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Sam Wilson
it’s our job to figure out how to carry it

BASICS

CANON. Marvel Cinematic Universe.
CANON POINT. pre-Infinity War
AGE. mid/late thirties
APPEARANCE. As portrayed by Anthony Mackie

IN CHARACTER

HISTORY.
• Enlisted in the pararescue branch of the US military after high school
• Was selected for the EXO-7 program, a top secret government project using specialized wing packs for infiltration and extraction
• On one of his missions, his partner was killed after being hit by an RPG in mid-air
• Sam retired from the military after that with a messy case of survivor's guilt and PTSD
• He began going to support groups at the VA and getting counseling
• Became a certified peer specialist and started working at the VA, leading groups of his own
• Sometime after this, Steve Rogers sassed him on his morning run, and Sam suggested he come down to the VA sometime
• Which Steve actually did, catching the end of one of Sam's group and staying afterwards for a talk about grief, loss, getting out, and what makes you happy
• This was followed by Steve and Natasha Romanoff showing up on Sam's doorstep, on the run from a whole bunch of people trying to kill them
• After finding out they were looking to take down a corrupt government organization and stop it from wiping out a few million people it deemed as threats to it, Sam offered his top secret dossier as a resume and joined
• It turned out that the super soldier assassin that kept trying to kill them was actually Steve's old best friend Bucky Barnes, who everyone had thought was dead, but nope, just brainwashed.
• They successfully stopped the corrupt organization from killing a ton of people and released all its secrets to the world
• Bucky broke free of some of the brainwashing and disappeared
• Steve decided to go looking for him, and Sam joined. He took point on chasing down leads when Steve was busy with Avengers stuff.
• After a while, even Sam had to admit he wasn't retired anymore, and fully committed to being an Avenger.
• The Sokovia Accords happened - a set of legal documents ratified by the UN that would put a government-run task force in complete control over the Avengers
• The team was split in opinions
• Sam, who had first hand experience in how easy it was for a government organization to become corrupt and the kind of mess you had to clean up when that happened, refused to sign the Accords
• There was an attack on the embassy where the signing was taking place
• The culprit picked up on security cameras looked like Bucky Barnes
• Steve and Sam wanted to pick up the search for Bucky themselves, but the new task force wouldn't allow them to go
• They went anyway, caught up with Bucky, and things escalated
• Sam, Steve, Bucky, T'Challa were arrested
• Zemo, the real culprit of the bombing, used trigger words to activate the brainwashing in Bucky's head
• Bucky attacked everyone while breaking out and was eventually subdued by Steve
• Steve and Sam escaped with Bucky, who woke up and was able to tell them want Zemo wanted - the location of more super soldier assassins
• They made a plan to stop Zemo from activating the assassins, including recruiting others who'd also been reluctant to sign the Accords
• The Avengers who were following the Accords stopped them in an airport, and a fight ensued against their former teammates
• Sam realized that some of them had to get caught to allow Steve and Bucky time to escape and stop Zemo
• Sam and the others who'd stayed behind were taken to an underwater super prison
• Tony Stark came to interrogate Sam about where Steve and Bucky had gone
• Sam refused to tell him until Tony took out the audio surveillance and shared that he'd found out that Zemo was really behind the bombs and wanted to help
• Eventually, Steve came to break them out
• They'd stopped Zemo, but not before he turned Tony and Steve on each other by revealing that Bucky had killed Tony's parents while brainwashed
• Tony went back to the Avengers operating under the Accords, and the rest of them were fugitives and scattered
• Sam, Steve, and Natasha continued to take on missions in secret

PERSONALITY.
How Sam presents himself tends to vary slightly, depending on the circumstances and how much focus Sam is putting on how he comes across. By necessity, Sam being a friend is different from Sam leading a group at the VA, which is different from Sam the soldier or Sam as the Falcon. Whether it was tending to injured soldiers who may not be at their best or reaching out to veterans with various levels of trauma, Sam has to be very aware of how he's being perceived at the moment, and do what he can to alter it to best suit the current situation.

