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"I am no longer the Winter Soldier. I am James "Bucky" Barnes, and you're part of my efforts to make amends."
―Bucky Barnes[src]

Sergeant James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is the childhood and life-long best friend of Steve Rogers and a member of an elite special unit of Allied soldiers formed in World War II known as the Howling Commandos. He was assumed deceased after falling off of Zola's Train. Unbeknownst to the Commandos, Zola's experimentation allowed Bucky to survive the fall. HYDRA subjected him to brainwashing as part of their "Winter Soldier" program. Under HYDRA's control, Bucky would be responsible for countless assassinations including political targets. Bucky became a formidable fighter and an even more ruthless killer. His experiences with the KGB would earn him the name of the Winter Soldier.

After the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., Bucky started to remember who he was. Bucky was living quietly in Bucharest, when he was framed by Helmut Zemo for the UN bombing which had claimed the lives of many people, including King T'Chaka. Steve found him at his safe house. He fled the scene after fighting off German Special Forces. Bucky was suddenly attacked by T'Challa, the Black Panther, who wanted revenge for his father's death, but he was eventually captured. With Bucky in custody, Zemo posed as a doctor and activated Bucky's Winter Soldier programming with code words. He almost escaped, but was stopped by Steve. Afterwards, Bucky told both Steve and Sam that here are five other Winter Soldiers Zemo could potentially control, believing Zemo wants to free the other Winter Soldiers from cryostasis, and unleash them upon the world and worked with his old friend and Tony Stark to stop it. However, the trio soon discovered that all of the Winter Soldiers had been shot in their Cryostasis Chambers. Zemo than told them his plan was to bring them there. Zemo than reveals that Barnes had kill Tony's parents while brainwashed by HYDRA, a fact which Steve kept from Tony. Blinded by vengeance, Tony attacked Bucky, destroying his metal arm in a brutal two on one fight. After the battle, Bucky is taken to Wakanda, where T'Challa has granted him and Steve sanctuary, T'Challa overheard Zemo plan to turn the Avengers against each other. In Wakanda, Bucky chooses to return to suspended animation until his brainwashing is removed, which is achieved with the help of the people of Wakanda who give him the name of White Wolf.

However, while Bucky and his allies managed to kill off all of Thanos' forces, Thanos came to Wakanda. The Mad Titan completely overpowered Bucky and the heroes and retrieved the Mind Stone, completing the Infinity Gauntlet. Bucky disintegrated into ashes alongside Sam Wilson, T'Challa, Wanda Maximoff, and Groot when Thanos wiped out half of every civilization in the universe with the completed Infinity Gauntlet, but was later restored by Bruce Banner.

Following the restoration of the universe and Thanos' defeat, Bucky was pardoned for his crimes on the condition of him attending therapy. Returned to society and seeking to make amends for his past, Bucky worked with a reluctant Sam Wilson to stop the Flag Smashers and their plans.

Biography[]

Captain America: First Vengeance[]

In 1930, when he was thirteen, James Buchanan Barnes noticed a weak, scrawny-looking boy around his age getting beaten up by some bullies and stepped in to save the kid, who introduced himself as Steve Rogers. Years later, during an art class, Bucky and Steve found out that America had joined the Second World War. Over the next two weeks he trained Steve at Goldie’s Boxing Gym. They visited a U.S. Recruiting and Induction Center in New York where Steve was classified as 4F and rejected from service, but Bucky was accepted into the Army.

Captain America: The First Avenger[]

"This isn't a back alley, Steve. It's war!"
―Bucky Barnes[src]

After meeting him in his childhood, Bucky became Rogers' best friend. After the Pearl Harbor attack, Bucky joined the U.S. Army and attained the title of Sgt. Barnes.

The day before shipping out to England, Bucky saved his friend Steve from being beat up by a bully by punching him in the jaw and kicking him in the backside as he ran. Bucky and Steve then went to the Modern Marvels Pavilion on a double date Bucky had arranged, but Steve was more interested in attempting to enlist for the fifth time. Despite Bucky's protests, Steve still went through with it, but they parted on good terms before he did. Bucky and his regiment, the 107th, then shipped to England the next day.

A year later, Bucky and his regiment consisting of 200 men went up against a Nazi science division named HYDRA lead by Johann Schmidt at the orders of the SSR but 150 of the men were either killed or captured while 50 barely escaped. Bucky and the future Howling Commandos were among those captured. Bucky was taken to a prison camp in Austria where he was forced to work to build components for a super plane called the Valkyrie, but the enforced labour eventually became too much when he contracted pneumonia, and despite the efforts of his fellow prisoners to keep the HYDRA officers off his back, he was taken to an isolation ward for experimentation. But a little less than month later, Steve (who had become Captain America) infiltrated the base, freed the prisoners, and located Bucky strapped down to an examination table, suffering from whatever it was they had been doing to him. Steve freed Bucky and the two friends made their escape from the factory that was now self destructing. During the escape, Bucky and Steve encountered Schmidt and Zola but were able to evade them and flee the facility before it blew and then walked all the way back to the SSR base in Italy located more than 30 miles away.

After Steve's impressive job saving the prisoners, he was officially promoted to Captain and allowed to put together a special team. Bucky was of course completely on board with joining and following "that little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight." Over the course of several months, Captain America and his team, now known as the Howling Commandos, went on special missions taking down HYDRA facilities and forces. On one of these missions, Bucky, Captain America and Gabe Jones zip-lined onto the top of a HYDRA train carrying one of HYDRA's top scientists, Arnim Zola. They ran into trouble inside the train and a gun fight broke out, Steve temporarily went down and Bucky took up his shield and saved him from enemy fire. But Bucky didn't have the upper body strength to hold on to the shield when hit with Hydra's powerful advanced weapons and the blast pushed him out of the blown open side of the train. Steve was unable to save him, and he fell hundreds of feet into an icy ravine below.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Prologue[]

"Sergeant Barnes... the procedure has already started. You are to be the new fist of HYDRA!"
―Arnim Zola[src]

Bucky survived the fall from Zola's train (although he lost his left arm) thanks to the results of Zola's experiments he endured when he was held captive with the 107th. Though found by Soviet patrols, it was HYDRA that eventually took custody of the fallen soldier and replaced his missing arm with a cybernetic one. Bucky underwent further experimentation to enhance his body and had his memories of his former life wiped clean in order to make him nothing more than a puppet and eventual weapon in the hands of the newly recreated HYDRA embedded within S.H.I.E.L.D. Subsequently, Bucky was subjected to cryonic preservation.

