It seemed like it was gonna be 50-50 in terms of sharing development & character growth for both Sam & Bucky in the first 2 episodes
But in the last 2 episodes, Bucky kinda feels like the lead. Him & Zemo are legit taking the spotlight. So far, they honestly feel like more interesting characters than Sam
Hope dude gets something in the last 2 episodes. Cause he is supposed to be the next Cap & stuff
I think you are selling the writers and Sam Wilson kind of short. (Not including Mackie as an actor.)
Similar to Chadwick and the Black Panther movie, Sam has to do all of the heavy lifting of carrying the story forward without being the primary focus for all of the other elements of the series. It is easy to play the "Bad Guy" becaue you get to be outlandish and over the top. Zemo, Walker, Karli and even Sharon Carter (who appears to be morally ambiguous) get to flex their chops.
Sam's action moments are outstanding and he has to appear very much like a leader and do it indirectly and not at the expense of the other characters. Go back and re-watch the previous episodes and pay attention to Sam. He is killing it by being both strong, vulnerable, supportive and taking charge when he needs to.
Quite similar to Boseman's T'Challa but everyone likes to focus on Jordan's Killmonger as if he had all the shine. 🤦♂️
Sam has to be the "Hero" for a real-world America and the flamboyantly loud "Might Makes Right" he isn't doing. The "Fake It Until You Make It" style of Tony Stark is fun to watch but he wasn't a leader.