As soon as he burst onto screens in Captain America: The First Avenger, Chris Evans brought to life a Steve Rogers that everyone wanted to be best friends with. Though he was always steady as a teammate, a comionate leader to the whole team, and a friend to all, Cap did have some people in his life that were his go-to's.
At the top of that list - and often competing for the top spot - were James "Bucky" Barnes and Sam Wilson. Both had different spots in audiences and Rogers' hearts, and both exemplified friend goals at different times with Steve.
Bucky - Steve Always Gets To Him
Steve and Bucky continuously prove that HYDRA's brainwashing has nothing on their history and bond. From the first time Bucky stops fighting him when Steve utters his name mid-way through Captain America: Winter Soldier until Bucky tells Shuri to put him under until she can break HYDRA's programming, their life-long friendship proves stronger than the most advanced mindwipe on the planet.
These two forged a bond growing up in 1940s Brooklyn that no one can erase, and it literally saves their lives time and time against. Even if Steve is pulled out of Bucky's consciousness, he is still in his heart - until the end of the line.
Sam - Ultimate & Immediate Trust
This friendship was immediate and mutual, making up for the other two's shared history and lifelong bond. Steve liked that Sam knew who he was but didn't gush. Sam knew that more than anything, Steve was a man out of his time.
Recommending a record and a cute jogging rivalry is not enough to land Sam in the same league as Bucky, though. That comes when Sam lets Steve - a hunted fugitive - bring Black Widow - a known assassin - into his home when he shows up there. Then, Sam signs up to help the star-spangled man with a plan without a second of hesitation.
This movie showed not just the establishment of a regular friendship but also what happens when people allow their hearts to lead.
Bucky - Following His Childhood Friend
From the Howling Commandos to fighting Thanos, Bucky made it clear that he was not following a super-soldier but his best friend wherever he led. He doesn't begrudge Steve and his transformation, but he always did and always will know what Dr. Erskine quickly figured out in the first movie - Steve Rogers has the heart of a hero.
On this premise, Bucky follows Steve into battle during WWII time and again. Later on, he follows Steve as his friend attempts to figure out everything he can about the Winter Soldier program and fix him.
He even goes back into battle after Shuri has done just that, and he has found peace in Wakanda. The second Steve needs him to fight, he picks up arms and runs in - following his life-long bestie.
Sam - "When Do We Start?"
Winter Soldier does a good job of establishing that Sam and Steve are immediate ride-or-die friends. However, they really drive that point home at the end of the movie.
Everything Steve has ever known is gone. SHIELD has fallen, the Avengers have been scattered since the Battle of New York, now Fury has to pretend to be dead, Maria Hill has gone to work for Stark Enterprises, and even Natasha has to go underground.
On top of all that, the woman he could have liked ended up being a SHIELD agent, and his long-dead best friend is alive, enhanced, and sometimes trying to kill him. As the movie draws to a close, Sam knows that Steve is going to find Bucky. No words are said about it. Sam simply asks Steve when they are going to get going on it.
Because it is them doing it. Period.
Bucky - Knows Old Steve Immediately
There may be a silent communication between the two old comrades when Steve parrots Bucky's warning to him all those decades before. Telling Bucky not to do something stupid before he returns, Bucky responds as Steve had - "How could I? You're taking all the stupid with you."
Knowing that this is supposed to feel like seconds to them, this emotional throwback makes little sense, unless this is Steve's way of telling Bucky he is going home. Then, when he doesn't come back, Sam and Professor Hulk (cause that is who that is) start to panic, Bucky starts looking around.
He sees an older man and knows immediately it is Steve. He doesn't go to have his goodbye, just sends Sam over. Because he also knows who is getting the shield - as he and Steve know each other like no one else.
Sam - "On Your Left"
If audiences wanted further proof that Steve had found his number two, they got it. As Steve wakes up from his plunge into the river, he hears some soul singing from Marvin Gaye playing - right before seeing Sam sitting there and saying "On your left."
At their first meeting, as Steve ed Sam repeatedly - those super-soldier legs are amazing - he said, "On your left" every time he went past him. It is what let Sam know who Steve was, and would remain significant throughout their entire relationship.
Hearing Sam's voice after the Snap is undone, his "On your left" brings tears to the eyes of Cap (and the audience).
Bucky - Putting Each Other First
In Captain America: Civil War, Steve fights Tony almost to the death to save Bucky from the anger and hurt Tony has after discovering the Winter Soldier killed his parents. When Tony asks why Cap says, "He's my friend."
The return of "So was I" by a broken Tony is heartbreaking enough, but then Steve grabs up his childhood buddy and turning his back on Tony leaves, dropping his shield and giving up the mantle of Captain America all for Bucky.
Bucky takes up the mantle of White Wolf and returns to battle in Avengers: Infinity War because he knows that Steve will need him. When Bucky realizes he is turning to dust, he turns to Steve, simply uttering his name before completely disappearing. As Steve touches the ground where he last stood, all hearts broke.
Sam - Peggy's Funeral
As Steve turns his back on the Avengers, refusing to be a party to the Sakovia Accords, Sam has his back. When Steve's true love, Peggy Carter, dies from old age, Steve is shaken to his core and devastated. Sam is by his side as he travels to England and attends the funeral, even acting as a pallbearer.
Sam shares his shock and confusion when it is revealed that Cap's old neighbor and possible love interest is actually Peggy's niece. There was no chance that Steve would have to go through any of this alone, with Sam ing him through it all.
Bucky - Rescuing Each Other
Steve and Bucky have a long history of rescuing the other one. Bucky kept Steve safe when they were kids, watching out for the skinny kid who wouldn't back down from a fight. He was there for him when his parents died, leaving him orphaned and alone.
Steve doesn't think twice before going on a rescue mission alone, parachuting into HYDRA's base when Bucky's regiment had been captured. There was no evidence Bucky was alive - the chance was all he needed.
Though still unsure of who he was and their past, Bucky ed Steve enough to pull him from the river at the end of Winter Soldier before going into hiding. Steve starts a war against Iron Man and his allies to save Bucky from accusations of terrorism and even gets Natasha to turn.
These two put each other above everything else. Always.
Sam - ing The Shield
When Sam walks up to Old Steve, you can see the pain in his eyes. He had too short of a time with the man who had become his best friend. However, he is genuinely happy that Steve is finally getting to live the life he always wanted to.
What he wasn't expecting was for Steve to give him the shield and, in essence, Captain America's mantle. When he says it feels like it belongs to someone else, Steve clarifies that the only man who was his true equal in the ways it mattered was getting the honor - and if that doesn't say friend goals, nothing does.