Bucky would remain frozen for long periods of time until HYDRA saw fit to unfreeze him for certain missions. Over the next seventy years, Bucky would be responsible for dozens of assassinations including politicians and scientists. Due to his expertise in the field and the shadowy nature of his existence, Bucky became something of a ghost story within intelligence agencies, many doubting he even existed. The legend around him would earn him the name of the Winter Soldier.

During his long career as HYDRA's personal assassin, it was heavily implied that the Winter Soldier was responsible for the death of former ally Howard Stark. Years later, he was sent to kill a nuclear scientist and found his target being escorted by Natasha Romanoff. Without hesitation, he attacked his target, sending the nuclear scientist and Natasha over a cliff in their vehicle. Finding that Natasha had saved the target from falling to his death, the Winter Soldier then fired a single round through Romanoff's stomach and into the scientist, killing him. He then made his getaway without pursuit.

Upon crossing paths with Romanoff years later, the Winter Soldier spoke Russian to his subordinates; commanding them to leave him to pursue her alone. This, along with the Red Star on his arm, implies that the Winter Soldier indeed spent some time in the service of the Soviet Union during his career. This was later confirmed by the revelation that Soviet General Vasily Karpov was a HYDRA mole, and was the one who oversaw the Winter Soldier program. Sometime following the collapse of the USSR, the Winter Soldier was transferred from Karpov's command to that of Alexander Pierce.

The Avengers[]

In a deleted scene from the film, Bucky Barnes' file is among the ones viewed by Steve. Oddly enough, he is reported as "Missing in Action" rather than KIA, implying that S.H.I.E.L.D. thinks he may potentially still be alive.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.[]

"Seeds"[]

S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel Skye and Grant Ward see Barnes' name on a wall in a memorial to those who were killed in action. As Barnes was assumed killed before the formation of S.H.I.E.L.D; it can be presumed that he received posthumous honors.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier[]

"Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists, but the ones that do call him The Winter Soldier. He's a ghost, you'll never find him."
―Natasha Romanoff[src]

The Winter Soldier was activated to assassinate Nick Fury when the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. began to investigate Project Insight. During an intense car chase in Washington D.C. between Fury and a rogue tactical unit disguising as officers of the Metropolitan Police Department, the Winter Soldier appeared in the middle of the street, armed with a magnetic disk grenade launcher which he fired at Fury's SUV. Upon arriving at the wrecked vehicle, intending to kill Fury, the Winter Soldier discovered that Fury had escaped into the sewers. Later that night, the Winter Soldier gunned Fury down at Steve Rogers' apartment from a nearby rooftop. As the Winter Soldier attempted to flee into the night, Rogers chased after him and threw his shield at him. However, he caught the weapon and threw it back at Steve, before vanishing into the night.

When Rogers and Natasha Romanoff became a troublesome threat, Brock Rumlow requested assistance from "the asset". The Winter Soldier arrived at the residential home of Alexander Pierce who ordered for Rogers' and Romanoff's immediate termination. The Winter Soldier then proceeded to track them down when they, with the help of Sam Wilson, kidnapped Agent Jasper Sitwell who they were transporting on the highway. Using his enhanced strength, the Winter Soldier pulled Sitwell out the window and threw him into oncoming traffic where a truck ran him over and killed him.

While holding onto the roof of the car, the Winter Soldier fired his gun into the roof and when the brakes kicked in, he was thrown clear across into the pavement, but used his metal arm and acrobatics to stabilize his landing and slide to a stop. He then stood up without a scratch on him. When Wilson tried to run him over, he simply leaped on top of the car once again and ripped the steering wheel out through the windshield. Romanoff fired at him, but he leaped onto his Humvee which was tailing close behind. The henchman driving the Humvee rear ended the heroes' car, and they jumped out right before it lost control and flipped over, Rogers uses the car door to protect them from being torn up by the road. The Winter Soldier then fired a grenade at Romanoff, but Rogers pushed her out of the way and used his shield to deflect it, sending him flying off the bridge and onto the streets below right into a bus.

The Winter Soldier, aided by his own crew of mercenaries, advanced on Romanoff and Wilson, with the henchmen firing their guns. Romanoff ran for cover, but the Winter Soldier fired his grenade launcher at a nearby car. It exploded, sending Romanoff over the edge, but she saved herself with a grapple gun. While running, she saw the Winter Soldier's shadow on the pavement from under the bridge and then went in a different direction to catch him off guard, firing at him several times while his attention was elsewhere. One of her shots hit the upper part of his mask and broke his goggles.

Silently enraged, the Winter Soldier exchanged blind fire with Romanoff before she ran away. Then, he ordered his men to kill Rogers while he dealt with her personally. He jumped off the bridge and onto a car, followed by some of his men who used wires to lower themselves instead. He saw Rogers and fired at him, but lost him. He then heard Romanoff's voice coming from behind a parked car and rolled a grenade to the curb. The car was destroyed, but her voice was just a recording, a distraction for the Winter Soldier. Romanoff leaped on top of him from behind and the two engaged in combat. She ran and threw a taser disc at his bionic arm. The Winter Soldier furiously detached the disc and pursued her, then shot Romanoff through the shoulder from afar. He advanced on her, about to finish her once and for all, but Rogers intervened and the two exchanged blows.

After an intense fight, Rogers ripped off the Winter Soldier's mask and instantly recognized his best friend. Petrified, he exclaimed, "Bucky?", to which the Winter Soldier responded, "Who the hell is Bucky?" He was about to shoot Rogers but was knocked down by Wilson. When he got up again, he hesitated for a split second before aiming his gun at Rogers again. But an injured, but still strong Romanoff fired at the Winter Soldier with his own discarded grenade launcher, but he evaded the projectile and vanished. The STRIKE team (now known to be undercover HYDRA operatives) arrived to arrest - and once away from public eyes, kill - the heroes.

