's common for the OT4 to hole up somewhere while Bucky recovers. This often involves all the usual tropes of people in small spaces together.
- There's a subset of the above, where the OT4 hide in the Tower and help restart the Avengers Initiative. Also common in most of the pairings and OT3s involving these characters. In these works, Sam and Bucky usually become Avengers, as they are in the comics.
- Bed-Sharing - As with many poly ships, sleeping arrangements are sometimes a focus for this OT4. Due to everyone's trauma, sleeping together is often non-sexual to begin with, to help them deal with nightmares and the fear of loss.
- Chibi - A large portion of the fanart for this set of characters is in the chibi style.
- Sequel? What Sequel? - Fans of this ship, as with many ships after Cap 2, are well aware that it's unlikely Cap 3 will have a happy ending for everyone. As with many MCU ships, this corner of the fandom tends to cheerfully ignore probable future canon.[3]
Notable Fanworks
Fanfiction
- It Isn't Simple, But It's Good by Chaya
- K3tog, K1 by Bouzingo
- reconciousness by Lupinely
- There Were Bells on the Hill by rhombus
- Hold On, Let It Go by livrelibre (possibly the first shippy fic for this ship, posted April 14, 2014)
- Kelly, the Well-Meaning and Very Confused Barista by chaya, the highest Kudos'd/Bookmarked fic for the pairing on AO3 for many years since its upload in 2016. Outsider POV where a barista thinks Natasha is cheating on multiple boyfriends.
Fanart
- Bearvengers 1 by Johanirae
- CA:TWS - Friendship!! by karaii
- We're With Each Other Till The End of the Line by xxiiCoko
- Captain America: The winter soldier by CatMoore
- We're Up All Night To Get Bucky by Countess-Chocula (warning: bright, flashing colors)
- The Winter Soldier by ArcherVale
- OT4 cuddle pile, Archived version by feanor
- Freezer Burn, Archived version by commandersass, a Rom com fan poster.
Archives & Fannish Sites
- Bucky/Steve/Natasha/Sam works at AO3
- Bucky/Steve/Natasha/Sam works at fanfiction.net
- Fuck Yeah, Captain America Polyamory! on Tumblr (link goes to this ship's tag)
References
- ^ please consider: sam/steve/natasha/bucky sedoretu by roachpatrol. Posted May 16, 2014. Accessed July 12, 2014.
- ^ There is no “official” name, though “Barbershop Quartet” probably comes closest by vands88. Posted October 9, 2014. Accessed August 29, 2015.
- ^ plot of captain america 1 by Romanovan, posted April 28, 2014. Accessed July 15, 2014.