Bucky Barnes

Barnes as Bucky during World War II. Art by the character's co-creator Jack Kirby, from the first page of the comic book series Tales of Suspense #63 (March, 1965).

James Buchanan Barnes was born in Shelbyville, Indiana in 1925.[9] Barnes grew up as an Army brat.[10] He was orphaned when his father was killed in training at U.S. Army Camp Lehigh in Virginia just before the United States' entry into World War II. As a result, he is unofficially adopted by the camp as a mascot. Nicknamed "Bucky", he takes to wearing a uniform and becoming savvy with the ins and outs of military life, even though he is a teenager. It was at Lehigh that he meets and befriends Private Steven Rogers, who by all appearances is the clumsiest soldier in the camp. This was at the same time that reports of the then-mysterious Captain America begin to appear in news magazines, and Barnes eagerly devours the accounts of this new hero.

In 1940, Bucky accidentally walked in on Steve Rogers changing into his uniform, thus discovering his friend was Captain America and insisted that he join him. He underwent extensive commando training with the British SAS and was assigned to be Captain America's partner. The military justified putting a 15-year-old in harm's way by using him as a symbol to rally the youth of America (as revealed in Captain America vol. 5, #12, Dec. 2005). They fight the Red Skull together, and Captain America accepts Bucky as his partner.[11] Together, Captain America and Bucky fight Nazis both at home and abroad, as a duo and as part of the superhero team known as the Invaders, fighting Master Man in their first mission.[12] Barnes also teams up with Toro, the sidekick of the original Human Torch, along with four non-superhero youths to form a group called the Young Allies. Additionally, Bucky was retconned in 1976 as the organizer of the flashback World War II super-team the Liberty Legion, set between the formations of the Invaders and the post-war All-Winners Squad. He was also briefly one of the Kid Commandos at this time. Bucky served as an advance scout for Captain America and the Invaders, often being assigned tasks that none of the heroes could be seen doing.

In the closing days of World War II in 1945, Captain America and Bucky tried to stop the villainous Baron Zemo from destroying an experimental drone plane. Zemo launches the plane with an armed explosive device on it, with Rogers and Barnes in hot pursuit. They reach the plane just before it takes off. Bucky unsuccessfully tries to defuse the bomb, and it explodes in mid-air before reaching its intended target. He will be believed to have been killed in action, as Rogers is hurled into the freezing waters of the North Atlantic.[13] Rogers' body, preserved in suspended animation in a block of ice, is found decades later by The Avengers while searching the Arctic for the Sub-Mariner.[14]

It was only in modern times that Captain America would learn that Bucky had a sister, Rebecca, whom he met at a veterans Christmas celebration.[15] Bucky also had one notable post-mortem appearance when the Grandmaster challenged the West and East Coast Avengers for the destruction of the universe, apparently resurrecting long-dead friends and foes for them to fight. Captain America battled Bucky, whom he defeated, and the apparitions disappeared.[16]

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 suffered 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. While a Soviet agent, he also has a brief relationship with the Black Widow. The Winter Soldier is kept in a cryogenic stasis when not on missions, and as a result has aged only a few years to a young adult since the closing days of World War II. In 1968, the Winter Soldier was sent to kill Professor Zhang Chin, whom he had met over 20 years earlier. He was thwarted by an intangible being called the Man with No Face, though he was able to escape.[17] On assignment in the United States in the 1970s, he suffers a breakdown and goes missing for days after assassinating his target.[18] The Winter Soldier also aided in Wolverine's escape from the Weapon X laboratory and later murdered Itsu, Wolverine's wife, seemingly killing their unborn son Daken, who survived the attack after being cut from his mother's womb.[19]