That night, as the Winter Soldier was being prepared for his next mission, he started to remember fragments of his past: falling off of the train, being found by Dr. Zola, and receiving his bionic arm. His mind having snapped from the flashbacks, the Winter Soldier threw a doctor across the room. Alexander Pierce was summoned and the Winter Soldier started to question him about Rogers. Pierce told him that he had seen Rogers on a mission earlier and that he (Winter Soldier) needed to do his part. When the Winter Soldier still insisted he knew Rogers, Pierce ordered for his mind to be wiped again to ensure his cooperation. As the mind wiping process began, the Winter Soldier screamed in agony.

Fully reprogrammed, the Winter Soldier reappeared at the Triskelion loading bay preventing S.H.I.E.L.D. pilots from aiding Captain America in his mission to take down the three Insight Helicarriers. He took control of a Quinjet and landed on Helicarrier Charlie where he ambushed Sam Wilson and Rogers, he used a grappling hook to break apart one of Falcon's wings and kicked him off the platform of the Helicarrier.

He then went after Rogers, confronting him on the deck blocking his path from the Helicarrier's Targeting System chip centre. Rogers attempted to plead with his best friend to remember who he really was, and that they were not enemies. As the Winter Soldier proceeded to attack Rogers furiously in hand-to hand combat, Rogers tried his best to fend him off and detain him without seriously hurting him until he obtained the targeting chip.

Trying to regain the targeting chip from the Winter Soldier and forcing him to release it from his hand, Rogers broke Bucky's human arm and had his legs in a submission lock as he began to choke him. Finally releasing the chip from his grasp by rendering the Winter Soldier unconscious, Rogers quickly raced up to the control station. However, the Winter Soldier regained consciousness quicker than normal and shot him multiple times from afar, severely wounding him. In spite of the wounds, Rogers managed to swap the Data Chips, causing the three helicarriers to target each other instead of the people HYDRA was determined to eliminate. Then he told S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill to start firing even with himself still aboard one of the targeted carriers.

As the Carrier began to fall apart in mid-air, the Winter Soldier became trapped under a steel foot column. A badly injured Rogers made his way to him, and with all of the remaining strength he could muster lifted the column, allowing the Winter Soldier to be freed. Rogers again pleaded with him to remember who he was, and told him his name is James Buchanan Barnes, and that he has known him his whole life. Rogers let his shield drop to the water below, refusing to fight his friend. The Winter Soldier refused to listen, and violently began beating Rogers' face into a bloody mess, stating he's only a mission. Rogers then quoted something Bucky had once said to him years ago when his mother had died: "I'm with you to the end of the line." These words restored small pieces of Bucky's memories, enough to believe Rogers, just in time to save him after he plummeted into the water below. With his enhanced bionic arm, he dragged Rogers to a nearby shore. Then, filled with internal conflict, Bucky left, knowing Steve would survive.

Later, disguised in civilian clothing, Bucky resurfaced at the Smithsonian, viewing the Captain America exhibition. He read a memorial in his honor, A Fallen Comrade. Finally seeing the reality of his identity, Bucky realized that Steve had told him the truth about his past.

Avengers: Age of Ultron[]

Steve joined the other the Avengers, with Sam Wilson and James Rhodes for a party to celebrate their victory over HYDRA at Avengers Tower. Rogers and Wilson discussed working together and their continued "missing person's case."

Captain America: Civil War[]

"I don't do that anymore."
―Bucky Barnes to Steve Rogers[src]

Realizing the sins he committed whilst he was brainwashed by HYDRA, Barnes went on the run from the government and other interested parties to keep himself from causing further harm. Baron Zemo had bombed the United Nations, killing Wakandan king T'Chaka and many more people and blamed it on him. The CIA and German Special Forces had found Barnes and were planning on moving in on him. The information was leaked to Steve by Sharon Carter. He goes to Bucky's home and finds him there. Falcon informs Steve that the Germans were moving in on their location, with orders to shoot to kill. Steve and Bucky fight their way out, with Bucky trying to also get away from Steve. He jumps to the roof of another building and encounters the Black Panther. The two fight and Steve is able to give Bucky time to continue to run. Bucky steals a motorcycle and drives away from his pursuers. Black Panther is able to cut his wheels and forces Bucky down. Steve stops him from ending Bucky's life, however, and the German Special Forces and Romanian police, assisted by James Rhodes in his War Machine suit, surround Bucky, Sam, Steve, and Black Panther, who is revealed to be T'Challa.

Bucky is arrested and brought to a German prison. There he is interrogated by a disguised Zemo, who is able to cut out the power and get the information he needs from him. Bucky then goes and takes out, and even kills, several guards and servicemen. He attacks Steve and Sam, throwing Steve out an elevator shaft and knocking Sam out. He is then pursued and attacked by Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, and Sharon Carter, but he defeats all of them. T'Challa then attacks Bucky, who escapes during it. He goes up to the roof and tries to escape on a helicopter. Steve stops him and grabs the chopper, refusing to let go. Bucky decides to then crash the chopper in an attempt to kill him. He crashes into the river and is knocked out but saved by Steve.

Later, Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson eventually managed to capture Barnes and took him to a remote location and trapped him by putting his cybernetic arm in a vice, leaving him defenseless and unable to continue fighting. Unable to run, Barnes accepted defeat and sat silently awaiting his fate. Rogers asked if Bucky now knows who Rogers is, and Barnes replied that Rogers' mother was Sarah Rogers. Rogers and Wilson discussed the situation, noting that they would not inform Tony Stark of Barnes' capture and that Wilson knew a guy who could help them.

Barnes reappears, this time with more memories of the past solidifying and hopefully counteracting his dangerous programming and unstoppable nature. He trusts Steve and though he has no skin in the game of Avenger vs. Avenger, he allies with Captain America against Iron Man for his own redemption and to reclaim his original identity as Bucky Barnes.

Black Panther[]

"Good morning, Sergeant Barnes."
"Bucky."
"How are you feeling?"
"Good. Thank you."
"Come. Much more for you to learn.
"
Shuri and Bucky Barnes[src]

Bucky woke up in a Wakandan village to boys messing with his face. He later met with Shuri, who called him "Sergeant Barnes", which he didn't like, so he corrected her with "Bucky".