This means that Sam has had a lot of practice keeping his head and remaining calm in some very stressful, and very dangerous, situations. As a military man he's had to keep his wits enough to provide medical attention to soldiers under far less than ideal circumstances, and working as a counselor for the VA has taught him to remain calm and collected during things like breakdowns and flashbacks. Sam's the kind of guy who rolls with the punches, and it takes a lot to visibly throw him. Case in point, a superhero and a spy show up on his doorstep dirty and bloody, tell him everyone they know is trying to kill them, and his response is to let them in and cook them breakfast. Even if he did feel the need to add a few snarky comments.

One of the things that generally always shows through is his sense of humor. Sam is snarky and sarcastic - and at times casually self-deprecating - no matter what may be happening. He quips over commlinks in the middle of battles, drops one liners and lighthearted questions in the middle of serious conversations, and uses humor to diffuse the tension in a room. He'll hassle and tease and poke at just about anyone - even national icons, deadly assassins, or kings in cat suits. If sometimes those comments dip into flirting territory, well, he's almost as equal opportunity there as he is about teasing. Sam can definitely be charming, and his levelheaded compassion and casual acceptance can make him come across as a very likeable guy.

A large part of Sam is externally motivated, in that a vast majority of his life has been devoted to what other people need. He went the pararescue route after enlisting in the military, which is far from an easy branch to join, and their motto is "That Others May Live." It's a motto that sticks with Sam even after he "got out," made obvious by the fact that he became a counselor for other veterans, and even by getting back in when Captain America needed help. His focus is nearly always on other people, whether it be patching them back up physically, helping them cope with their issues and disconnect with the world, or having their back in a massive gunfight.

That's not to say he completely overlooks himself, however. He knows very well that to help people sort their shit out, you have to have your own shit sorted first. He's not always the best at it - he's human like anyone else, and a former soldier to boot. He has his own demons to face, his own struggles with survivor's guilt and feeling out of place in the world. Sam has his good days and his bad days, but he's at the point where his good days are a lot more numerous than his bad. For the most part, he's confident in himself and his own abilities. He's practical, he knows his limitations and isn't above commenting on them, though he does occasionally try to push them. Sam's never afraid to make his own opinions known, to make it clear when he has a problem with something or to stand up for himself.

In general, Sam is a very good judge of character. He usually knows when to push someone and when to take a step back, and he isn't afraid to ask the hard questions, though he doesn't expect anyone to have all the answers. He's also not afraid to point out the difficult potential truths, even if someone might not want to hear them. He's easily able to relate to people, usually able to find some point of commonality, though obviously that's easier with his fellow soldiers. When Sam believes in someone, he does so completely, and he can be fiercely loyal. It's less of a blind faith and more of a confidence that someone worth his trust is worth it absolutely, and he doesn't have to worry about their motivations - though he's not above questioning their plans, even if ultimately he'll damn near always stick with them. Once Sam's on someone's side, there's very little he wouldn't do for them.

ABILITIES

STRENGTHS.
Sam is a human with no superpowers, but he does have a number of specialized skills, including:
• formal military/combat experience (including training and working with a superhero team)
• pararescue training (which is described pretty decently in the link here)
• skilled with various weapons including knives and a large variety of guns, enough to have good aim while moving extremely fast/erratically and to be able to easily shoot guns he steals off people
• able to use an experimental winged jet pack
• certified VA peer specialist

WEAKNESSES.
• Reckless: although Sam has mellowed a bit from his "strap an experimental flight pack onto his pack and jump off high things" days, there's no denying that he still has a reckless streak in him that can get him into trouble. This streak only gets worse when he believes he's doing what's right.
• No superpowers: Sam definitely doesn't consider this a weakness, but there's no way around the fact that in a world increasingly overrun with super powered people, he's just a guy - albeit a very well trained one. He rarely lets it stop him from his reckless ways, but it does mean he doesn't bounce back as quick as some of his teammates.

OPT-IN. N/A.

ITEMS

CLOTHES. His "Secret Avenger" uniform from the beginning of Infinity War

ITEMS / PETS. A cell phone, a handful of cash

WEAPONS. His wing pack, including Redeing, his goggles, and arm guards (not exactly weapons, but they do come with tech enhancements that'd give him an edge, so I'm guessing those would be confiscated as well?), a knife, and two handguns.

SAMPLES

LOG. TDM thread, TDM top level.
NETWORK. TDM thread


NAME. Bri TZ. PST AGE. over 18 CONTACT. brbsoulnomming