In the present day, the Winter Soldier seemingly kills the Red Skull and Jack Monroe (Nomad) under orders from former Soviet general Aleksander Lukin (Karpov's former protégé). The Winter Soldier launches a terrorist attack on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, killing hundreds, and charges the Cosmic Cube which Lukin sent him to retrieve. He kidnaps Sharon Carter, an agent of the international espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and a former lover of Steve Rogers (Captain America). Upon her rescue, Carter tells Captain America that Winter Soldier looked like Bucky. S.H.I.E.L.D. chief Nick Fury confirms the Winter Soldier's existence, but cannot ascertain his identity.[20]

Captain America tracks down and confronts the Winter Soldier. Regaining his memories, Bucky becomes overwhelmed by guilt over his past actions, crushing the Cosmic Cube and teleporting away.[21]

He reappears shortly afterward in London, where he helps Captain America fend off a terrorist attack. He asks Nick Fury for employment and new equipment following the loss of his bionic arm.[22] Following the events of the superhuman Civil War, Winter Soldier helps Fury plan the escape of an arrested Steve Rogers. Before the plan can be implemented, however, Rogers is assassinated.[23] Considering registration architect Tony Stark (Iron Man) as ultimately responsible, Winter Soldier plans to kill Stark in revenge. Deducing that Stark will oversee the appointment of a new Captain America, Winter Soldier steals Captain America's shield from S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Black Widow so that it cannot be handed down.[24] Ultimately, he heads to Kronas's headquarters, where Lukin reveals he is the Red Skull and has the evil psychiatrist Dr. Faustus attempt unsuccessfully to brainwash the Winter Soldier.[25]

Bucky Barnes as Captain America. Art by Alex Ross

After escaping from Faustus and being captured by S.H.I.E.L.D., Barnes learns from Executive Director Tony Stark that Steve Rogers had left Stark a letter asking Stark to watch over Barnes and that the Captain America mantle should continue.[26] Stark suggests that Barnes become the new Captain America. Barnes agrees to become the new Captain America only if Stark has telepaths eliminate any potential subliminal commands and guarantees him complete autonomy.[27] As the autonomy arrangement is illegal under the Superhuman Registration Act, Stark keeps his support of the new Captain America secret. Barnes's new Captain America costume is laced with adamantium, and he carries a pistol and a combat knife.[28] Barnes' first major adventure as the new Captain America has him, Falcon, Carter and S.H.I.E.L.D. fighting against the original Red Skull and Dr. Faustus who have revived the 1950s Captain America in a plot to secure one of their pawns attaining the U.S. presidency. Barnes and his allies succeed in aborting the Skull's plans, and Barnes saves the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates from assassination, winning public applause. The adventure ends with Barnes accepting himself and addressing himself now as Captain America.[29] He also begins a friendship with Black Widow.[30]

A still-teenaged Barnes is transported from 1941 and appears in the 2008 Avengers/Invaders miniseries alongside his fellow Invaders when a time travel incident takes them from a World War II battlefield to the present-day Marvel Universe, where they encounter both the Mighty Avengers and New Avengers. At the conclusion of Avengers/Invaders #4, while attempting to break out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, which he believes to be a German base, Barnes encounters his future self dressed as Captain America.[31] During this meeting, the future Barnes attempts to change his history by telling his past self to abandon the plane that he was seemingly killed trying to disarm, without ever telling his younger self his true identity.[32] Barnes decides to let his life turn out the way it should after witnessing the devastating risks involved in changing history.[33]

During the Secret Invasion storyline, after most of the other heroes have fallen as the Skrull invasion of Earth continues, Captain America is seen watching Thor defend a group of civilians in Central Park.[34] Later, after a brief confrontation with Thor, he joins the other group of heroes (the Mighty Avengers, the New Avengers, the Initiative, the Thunderbolts, Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors, Young Avengers, and the Hood's group) in battle against an army of Super-Skrulls led by Queen Veranke herself.[35]

Following the Secret Invasion storyline, Captain America discovers that the remains of Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch, have been recovered and studied by the United Nations. The body was stolen by Professor Zhang Chin who used the Torch to create a virus to exterminate half the Earth's population. Teaming up with Namor, they stop Chin and make sure that Hammond receives a proper burial.[36]