Avengers: Infinity War[]

After Bucky was awakened from cryo-freeze again, he worked as a farmer. When T'Challa shows up, with a newly reconstructed Wakandan made Vibranium arm, Bucky simply asks: Where's the fight? After Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Bruce Banner, Rhodey, Vision, Wanda Maximoff, and Natalie show up, Bucky comes around a corner to meet them. After a quick greeting, they discuss a plan, which will extract the Mind Stone from Vision's forehead, while the rest provide time. When they arrive on the battlefield, they stand and wait for the Chitauri to attack. They try to breach the barrier, but can't. After a few failed attempts, they try to go around, which will give them a path to Vision and Suri. Hopefully making the right decision, T'Challa orders a single section of the gate to be opened. When it is, Bucky is part of the few that sprint ahead of the others, racing into battle. Later in the battle, after Thor Odinson, "Tree", and Rocket show up, we see Bucky holding Rocket in one hand, while firing his gun in the other. After that, Rocket asks Bucky a few questions: "How much for the gun?" "Guns not for sale." "How 'bout the arm?" *sighs* and Bucky walks away, but Rocket snickers, and tells himself that he's getting that arm. After the battle ends, and Thanos retrieved all 6 infinity stones after using the Time Stone to revive Vision, then take the stone from him, and snaps his fingers even though his chest had Stormbreaker in it. Bucky then calls out to Steve as he turns to dust, presumed dead, just like Sam, Wanda, T'Challa, and countless others.

Avengers: Endgame[]

After traveling through past during the Time Heist, Captain Steve "America" Rogers retrieves the Tesseract after tricking Brock Rumlow and Jasper Sitwell to thinking that he was part of HYDRA, when he whispered "Hail HYDRA" to Sitwell. While making his mistake, Steve from 2023 encounters Steve from 2012. The two fight, as it started on a bridge intersecting two sides, and a long fall down below, but soon escalated down below, as Steve from 2023 flips Steve from 2012 over the side. After both being shaken up, they go right back at it, but Steve from 2012 puts Steve from 2023 in a choke-hold, but lets go of Steve from 2023, when Steve from 2023 tells Steve from 2012 (who didn't know that Bucky was alive until a few years later) that Bucky from 2012 was alive. Then, Steve from 2023 punches Steve from 2012, then to touch his chest with Loki's Scepter.

After the Avengers retrieve all 6 Infinity Stones, Bruce Banner, who was the most logical choice to snap their fingers, successfully snaps his, but suffers serious injuries while doing so. Bucky was revived on Wakanda, along with Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Groot, T'Challa, Shuri, and many more.

In the Battle of Earth, Bucky walked through the portal from Wakanda to the New Avengers Facility ruins after Thanos destroyed it with Sanctuary II that came back in time from 2014. Bucky participated in the battle, and also witnessed Tony Stark's death after he snapped his fingers, which killed Thanos and his army for the second time. During the funeral, Bucky is with Wanda near the back-middle, as he was not a close friend to him unlike Steve, Thor or Bruce. After the funeral, when Steve is sent back in time to return the stones in the third Quantum Tunnel to return the stones, Bucky was there with Sam, as they are his two best friends. After Bruce was unable to bring Steve back, Bucky notified Sam of an old man on a bench recognizing him as Steve, and told him to go talk. Bucky watched as Sam and Steve talked, which eventually led to Steve giving Sam his shield. Sam looked back to Bucky, almost as if he was asking for Bucky's permission to try it on, and Bucky nodded. Sam tried it on and continued to talk with Steve.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier[]

"New World Order"[]

Bucky was having nightmares from his days as the Winter Soldier, including killing RJ Nakajima. Bucky visited a therapist to help him make amends for what he had done under HYDRA's control. They had three rules: don't do anything illegal, don't hurt anyone, and make sure the person knew he wasn't the Winter Soldier; he was James Bucky Barnes. He disliked the notebook that she used when he did not cooperate. At lunch time, Yori Nakajima and Bucky went to lunch at the usual place. Yori told the waitress there that Bucky would like to take her on a date. Bucky apologised, but she said that she was game. Bucky went to the diner at about the next day after she finished her shift and they played battleship and chatted. After she brings up Yori's son, Bucky left, feeling too much guilt for killing RJ. Bucky stopped by Yori's apartment and repaid him for lunch, clearly wanting to do more but unable to bring himself to do so.

"The Star-Spangled Man"[]

Bucky watched the news and saw John Walker being interviewed as the new Captain America. Bucky met with Sam Wilson and asked him firmly why he gave up the shield, claiming that Sam had no right to do that. Sam told him that he had more important things to worry about, and introduced Bucky to the Flag Smashers.

Bucky decided to go along with Sam to investigate the Flag Smashers. On the plane, Bucky and Sam stared at each other, until the alarm comes on, and Joaquín Torres told them that they were 30 seconds from the drop zone. Bucky insisted on knowing what the plan was but Sam jumped out of the plane. Bucky asked Torres where the parachute was, but Torres told him that they were only 200 feet from the ground so it was too low for a chute. Bucky jumped out of the plane and crashed through the trees to the forest floor. Redwing located him, and Sam told him that he got all of that on camera before giving him instructions to head north.

Bucky met up with Sam who told him that the Flag Smashers were in the next room. Bucky stealthily made his way through the building to get eyes on the enemy. Sam followed almost immediately and Bucky wanted to engage the enemy thinking there there were only two of them. Sam showed Bucky how many there actually were with Redwing's heat signatures, which he showed him seven.

Just as the lorries pull away, Sam detected an eighth person, thinking they must have a hostage. As soon as the trucks pulled out of the garage, Bucky sprinted after them. Bucky circled around one truck, and opened the gate to find a girl, Karli Morgenthau. She smiled and kicked him back onto the other truck. Bucky was grabbed by two more Flag Smashers, and pulled up onto the roof of the truck, where he started getting beaten up by the girl.

