James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a fictional character portrayed by Sebastian Stan in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Barnes is childhood best friends with Steve Rogers and serves alongside him in the Howling Commandos during World War II. Barnes is seemingly killed in action, but is actually captured by elements of Hydra within the Soviet Union. He is brainwashed and transformed into a super soldier with a metal arm known as the Winter Soldier. In their quest for world domination, Hydra uses a programmed Barnes as an assassin throughout the 20th century.
Barnes comes into conflict with Rogers and his allies during the Hydra uprising, eventually gaining some control over himself. However, Helmut Zemo later takes control of Barnes to destroy the Avengers. This conflict, along with internal strife over the Sokovia Accords, causes the Avengers to split up and Rogers is forced to hide Barnes in Wakanda, where Shuri eventually cures him of his programming and is given a new code name, White Wolf.
Barnes aids the Avengers in the conflict against Thanos, falling victim to the Blip. After he is restored to life, he joins the final and victorious battle against a variant of Thanos. After Rogers' retirement, Barnes is pardoned by the U.S. government and strives to make amends for his murderous past. He joins Sam Wilson in defeating the pro-Blip Flag Smashers and finds peace with Wilson. Later, Barnes is elected to the United States House of Representatives, and joins the New Avengers.
, Barnes has appeared in nine MCU films, as well as in a lead role in the miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). Stan's portrayal of the character has been met with positive reception. He is the only character who appeared in all four Captain America films.
Alternate versions of Barnes from within the MCU Multiverse appear in the animated series What If...? (2021–2024).
Concept and creation When Joe Simon created his initial sketch of Captain America for Marvel Comics precursor Timely Comics in 1940, he included a young sidekick. "The boy companion was simply named Bucky, after my friend Bucky Pierson, a star on our high school basketball team," Simon said in his autobiography.Simon, Joe, with Jim Simon. The Comic Book Makers (Crestwood/II, 1990), p. 50. . Reissued (Vanguard Productions, 2003) Following the character's debut in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941), Bucky Barnes appeared alongside the title star in virtually every story in that publication and other Timely series, and was additionally part of the all-kid team the Young Allies. Live-action performances of Steve Rogers in television and film serials began within a few years after its creation, with a 1990 feature film resulting in critical and financial failure, but none of these adaptations included Bucky as a character.
In 2005, Marvel launched a new Captain America series (Volume 5) with writer Ed Brubaker, who revealed that Bucky did not die in World War II. It was revealed that after the plane exploded, General Vasily Karpov and the crew of a Russian patrol submarine found Bucky's cold-preserved body, albeit with his left arm severed. Bucky was revived in Moscow, but had brain damage with amnesia as a result of the explosion. Scientists attached a bionic arm, periodically upgrading it as technology improved. Programmed to be a Soviet assassin for Department X – under the code name the Winter Soldier – he is sent on covert wetwork missions and becomes increasingly ruthless and efficient as he kills in the name of the state.
In the mid-2000s, Kevin Feige realized that Marvel still owned the rights to the core members of the Avengers, which included Captain America and his associated characters. Feige, a self-professed "fanboy", envisioned creating a shared universe just as creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had done with their comic books in the early 1960s. In 2005, Marvel received a $525 million investment from Merrill Lynch, allowing them to independently produce ten films, including Captain America. Paramount Pictures agreed to distribute the film.Archive of In April 2010, Sebastian Stan, who had been mentioned in media accounts as a possibility for the title role in Captain America, was cast as Bucky Barnes. Stan was contracted for multiple films.
The origin story of Bucky Barnes follows that of the comic books, particularly Ultimate Marvel for certain elements like growing up as Steve Rogers' childhood best friend in Brooklyn instead of a younger sidekick met later. However, his story diverges from there, with "the Winter Soldier play[ing] a major role that's completely different to the comics". In the comic books, Steve Rogers is murdered in the aftermath of the Civil War storyline, leading to Bucky Barnes becoming the next Captain America. In the MCU, Rogers survives Civil War, eventually passing the mantle of Captain America to Sam Wilson in Avengers: Endgame.
Fictional character biography Early life and World War II
James Buchanan Barnes was born on March 10, 1917. He and Steve Rogers became childhood best friends and on many occasions Barnes would protect Rogers from bullies. During World War II, Barnes is drafted in the U.S. Army, while Rogers is rejected from the service due to his numerous medical conditions. Barnes fights in Europe while Rogers is chosen for the Super Soldier Program by Dr. Abraham Erskine and becomes Captain America.
In 1943, while on tour in Italy performing for active servicemen, Rogers learns that Barnes' unit was MIA in a battle against the Nazi forces of Johann Schmidt. Refusing to believe that Barnes is dead, Rogers has Peggy Carter and engineer Howard Stark fly him behind enemy lines to mount a solo rescue attempt. Rogers infiltrates the fortress of Schmidt's Nazi science division, Hydra, freeing Barnes and the other prisoners, with Barnes having just been experimented on by Hydra. Barnes becomes part of an elite unit assembled by Rogers called the Howling Commandos, participating in numerous missions against Hydra and the Nazis. However, during one such mission, Barnes falls off of a train and is seemingly killed.