In the aftermath of Secret Invasion, Captain America joins the New Avengers and offers his home as a base of operations. He later participates in the search for Luke Cage and Jessica Jones' child, Danielle.[37] He was considered a possible team leader but turned it down because he did not have the proper team experience.[38]

In the Captain America: Reborn storyline, Barnes finds out from Sharon that she did not really kill Steve Rogers. As explained by Doctor Zola to Norman Osborn, Rogers was trapped in a fixed position of time and space. But since Sharon ruined the machine that was supposed to bring him back, Steve was reliving his own past. Barnes and Black Widow attempt to steal the device from H.A.M.M.E.R. but are captured. Osborn sends the Black Widow back to Sharon with an ultimatum: either she turns herself in, as Osborn had implicated her as Rogers' second shooter, or he'll kill Barnes. Barnes is then sent into the custody of the Thunderbolts who tell him that he'll be inducted into their group once Rogers is brought back. However, Barnes is secretly freed by Ant-Man and then rescued by the Falcon.[39] Barnes then teams up with Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, the Falcon, Hank Pym, and the Vision to save Sharon. The group intercepts the Red Skull's ship beside the Lincoln Memorial and attacks. The Red Skull has already taken over Steve's body, and Barnes attacks him. The two battle while Hank saves Sharon and the others battle Crossbones and a squad of M.O.D.O.K.S.. Sin shoots Barnes in the shoulders, giving the Skull the opportunity to take Captain America's shield. He pins Barnes to the ground and cuts off his cybernetic hand with the shield. However, inside Steve's mind, Steve prepares to kill the Red Skull to keep him from doing any more evil in his name. Realizing its peril, the Red Skull's consciousness returns to its own robotic body. As the robotic Skull attempts to flee, Sharon shoots him, causing the Skull's body to become giant-sized. Steve, back in control of himself, leads an attack. The Vision uses the Skull's ship's weapons to destroy the Skull.

Leading up to the Siege storyline, Bucky Barnes is shown still as Captain America talking with Steve Rogers in a dark body suit and standing next to him.[40] But Rogers is back in costume and seen alongside Barnes still in his own Captain America costume. The two are helping restore Tony Stark's mind by using the shield as a conduit for Thor's lightning.[41] In the second issue, Barnes is alongside Steve's team of heroes. Barnes (still in his Captain America suit) pulls Rogers aside just before they are about to leave for Asgard. Barnes tells Rogers that they should "skip the argument" and insists that Rogers use Captain America's shield. Rogers takes the shield, and Barnes is shown with a large gun in his hands, ready for the fight ahead.[42][43] In the following issue, Barnes is shown fighting alongside Rogers with both wearing their respective Captain America uniforms in Asgard.[44] After the events of Siege, Rogers returns the shield to Barnes and retires his uniform, leaving Barnes as the only Captain America.[45]

Barnes is a member of the main Avengers team formed in the aftermath of the Siege storyline.[46] Barnes is then put on trial for the crimes he committed as the Winter Soldier.[47] He is found not guilty in an American court, but Russian officials take him away, having convicted him of crimes against the state and claiming that he had gone rogue and killed two civilians. But as Sharon Carter and Black Widow discover, Barnes' victims were connected to Russia's Department X's Red Room division.[48] Barnes escapes imprisonment with the help of Black Widow and returns to the United States, however it is decided he is too tainted by events to be allowed to continue as Captain America.[49]

During the Fear Itself storyline, Barnes takes up the Captain America identity again, but is apparently killed in battle with Sin (in her Skadi form).[50] He survives after being injected with a dose of the Infinity Formula. With the world believing him dead he returned to his former identity of Winter Soldier to perform special jobs behind the scenes relating to his earlier days as the Winter Soldier. Only Rogers, Nick Fury, and Black Widow know the truth of his "death".[51][52] Bucky and Natasha then pursue sleeper agents trained by Bucky during his Winter Soldier days,[53] awakened recently by an unknown ex-KGB agent, who turns out to be Ivan Kragoff, the Red Ghost and former prime minister of Latveria Lucia von Bardas.[54]