Sam joined the fight, and Bucky tried to escape. Redwing used its minigun to shoot at the Flag Smashers, but Karli grabbed Redwing out of the sky and snapped it in half. Bucky and Sam continued to fight and soon recieved help from John Walker who jumped out of a helicopter, suited up as Captain American including Steve's shield. Lemar Hoskins also joined the fray and the fight continued. Bucky is knocked from the truck and clings to the side, nearly falling into the road until he was rescued by Sam. Sam deduced that the Flag Smashers were Super Soldiers and wanted to know how they got the serum.

John picked up Sam and Bucky and discussed a team up. Sam and Bucky refused and jumped out of the jeep to walk the rest of the way to the airport. Bucky suggested that they take the shield but Sam refuted the idea, reminding Bucky what happened when Sharon stole the shield.

Bucky revealed that there was someone Sam should meet who might help and took him to Baltimore to meet Isaiah Bradley.

"Power Broker"[]

To be added

"The Whole World Is Watching"[]

To be added

"Truth"[]

Finally no longer able to tolerate John Walker's actions after he used the legacy of his friend to murder a surrendering villain, Bucky, along with Sam, furiously confronted Walker in a warehouse. Painfully aware of what kind of a life a man moved by vengeance, self-loathing, and a desire to murder enemies would be, Bucky tried to reason with John only to be viciously rebuffed. As things escalated when Sam demanded the shield from Walker only to be refused, Bucky grimly decided the only way to get the shield would be to defeat Walker. He and Sam fought viciously against Walker, Bucky's own superhuman physical prowess and combat skills allowing him to handle Walker much better than Sam, disarming him of his pistols and pushing him back persistently, but ultimately being overwhelmed by Walker's usage of the shield and temporarily knocked out. However, he recovered before Walker could kill Sam and managed to closely match him in another vicious exchange of blows. As he held off Walker's attempt to kill him with the shield at bay, Sam came in and attempted to disarm Walker of the shield, with Bucky helping to ultimately break Walker's arm. Now able to fight Walker unarmed, Bucky effortlessly defeated him and lifted him for Sam to deal the finishing blow to. Getting back up subsequently from being knocked down by the attack, Bucky lifted the shield before coldly throwing it down near Sam, making his disappointment and blame of Sam having allowed Steve's legacy to be tarnished.

Returning alongside Wilson to the Global Repatriation Council resettlement camp, they met with Joaquin Torres there. Although Torres greeted Barnes and commented on how Barnes seemed to have gotten his sleeve back after having ripped it off back to jump out of the plane in Munich, Bucky, still in no mood to talk and angry over Sam's abandonment of the shield, dejectedly left to find Zemo. He located him in the Sokovian Memorial and the two talked about how the problem with the Flag Smashers must be dealt, Bucky rejecting the idea of killing Morgenthau yet. Bucky then faked being about to kill Zemo with his handgun before he then smiled and dropped the blank bullets out of his hand, showing Zemo that he wasn’t a killer anymore and how he was a free man.

The Dora Milaje led by Ayo arrived then and arrested Zemo. Zemo wished Barnes well and told him he had crossed his name off in his book, before being led away. Ayo told Barnes that Zemo would be going to the Raft and told Barnes to lay low from Wakanda for sometime due to his involvement with Zemo’s escape, calling him White Wolf, signalling she wasn’t disappointed with him anymore. She then left, but Barnes stopped her, and asked for a favour from them for Wilson.

With the box containing the equipment the Wakandans had provided for Wilson acquired, Bucky returned to the United States of America and went to Delacroix, Louisiana to be with Sam Wilson. He helped lift a heavy box off of the Wilson's family boat, gave Wilson the box and also helped Wilson out. Shortly, Barnes was introduced to Wilson's sister Sarah, who was happy to meet him. Later in the day, Barnes told Wilson that he would stay at a nearby hotel, but Wilson told him to stay with him at Sarah's house instead.

For the next few days, as Barnes stayed with Wilson, he opted to sleep on the couch at Sarah's house, where he met Wilson's nephews Cass Wilson and AJ Wilson. Working with Wilson on the boat, Barnes occasionally would watch Wilson struggle with manually removing objects, and then use his vibranium arm to lift it easily. Each time Barnes saw Sarah, he would say hello to her and give her a big smile, leading Wilson to jokingly tell him not to flirt with her.

After fixing the boat, Barnes helped improve Wilson's skill with the shield, his superior skills making it no problem for him in throwing and catching the shield, while Wilson had to work harder at it. As they were practicing, Barnes apologized to Wilson for criticizing him after he gave the shield to the government and told him that the shield was of sentimental value to him. He then told Wilson that when he and Steve Rogers talked the night before Rogers handed Wilson the shield, they had no idea what it would have been like for a black man to have the shield. Wilson understood, and helped Barnes come to peace with his time brainwashed as the Winter Soldier and told him to not just help himself, but the victims of the Winter Soldier's actions.

Barnes agreed and expressed his gratitude for Wilson's pep talk, knowing that Wilson use to be a counsellor. They then did a handshake hug and commented on how they weren't technically friends but more like co-workers, but then realized they were actually friends. Barnes then told Wilson to call him once he heard from the Flag Smashers, patted him on the shoulder, and left for New York City.

"One World, One People"[]

To be added

Thunderbolts[]

To be added

Character traits[]

In Captain America: The First Avenger, Bucky is a great friend to Steve, sticking up for bullies for him, and trying to keep him safe, and get him to have some fun. Bucky was a loyal troop, not to Captain America, but to 'that scrawny little kid from Brooklyn who was too damn stubborn to back away from a fight". Steve shows a lot of emotions when Bucky falls off the train that was transporting Doctor Arnim Zola.

In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, thanks to Zola's experiments and HYDRA's brainwashing, Bucky became their master assassin known as the "Winter Soldier", without a doubt, the Winter Soldier is one of the deadliest combatants on the entire planet, he is credited with over two dozen assassinations as stated by Natasha Romanoff. He will not stop until his mission is accomplished, he will eliminate his target without hesitancy or remorse, he was normally extremely calm and reserved in life-threatening situations, but he is capable of violent rages, displayed especially when he became confused why Steve kept calling him by his real name, which he didn't know at the time and for the first time he lost control of his emotions. Given that Bucky was in a brainwashed mentality for seven decades, it seems that he was mentally unconscious of his wrongdoings. However, he ultimately was able to realize the truth of his old friend's words as he continued to beat up Steve and saved him, abandoning HYDRA and going on a journey of self-discovery.