Hydra assassin
The scientific experimentation that Barnes endured allows him to survive his fall, but he is recaptured by Hydra and ends up being taken to their wing inside the Soviet Union. There he is tortured, brainwashed and has his memory of his former life as Bucky Barnes wiped, turning him into the Winter Soldier, a mind-controlled super soldier with a metal prosthetic arm of superhuman strength. As the Winter Soldier, the mind-controlled Barnes commits numerous assassinations and terrorist acts throughout the 20th century, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, as a means for Hydra to create a singular world government under their control. In between missions, Barnes has his memory wiped again and is put into cryogenic sleep.
During the Korean War, Barnes was confronted by the American super soldier Isaiah Bradley in Goyang and half of his cybernetic arm was destroyed during the skirmish.
In 1991, Hydra uses Barnes to kill Howard and Maria Stark in an assassination made to look like a car accident, during which he steals a case of super soldier serum from their car.
In 2009, Barnes was sent on a mission to assassinate a nuclear scientist in Odessa. S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff attempted to protect the scientist, but Barnes managed to kill the scientist by shooting a round through Romanoff's stomach while she covered him.
In 2014, Barnes, still operating as the Winter Soldier, leads a group of assailants to ambush Nick Fury in Washington, D.C. Later, Barnes attacks Fury in Rogers' apartment, but escapes before Rogers can catch him. Rogers discovers a Hydra plot to use three Helicarriers to sweep the globe, using satellite-guided guns to eliminate every individual who is a threat to Hydra. Rogers, Romanoff, and Sam Wilson are ambushed on the highway by Barnes, who kills Jasper Sitwell. After a fight with Romanoff and Rogers, Barnes' mask is removed and Rogers recognizes him as Barnes. Barnes is taken back to the base by Brock Rumlow and other agents, remembering Rogers, but gets put back under mind control. Rogers and Wilson later storm two Helicarriers and replace their controller chips, but Barnes destroys Wilson's suit and fights Rogers on the third Helicarrier. Rogers fends him off and replaces the final chip. Rogers refuses to fight Barnes in an attempt to reach his friend, but as the ship collides with the Triskelion, Rogers is thrown out into the Potomac River. Barnes, freed from Hydra's mind control, rescues the unconscious Rogers before disappearing into the woods. Later, Barnes visits his own memorial in the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution.
Dealing with brainwashing
In 2016, Barnes has taken up residence in Bucharest, Romania. He learns that he has been framed by ex-Sokovian special forces soldier Helmut Zemo for a bombing in Vienna that kills King T'Chaka of Wakanda. Rogers and Wilson find Barnes and attempt to protect him from T'Chaka's vengeful son, T'Challa, but all four, including T'Challa, are apprehended by the police and James Rhodes. With Barnes in custody, Zemo impersonates a psychiatrist and recites the Hydra brainwashing words to make Barnes obey him. He sends Barnes on a rampage to cover his own escape. Rogers stops Barnes and hides him. When Barnes regains his senses, he explains to Rogers and Wilson that Zemo is the real Vienna bomber and wanted the location of the Siberian Hydra base, where other brainwashed "Winter Soldiers" are kept in cryogenic stasis. Unwilling to wait for authorization to apprehend Zemo, Rogers and Wilson go rogue, and recruit Wanda Maximoff, Clint Barton, and Scott Lang to their cause. Tony Stark assembles a team composed of Romanoff, T'Challa, Rhodes, Vision, and Peter Parker to stop them. Stark's team intercepts Rogers' team at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany, where they fight until Romanoff allows Rogers and Barnes to escape. Rogers and Barnes go to the Siberian Hydra facility, when Stark arrives and strikes a truce with them. They find that the other super soldiers have been killed by Zemo, who then reveals himself and shows them footage of the 1991 car accident where Barnes killed Stark's parents as the Winter Soldier. Enraged that Rogers kept this from him, Stark turns on them both, leading to an intense fight in which Stark destroys Barnes' robotic arm and Rogers disables Stark's armor. Rogers departs with Barnes, leaving his shield behind. Later, Barnes, granted asylum in Wakanda, chooses to return to cryogenic sleep until a cure for his brainwashing is found.
Sometime later, Barnes is cured by T'Challa's sister, Shuri and is given a new code name - White Wolf.
As proof that he is cured, Barnes is taken to a cave where the trigger words' effect is shown to be nullified by Ayo.
Infinity War and resurrection
In 2018, Barnes, while still living on a farm in Wakanda, is given a new vibranium arm by T'Challa. He goes to the Golden City where he reunites with Rogers after he, Wilson, Romanoff, Maximoff, Vision, Rhodes, and Bruce Banner arrive. He then joins the battle against the Outriders and witnesses Thor, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot's arrival. When Thanos arrives, completes the Infinity Gauntlet, and snaps his fingers, Barnes becomes the first person in Wakanda who disintegrates in the Blip.
In 2023, Barnes is restored to life and brought via portal by the Masters of the Mystic Arts to the destroyed Avengers Compound to the battle against an alternate Thanos. A week later, he attends Stark's funeral and with Wilson and Banner, sees Rogers off, who returns the alternate Infinity Stones and Mjolnir to their timelines. When Banner is unable to bring Rogers back, Barnes points Wilson to a nearby park bench, and watches as an elderly Rogers passes his mantle to Wilson.