DUST & ECHOES

Make them cry

“I never loved you.”

“You’re the reason they’re dead!”

“It’s all your fault!”

“Who could ever love you…?”

“You’re so stupid. So weak.”

“Just go away. I don’t want you here.”

Blackmail them

“Who would’ve thought a sweet thing like you would have such a secret?”

“I’ll tell everyone. Scream so loud the country will hear.”

“I have a friend with a radio station, you know. Broadcast it all over the city.”

“If you want this back, you’ll do whatever I say!”

“Be a good little slave, you don’t want your secret out, do you?”

“I know everything. I can ruin you.”

“Beg me, and I might consider keeping my mouth shut.”

Interrogate them

“Sing, birdie.”

“I know exactly how to make you talk.”

“You know some fascinating things, don’t you?”

“I’ll use your greatest weaknesses against you, and you know I know them all.”

“I have means of extracting information from you.”

“I might play with you a little longer after you’ve talked. You’re too cute.”

“You’re tough. But I’ll break you.”

Yell at them

“You idiot! You dumbass! You- you fucking moron!”

“You’re absolutely useless, aren’t you?!”

“What the fuck have you done this time!”

“You don’t care about anyone but yourself!”

“You’re not human! You’re a monster!”

“You’re a disgusting little rat!”

“You’ve fucked up for the last time!”

Physically hurt them

“What, can’t take a punch?”

“I’ll kill you!”

“It’s only a scratch, asshole!”

“Don’t move, or I’ll shoot you!”

“I’ll slit your damn throat!”

“Kiss my shoes or I’ll stomp your head in half.”

“I didn’t mean to draw blood, but oh well.”

“That’s going to bruise.”

Torture them… gently

“You want some of this cake? C’moooon, beg for it!”

“Guess what? SURPRISE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE!”

“Tickle-tickle-tickle! Kitchy kitchy koo!”

“Whaaaat? Is this yours? You can’t have it back, it’s mine now!”

“I’ll stop singing when hell freezes over!”

“Get in the locker, shorty!”

( because the world needs more salt && complications. feel free to change up the context or pronouns! )

YES thank you

So the very first thing that Sam does here is kick this man in the kneecap. Give that this is stunt work, you can actually see the knee bending in the appropriate direction, which is likely to preserve the safety of the stuntman. However, were this an actual situation, Sam would have likely kicked the man in such a way as to break the knee. This is very important since Sam is approaching from behind and, without his knee functioning properly, that man wouldn’t be able to turn fast enough to bring his weapon to bear.

The second thing that Sam does is disengage the primary weapon. I say second, even though punching the guy is the second actual motion, because the punch is part of disabling the guy’s weapon. Punching someone in the face doesn’t work like it does in the movies: you have to hit them precisely and with enough force to ensure unconsciousness, and that takes a lot of skill or luck. Sam’s punch here is intended to stun or distract: punching someone in the nose is VERY painful, and if it’s not painful, it usually causes the eyes to water and most defensive reflexes to kick in.

So, while he’s being punched in the face, he doesn’t really have time to think about what’s going on with his weapon, which is what lets Sam grab it and pull it out of the way. Now, even in his pain-addled state, the guy is a trained soldier: he’s not going to relinquish the weapon. But the pain matters, so he’s likely not thinking about the way in which holding onto a weapon that large, without the support of a knee, will open him up for other attacks. Sam is thinking about this as he clearly has dozens of other things he could do, but he chooses to cut the weapon free. And this is a big deal.

See, this fight isn’t about dealing with the guy in front of him, it’s about dealing with the guy’s squadmates who are keeping Widow and Cap pinned down: killing the dude would take time, and that’s time when Widow and Cap are taking fire, so he opts for the option that would allow him to support his allies, which was taking the gun. So, rather than stab the man in the kidney, the throat, or anything else that would kill him, he knocks him off the bridge. Knocking him off the bridge is important because Sam knows that the man’s allies are likely near by: their training would likely cause them to glance over at the object that’s fallen in their midst, if only to ensure that it is not a threat. This would take the fire off Cap and Widow long enough for a super-soldier and a likely enhanced spy to get into better positions.

Sam knows all this so he engages the man with the endgame in mind: supporting his squadmates. If he just wanted to kill the guy, he could have just knifed him after the knee-kick. But he didn’t which says to me that Sam has some other aim beyond this man in mind.

Sam’s style is just as refined as Cap and Widow’s, the main difference is that Cap and Widow are enhanced in ways that take their physical prowess above and beyond what humans should be capable of. Remember what Sam says to Fury?

That is true strength

Quote from Iron Man - Extremis (2005)

CA:CW in HD: 5/?