In Captain America: Civil War, Bucky is no longer an assassin, but still being considered to be a criminal and starting to remember his old-self, Bucky has started to change, as he does not kill the police officers sent after him, and merely incapacitates them and avoided conflict with T'Challa when chased by him, but after being controlled by Zemo and getting snapped out of it upon being knocked out by Steve Rogers, Bucky completely recovers his memories, now having the same morals and selflessness he had prior to being brainwashed by HYDRA, he actively tries to reason with T'Challa when fighting him and when fighting Iron Man's team, he avoided killing his opponents. He does not hesitate to allow himself to be placed in cryogenic stasis, until he can be cured of HYDRA's mental programming completely, as it would be the best course of action, fearing for the safety of his friends and allies.

Now that Bucky has regained his identity and former values, he feels a lot of guilt, shame and remorse for the actions that he had committed as the Winter Soldier, further worsened by his photographic memory of every single individual that he has ever killed and solemnly acknowledges that the fact that he was brainwashed does not change the fact that he killed them, due to this, he feels undeserving of Steve's friendship and his team's sacrifices to ensure his escape alongside with Steve, although this does not prevent him from feeling grateful for it and feels bad on how their allies were left on the mercy of the government, due to their escape. When his murder of Howard and Maria Stark was revealed to Tony, he is visibly horrified and ashamed to see himself murder his former friend even as he vainly tried to ask him for help and although more than willing to fight Tony, he does not kill him after having him pinned down, merely trying to rip his Arc Reactor to incapacitate him, which allowed Tony to blast off his cybernetic arm and after Steve has managed to prevail, he does not stop Steve from abandoning his shield, as like with his old friend, though to a lesser extent, as he feels sympathy for Tony's plight, having been the one, who killed his parents and thus not having any say on it.

While Bucky retains the serious demeanor he had as Winter Soldier, he does retain some of his old sense of humor, as seen when he and Sam Wilson were both smiled with approval at Steve's kiss with Sharon Carter, and later as the two reminisced over earlier times in their friendship. His sense of humor can also sometimes be dry, as seen when he asked Sam why he couldn't use his gadget on Spider-Man earlier to take him down.

In Avengers: Infinity War, having been cured of HYDRA's programming, Bucky appears to have come to terms with his past, as the White Wolf, Bucky lived quietly in Wakanda, where he spent his time entertaining children and farming until T'Challa asked for his assistance in the Battle of Wakanda. When presented with a replacement cybernetic arm, Bucky, recognizing it's meaning, didn't hesitate to join his allies in the battle. He displays more of his old humor when talking to Steve.

In Avengers: Endgame, after Tony sacrificed himself to use the Infinity Stones to disintegrate the 2014 Thanos and his army, Barnes was among those who knelt in respect over his sacrifice and attended his funeral, despite the fact that the former tried to (wrongfully) kill him 7 years ago, not only out of respect for Steve, as he was a close friend of Tony, but also because he genuinely respected the sacrifice that Tony had made and regretted not being able to fully make amends with Tony over the death of his parents who Bucky was friends with.

Bucky was able to accurately deduce that Steve had planned to retire and supported his friend's happiness and when Steve gave the mantle of Captain America to Sam, despite Bucky himself being a much superior candidate, he not only accepted it calmly but also showed pride as Sam took up the shield.

In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, while Bucky has been forgiven by the government, due to his invaluable contribution in defeating Thanos and he was able to come to terms with his past, but he still suffers from deep guilt and remorse over his crimes as the Winter Soldier. He was more than willing to accept the government's decision to put him under psycho-evaluation and even went as far as to try to make amends with the loved ones of those he had killed. He shows his old gentlemanly and kind nature towards the people who was hurt because of him and visibly shows his somber side whenever reminded of it to where RJ Nakajima's loved ones mentioning him was enough to make him back away.

Bucky admits that having experienced decades of conflict, his greatest desire would be to live his live in peace, but his desire to make amends allowed him to openly will himself out of it despite being free to live his life the way he wanted and continue to fight for the sake of good, putting himself back on the field against the Flag Smashers and remnants of HYDRA.

Bucky maintains his strong respect towards Steve and staunchly defends him from Sharon's bitterness at him despite sympathizing with her situation. He is particularly incensed when he learns Sam had abandoned the shield and allowed the government to chose John Walker to be the next Captain America. This initially strains their relationship, but he still shows genuine care for Sam by defending Sam when a cop who doesn't recognize him tries to defend Bucky and is truly hurt whenever they argue as Sam points out several correct bad things about him showing he maintains his reasonable side.

Bucky has no respect for Walker in stark contrast and is able to easily tell that despite John's apparent humility and strong dedication to fight for justice he has some instabilities based from his insecurities, having had experience with such type of people and having even been like that in his early stages of redemption. He is proven correct as John succumbs to his darker side when he takes the Super Soldier Serum and kills Nico out of revenge over Lemar Hoskins' death. However, Bucky shows genuine horror at his prediction coming correct and he seems to feel some remorse and sadness over Walker's fall from grace, realizing that had he actually tried to help Walker or just treated him nicely, Walker may have not turned out that badly and he tried to dissuade Walker from becoming ruthless, having walked that path himself, while maintaining a somber face the entire time even as he was the one who started to fight with Walker.

