Y’all, I needed this in my existence.
Not that I even ship SamCap x LadyThor–like, seriously, I don’t. But these four pages blessed my heart.
1) The mounting White Tears over poor Steve Rogers and Thor Odinson being replaced, respectively as Captain America and Thor; the writers don’t think that foolishness is cute. At all. And every time they mention that little running gag, they are MOCKING the butthurt fanboys who simply refuse to enjoy a new, different-looking face in the hero seat. And it does my soul good.
2) Thor handled that like a bona-fide boss. It wasn’t some cute, blushing kiss, like some goofy tittering fairy, nor was it a dirty, sloppy affair like some two-bit, trashy femme-fatale seductress. This is genuinely a lady enjoying herself, and feeling more than confident enough to acknowledge that she thinks Sam Wilson is attractive. In turn, Sam was attracted not only (or even primarily) to Thor’s beauty, but her adventurous spirit, and the strength of her self-assurance.
3) The obvious, because as a Black man, it feels sometimes like Blackness is most often seen through this lens of ugly, dark, mean and scary. It’s nice to see the Black guy viewed as ‘hot’ or ‘sexy’ or worthy of flirtation
(even though I’d much rather see Sam Wilson shipped with Misty Knight).[All-New, All-Different Avengers #4]