Captain America and the Winter Soldier in Avengers: Infinity War. (Image credit: Marvel)
Long before Thanos wreaked havoc on the Marvel Cinematic Universe – or, for that matter, before we ever got to see Loki’s true intentions – there was one antihero who made waves in the MCU. Sebastian StanThe most memorable role of Bucky Barnes AKA the Winter Soldier may have taken a backseat in later films, but the way it kicked off and transformed the character graph of Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, cannot be ignored.
Sebastian first entered Marvel’s filmography with the 2011 film Captain America: The First Avengeras Steve’s closest friend, who dreams of being drafted into the US Army. But things change and Bucky eventually becomes an assassin in the hands of Hydra.
Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes: friendship and shared dreams
First, his imprisonment by Johann Schmidt (Red Skull) leaves a profound impact on Steve, instilling in him much-needed confidence to infiltrate a Hydra stronghold and free his friend. Later, during a mission against Hydra, Bucky falls off a train and is presumed dead. The news shatters Steve’s life, and he ends up “asleep” for 70 years before awakening in the present, 2011.
But this was all a setup for the showdown these two best friends were supposed to have in their next appearance together in the MCU. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) As the title suggests, not only did Bucky Barnes return to Steve Rogers’ life, but so did his alter ego.
Bucky Barnes’ alter ego: The Winter Soldier
When Steve joins SHIELD, he learns that Bucky is alive. After falling off the train, he is captured by Zola and subjected to experiments. He is brainwashed and cryogenically frozen to carry out Hydra missions. Yes, Bucky becomes a Hydra guy! In fact, it was Steve who recognized him when he killed SHIELD agent Jasper Sitwell, a Hydra mole. Despite changing his appearance, sporting long hair, a mask and suit, and riding a bike, Steve knows that he is Bucky in an assassin’s attire. The film followed Steve’s attempts to bring his friend back from Hydra hypnosis. There are emotional moments where Steve triggers his memories, it is ultimately Bucky who saves his friend from the Potomac River. Although he disappears from Steve’s life once again, it opened the doors for his return as a super soldier, now also given the name Winter Soldier.
Importance of Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The Winter Soldier was an important film not only in the trajectory of the characters of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, but also in the MCU. It brought directing duo Joe and Anthony Russo under the Marvel umbrella for the first time. Their directorial debut for Marvel laid the groundwork for their future collaborations, including Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers:Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Now, even though Bucky turned negative at the beginning of Civil warSteve doesn’t give up on his childhood friend and war buddy. In fact, it was Bucky who formed the central plot of the film, with T’Challa chasing him down to avenge his father’s murder at the UN Conference in Vienna that splits the Avengers in two, with Iron Man and Captain America leading from opposite fronts. Bucky obviously sided with Cap at Leipzig/Halle Airport due to his returning memories.
Captain America’s love for Bucky Barnes left the Avengers divided
The struggle of Civil war He saw Iron Man and Captain America clash for the first time. Bucky ends up in an asylum in Wakanda to return to cryogenic sleep until a cure is found for his brainwashing.
In the post credits of Black Panther (2018), we see Shuri helping Bucky with his rehabilitation. He acquires the nickname White Wolf and reunites with Steve (Captain America) in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) before jointly fighting against Thanos’ army.
The last goodbye
Steve is a fair character, who smiles rarely, doesn’t use bad words, and is the true leader. He lets his guard down only for Bucky. He laughs with him, cries with him, misses him, and even fights with him. He is a special and crucial link in Cap’s grey life after the death of his first love, Peggy. Bucky brings out Steve’s easy-going side, something fans would never have seen if it weren’t for him.
Before Steve sets out to return the Infinity Stones at the end of… Avengers: EndgameHis final goodbye to Bucky was one of the most emotional scenes in the MCU so far. “Don’t do anything stupid!” had a much deeper meaning, because Bucky knew his friend would do stupid things and not come back to the present at all.
The friendship between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes gave the MCU one of the most beautiful plots: two friends who loved each other as much as they wanted to kill each other. A very healthy bromance story!
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