Powers and Abilities[]

Powers[]

The_Winter_Soldier_-_Fight_Moves_Compilation_HD-0

The Winter Soldier - Fight Moves Compilation HD-0

The Winter Soldier's combat compilation

  • Super Soldier Physiology: After being injected with Arnim Zola's Super Soldier Serum, Bucky gained several superhuman physical attributes.
    • Superhuman Strength: Winter Soldier is much stronger than normal humans. He is able to deliver strikes of exceptional force that can send other individuals flying several feet away relatively easily. Winter Soldier's strength is also proven to be on par with Captain America and Black Panther.
      • Bionic Arm: HYDRA removed the remnants of the Winter Soldier's severed left arm and replaced the missing limb with a cybernetic one that was comprised of titanium. The bionic arm has physical strength that is almost equal to Tony Stark's Iron Man armor, enough that he could smash rock and crush metal with ease, Winter Soldier was also able to rip open an armored SUV and effortlessly threw Jasper Sitwell from a moving car into an oncoming truck. In Captain America: Civil War, the bionic arm was pushed to its limit and he was able to almost match Black Panther in terms of physical strength. However, when engaging Spider-Man, his arm was effortlessly caught and casually overpowered by Spider-Man. Later, Winter Soldier almost ripped out the Arc Reactor from Tony Stark's mark forty-six Iron Man armor. He is later given a new cybernetic arm by T'Challa that is comprised of vibranium.
    • Superhuman Durability: Winter Soldier is far more durable than normal humans. He was able to leap off a bridge to the top of a car below, crushing the roof and shattering the windows while he was unfazed by the landing. He was also able to withstand blows from several opponents that would have outright smashed the bones of any normal human. This ability enabled him to survive the normally fatal fall from Zola's Train.
    • Superhuman Speed: Winter Soldier is much faster than normal humans. He is able to catch up to or outrun speeding vehicles relatively easily. Winter Soldier's speed is also proven to be on par with Captain America and Black Panther as he was initially able to outrun Black Panther for a time on foot, but was eventually caught.
    • Superhuman Agility: Winter Soldier is far more agile than normal humans. He was able to dodge gunfire at close range from Falcon's two machine pistols.
    • Superhuman Reflexes: Winter Soldier's reflexes are much faster than normal humans. He was able to catch Captain America's shield being thrown at him and and throw it back at a high velocity. He was also able to catch enemy grenades thrown at him, dodge fire from Falcon's Steyr SPPs and leap on top of a moving car accelerating towards him with pinpoint accuracy.
    • Superhuman Stamina: Winter Soldier possesses far more stamina than normal humans, allowing him to remain physically active for long periods of time. He can physically exert himself for several hours before experiencing fatigue. Winter Soldier was able to fight off a dozen armed officers in a staircase, leap down several stories from a balcony to another building, briefly fight off Black Panther and outrun him without any signs of fatigue.
    • Accelerated Healing Factor: Winter Soldier's metabolism allows him to heal much faster, more extensively, and efficiently than normal humans. After the injuries the Winter Soldier had received during his battle with Iron Man, he was completely healed in a matter of days without any bruises or scars.
    • Superhuman Immunity: Due to Winter Soldier's accelerated healing factor, he is immune to all types of diseases, illnesses, sickness, drugs, poisons, toxins, radiation, disorders, disabilities, etc. He cannot become intoxicated by alcohol, drugs, toxins or impurities.
    • Superhuman Longevity: Due to Winter Soldier's accelerated healing factor, he ages much slower than normal humans. Despite being 100 years old, he still maintains the physical appearance of a man in his prime.

Abilities[]

  • Master Acrobat: Through his training from both the United States Armed Forces and HYDRA, Bucky is a highly skilled acrobat and gymnast. He is skilled in all kinds of acrobatics and gymnastics, using flips to evade fire when he was being shot at by Falcon's Steyr SPPs. He was also able to maintain balance of a moving motorcycle he was utilizing while engaged in a fight with Black Panther.
  • Eidetic Memory: Bucky has a photographic memory and remembers the actions he committed and every single individual that he has ever killed as the Winter Soldier.
  • Master Hand-To-Hand Combatant/Martial Artist: Through his training from both the United States Armed Forces and HYDRA, Bucky is a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist. He could rival Steve Rogers, now having been extensively trained by S.H.I.E.L.D, twice, matching his every move for an extended period of time before ultimately getting overpowered and even beat him when Steve was surprised, go head-to-head against T'Challa when he was not wearing his habit and even held his own when he was despite not fighting to kill, managing to briefly gain the upper hand in their second fight, easily best Sam Wilson, Tony Stark, Sharon Carter and Natasha Romanoff, despite all of them being highly accomplished hand-to-hand combatants/martial artists in their own rights. Bucky also single-handedly killed up to a dozen well-armed Quinjet pilots in a single encounter and escaped uninjured. During both fights with Steve, Bucky displayed an extremely precise, brutal and murderous style of combat and combined the use of firearms and knives with close-range physical attacks. Bucky and Steve together could easily nearly take down Tony in the Mark XLVI armor in a brutal fight and even on his own, he proved able to subdue Iron Man.
  • Master Assassin: Through his training from HYDRA, Bucky is highly skilled in the art of assassination. Ever since he had been brainwashed, Bucky lived in anonymity with most of the intelligence community not even believing he existed. He was credited with over two dozen of HYDRA's most crucial assassinations in the past 50 years. He was even able to shoot Nick Fury while outside of Steve's apartment and shoot through Natasha Romanoff to take out his target.
  • Master Marksman: Through his training from both the United States Armed Forces and HYDRA, Bucky is a highly skilled marksman. He fired a single round through Natasha Romanoff's stomach and into a nuclear scientist, that she was protecting, effectively killing him. Bucky is also capable of making long range shots straight through building walls using only reflections to obtain his target's whereabouts, for example shooting Nick Fury multiple times through the wall of Steve's apartment from the top of another building. He is also well skilled in the use of modern firearms, being able to use the latest models of assault rifle and grenade launcher with excellent accuracy.
  • Master Knife-Fighter: Through his training from HYDRA, Bucky is a highly skilled knife-fighter. He usually resorts to his combat knife in close quarters combat. He usually holds the knife in his natural hand and uses his bionic arm for support should he need more force to overpower a downward stab or toss it between hands to advance his assault.
  • Expert Pilot: Through his training from both the United States Armed Forces and HYDRA, Bucky is a highly skilled pilot. Bucky was able to "hijack" a Quinjet after killing the pilot.
  • Multilingualism: Bucky's native tongue is English and he can fluently speak Romanian, Russian, German, Japanese and Xhosa.

Weaknesses[]

  • Mortality: Despite Winter Soldier's superhuman levels of durability and healing, he is not immortal and can be killed.
  • Limited Healing Factor: Although Winter Soldier can heal incredibly fast, he does have his limits and is unable to regenerate missing or severed limbs.

