The updated emojis for the Falcon and the Winter Soldier, with the Falcon now taking on the mantle of Captain America, have gotten a lot of attention for the more notable change for the Falcon, but the new emojis also reveal a significant chance in the Winter Soldier, as well.

The interesting thing about the change is that, unlike the more obvious Sam redesign, Bucky's makeover is subtle, coming down to something as simple as a altered facial expression, but a very important facial expression.

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You see, when The Falcon and the Winter Soldier started on the Disney+ streaming service, the central conflicts for the two characters was that Sam Wilson did not feel as though he was worthy of wielding the shield and becoming Captain America and Bucky was dealing with a mountain of guilt over all of his past actions as the Winter Soldier, when he was a brainwashed assassin working for Hydra.

Therefore, the emojis, naturally enough, were Sam as the Falcon (since he was not yet ready to be Captain America) and a scowling Bucky...

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By the end of the series, however, after watching John Walker desecrate the shield as the new government-appointed Captain America, Sam found it within himself to accept the responsibility that Steve Rogers put upon him at the end of Avengers: Endgame when he left him his famous shield and took on the mantle and the costume (and, of course, the shield) of Captain America. Bucky, meanwhile, through his friendship with Sam and time spent with Sam's loving family, finally was able to get past his overwhelming burden of grief (it also helped for him to check off all of the names on his list of people that he owed apologies to for his actions as the Winter Soldier).

Therefore, when the emojis were updated following the conclusion of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Sam was, of course, now Captain America, but Bucky had earned his way to a smile on his face...

The Captain America change is what most people will notice, but the Bucky change is a nice, subtle acknowledgement that both men came out of the series with an important evolution in their characterization.

KEEP READING: Falcon and Winter Soldier Poster Welcomes the New Captain America

Source: Twitter