Quote Originally Posted by ecarden View Post
Spoiler: Loan Comment
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The family stuff was very nice, but I really hate Marvel's tendency to solve hard questions by making the obstacle an *******. The funding problem here is significant because Sam at this point is a mercenary. Those contracts might be big money, but I got to wonder about death benefits and a bank ought to wonder too. Now, since the teller didn't know who Sam was, he obviously just didn't read the documents provided and is an *******. But even if he wasn't, investing in a business where the backer is a mercenary...is really risky. Especially since I got to imagine the entire Life Insurance industry basically vanished in the Snap.
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Also wasn’t this not their first loan? I admit I am not a financial expert, but it seems to me a bank would be leery about loaning more money to someone who hasn’t paid back the previous loans yet.


Quote Originally Posted by ecarden View Post
Spoiler: Money Comment
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Sam's harder. Honorable discharge way too early for a pension, then worked as a councilor in Washington DC (got to assume basically no savings given cost of living and likely salary). Then he works as an Avenger for two years, apparently making nothing [which actually makes sense to me, despite some complaints elsewhere. They've cut all ties to SHIELD and have no sponsor beyond Stark. Does anyone think they'd be set up with a salary and benefits like employees and that wouldn't mess up team dynamics? I mean you could try to do it, but...if I were Tony that would smell an awful lot like buying friends. Who exactly should be paying them?
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Truthfully I don’t really see Tony have an issue with ‘buying’ his friends - that’s basically what he did with Spider-man in Civil War. ‘Hey, Spider-kid, I see you’re dumpster diving for your superhero equipment, let me give you a new suit worth more than your entire house that you would never in a million years be able to afford on your own. Now will you come fight my ex-friend with me?’

Also, I need to re-watch Iron Man 2, but isn’t Pepper the one running Stark Industries at that point? I can’t remember if she successfully gave back her position as CEO after Tony’s near-death experience. The money coming from Stark Industries and Tony just okaying the paystubs as a representative of same would be a rather different dynamic from Tony paying for everything out of pocket.


Quote Originally Posted by ecarden View Post
Spoiler: Shield
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This one actually annoys me. First, assuming Sam has the ability to just give the shield away (doesn't it belong to Wakanda? I thought the original was left behind in Civil War and the current model was Wakandan?) he didn't put any limits on that? A gift of that value (vibranium, rare, must be worth millions of dollars at least) would usually be done with some riders. Even if he wouldn't negotiate any sort of payment for himself, having an agreement in place is just basic sense? As someone at the museum ought to have pointed out to him.

Second, no one told him? I realize we're going for shock value here, but this is the sort of thing that PR flaks are for. This has the potential to be a PR nightmare right at the launch of their thing and no one thought to check?

ETA: Nope, Forgot that Cap's shield was shattered in the last battle. This is one he picked up in the alternate timeline/past, right? Was it ever even used by him? Other objections stand, but I don't think this Wakanda would have any claim on it.
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Not sure where Steve got the replacement round shield from (I don’t think it was ever stated), but the Wakandan version was a completely different shape. The one they’re playing hot potato with is definitely not it.

But concur otherwise. Maybe I’m just being heartless here, but if I’m supposed to get up in arms because the government didn’t do what Sam wanted them to do with the shield, then I feel like I should be getting up in arms because Sam didn’t do what Steve wanted him to do with the shield. But I’m not because the thing about giving things to people is that once you give it to them, it’s theirs, and they can do what they want with it. If I give you a cookie I may expect you to eat it, but you could throw it out or give it to someone else. If I give you a car, I may expect you to drive it, but there’s nothing stopping you from selling it or breaking it down into parts or wrapping it around a tree.

I do acknowledge this is probably going to end badly, but that’s from a narrative perspective - we’re on episode 1 of 6, all other factors aside. But in isolation - wanting to make use of a major symbol of hope rather than have it gather dust after a major shakeup? That’s the sort of thing the hero usually does on purpose, not the sort of thing the hero facepalms over.

Tl:dr - agree that if Sam wanted some say in what happened to it after it left his hands, he should have gotten it in writing.



Quote Originally Posted by ecarden View Post
Spoiler: Borders
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Just because I'm a bad person...hey an Avenger who cares about international borders and sovereignty, but only because he's working for the US military...right. Okay. Sure.
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Might be a Sokovia Accords thing? No one’s trying to arrest him, so I’m assuming the rogue Avengers got amnesty or something, maybe he’s just trying not to rock the boat just yet?