Former Weaknesses[]

  • Brainwashing: Over seven decades of constant mind control and manipulation from HYDRA, there is no way to tell how much damage has been done to Bucky's mind. During Captain America: The Winter Soldier, when Pierce demands that the Winter Soldier's mind is to be completely wiped clean again after he started to remember Steve slightly, we are shown just how painful the procedure is. He is strapped into a chair, and is given a mouth-guard before highly advanced electrical equipment is put on his head and electrocutes his brain, causing him unbearable pain. This procedure was probably inflicted upon Bucky anytime HYDRA believed he started to remember any trace of his former life. It is also possible that this could have damaged his brain due to his brief catatonic states, only reacting to violence and displaying little emotion when it comes to his missions. In Captain America: Civil War, it is shown that his mind is brainwashed and programmable if certain Russian words are read to him. Bucky was put in cryostasis, until his brainwashing could be completely removed. As of Black Panther, Bucky's brainwashing has been completely removed by the scientists of Wakanda led by Shuri.

Equipment[]

  • Uniform: HYDRA designed a lightweight tactical suit for Bucky, complete with a half-face mask in an attempt to conceal his true identity from the world. The uniform is constructed from nomex thread and Kevlar fiber. The lightweight suit provides resistance to small arms fire and has advanced flexibility for close-quarters combat. In addition, he also sometimes wears bulletproof tinted goggles to further conceal his face and for eye protection. In Avengers: Infinity War, the Wakandan Design Group designed Bucky a new tactical suit, it based on the one that he wore during World War II. It presumably made out of a light vibranium-weave. The new suit protected Bucky when he was overwhelmed by the Outriders in the Battle of Wakanda and in the Avengers final battle against Thanos.
  • Bionic Arm: HYDRA designed a special metallic titanium bionic arm to replace Bucky's lost arm, which he lost after falling from the train. During his transformation progress, he started to gain control over his new arm, strangling a HYDRA scientist. His new arm has also a red star on its shoulder, hinting that the Soviets who operated as HYDRA's allies had also participated in the process of Bucky's transformation into the Winter Soldier. Bucky continue to use his cybernetic arm, even after he was free of HYDRA's control. In Captain America: Civil War, Bucky's cybernetic arm was destroyed by Iron Man. In Avengers: Infinity War, Bucky has been given a new cybernetic arm by T'Challa, that is completely composed of Vibranium.
  • Guns: Bucky has utilized several different types of firearms from during his time in World War II, all the way to his time as the Winter Soldier. This includes several different types of handguns, sub-machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers.
  • Combat Knives: Bucky uses several different types of combat knives as the Winter Solider. He carried a Gerber Mark ll on his right thigh, two Gerber Yari ll Tanto knives on the back of his belt though just used one, and used a bayonet knife during two fights against the armies of Thanos.

Relationships[]

Appearances/Actors[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • Sebastian Stan was considered for the role of Captain America, but was offered the role of Bucky instead without an audition.
  • Bucky's uniform from Captain America: The First Avenger, is a hybrid of his original and his later Winter Soldier suit.
  • About the role, Stan stated, "Steve Rogers and Bucky are both orphans and kind of like brothers. They kind of grow up together and look after each other. It's a very human, relatable thing. I also wanted to look out for how their relationship changes once Steve Rogers becomes Captain America. There's always a competition and they're always one-upping each other. I paid attention to how Bucky is affected by Steve's change and suddenly Steve is this leader".
  • When Steve finds Bucky hooked up to machines in Arnim Zola's HYDRA Lab and Bucky is in a sort of trance. These experiments allowed him to survive his fall.
  • Though Bucky was a HYDRA asset in the film, his body was recovered by Soviet officers. Given the fact he uses Russian weaponry and spoke Russian while pursuing Black Widow; it can be presumed at some point HYDRA infiltrated the KGB like they had done with SHIELD. This is supported by Arnim Zola's reveal that HYDRA had infiltrated many governments and manipulated world history. In the wake of WWII both the United States and the Soviet Union were the two greatest powers, making it logical that sleeper cells would lay within both.
  • To prepare for the role of the Winter Soldier, Sebastian Stan went through five months of physical training and historical research: "I dove into the whole Cold War history; I looked at the KGB. I looked at all kinds of spy movies, and all kinds of documentaries about that time, and what it was about. I grabbed anything from that time period and anything about brainwashing".
  • Stan also went through rigorous fight and weapons training. He took a lot of good-natured ribbing from his friends because he would walk around all day practicing his moves with a plastic knife because he wanted his movements to feel natural.

Trivia[]

  • In the comics, Bucky is younger than Steve Rogers. In the initial stories by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Bucky was a teenage mascot for Captain America's regiment. He was later adapted to having been older. In the Ultimate Universe, Bucky was a paratrooper/war photographer who was a childhood friend of Rogers, often having defended him from bullies. Fifty-seven years after Rogers fell into the ocean and shortly after Rogers was revived, Bucky had become an aging, cancer-ridden veteran and had married Rogers' wartime girlfriend.
  • Bucky's codename is Winter Soldier, much like his older self in the comics.
  • In the comics, Bucky wears a mask, and his identity is not initially public knowledge.
  • Bucky used Captain America's Shield in Captain America: The First Avenger while on Zola's train. This is a reference to Bucky Barnes becoming the new Captain America in the comics when Steve was presumed dead.
  • In the comics, Bucky was a trainer and lover of Black Widow, and the two later rekindled their relationship. According to Sebastian Stan, Natasha's line in Captain America: Civil War after falling from Zola's Train.
  • In the comics, Bucky killed Wolverine's wife, Itsu. Her death what drew Wolverine out of hiding, allowing Weapon X to apprehend and experiment on him.
  • Bucky is the only character from the first film besides Steve who is known to still be living in the present-day.
  • Bucky's Winter Soldier look from the film was since been adapted on occasion the comics; specifically the Winter Soldier; Bitter March limited series and Thunderbolts.
  • It is speculated that Bucky's cybernetic arm is made from or coated with Vibranium. However, this was proven to be false when it was destroyed by Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War. However, in Avengers: Infinity War, Bucky is gifted a new Vibranium arm in Wakanda from T'Challa.)
  • Bucky's screen time in Captain America: Civil War is 21:00.

Gallery[]

See: James Barnes/Gallery

References[]

See Also[]

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