During the Original Sin storyline, Bucky initially participates in the investigation into the death of Uatu the Watcher, travelling into deep space with Moon Knight and Gamora to follow up a lead.[55] After the Orb uses one of the Watcher's eyes to force the heroes in its vicinity to witness their deepest secrets, he returns to Earth after destroying the shuttle to strand his teammates, brutally attacking Nick Fury (actually a Life Model Decoy) as he proclaims that there will be "No more secrets".[56] Following the revelation that Nick Fury has been secretly protecting Earth from various alien threats for years using more brutal methods than the heroes would have condoned,[57] as well as the revelation that he killed the Watcher in self-defense and used the Watcher's eye to find the identity of his attacker when Uatu refused to break his oath and reveal that information himself, Fury now acts as the Watcher's replacement while Bucky takes over Fury's role as Earth's more ruthless guardian.[58]

During the Avengers: Standoff! storyline, Bucky, upon being alerted of a catastrophic event, returns to Earth and traces the source of the event to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility where he fights off the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents there. He leaves a trail for Steve Rogers, who finds a message on a napkin he used. At Bev's Diner, Steve Rogers meets with Winter Soldier where they learn that S.H.I.E.L.D. never discarded the Kobik project as they believed, which Whisperer (an alias of Rick Jones) made public.[59] He then meets Sam Wilson, the current Captain America, who received a tip from the Whisperer about Pleasant Hill and Kobik. After rescuing S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Avril Kancaid from the Blood Brothers at the Day Care Center, they are informed of a super weapon hidden in town that Baron Zemo and the other villains are looking for. They later find Steve Rogers at the bowling alley restored to his prime, after Kobik used her powers to restore his youth when he was about to be killed by Crossbones. They begin to search for Kobik again only to discover that Baron Zemo had Fixer invent a device that would help find Kobik as Kraven the Hunter rallies the villains to help with their goals. Upon not being able to locate Kobik, Steve decides to rally the heroes so they can take the fight to Baron Zemo.[60] In the aftermath of the incident, Winter Soldier is approached by Kobik, who offers to help him do good. Winter Soldier agrees to the terms as Kobik suggests that she brings some "friends" she made in Pleasant Hill with them.[61]

During the "Opening Salvo" part of the Secret Empire storyline, Baron Helmut Zemo uses Kobik to send Winter Soldier back in time to World War II. However, Zemo has other plans for Winter Soldier, deciding to tie him onto a rocket to be killed in its explosion, preventing him from stopping Hydra's true objective of conquering the United States.[62] Before being launched, Winter Soldier is shocked to see the Steve he saw besides Zemo is not the man he once knew.[63] However, Winter Soldier manages to escape and falls into the ocean, where he is rescued from drowning by the Atlantean army led by Namor and is offered to disguise himself as the king's bodyguard to cover his tracks. Once Sam Wilson returns and gives hope to his fellow heroes to find the Cosmic Cube fragments before Hydra does, Namor tells Winter Soldier that the time has come to remove his disguise and help their fellow allies.[64][65]

During the resistance's preparation for the final battle against Hydra to restore America to normal, Winter Soldier reveals that he knew who Kobik was aside being a manifested sentient of Cosmic Cube, a misguided child whom Hydra manipulated into replacing the real Steve with a Hydra counterpart. Thus, Winter Soldier devises a distraction plan by needing Ant-Man and Sam's help to get Kobik and their Steve back, while Hawkeye leads the rest of resistance on their final raids on the Hydra army at their main base in Washington, DC. During the heroes' final raid against Hydra, Winter Soldier rescues Black Panther, who was captured by Hydra, and they apprehend Zemo together. When Zola equips Hydra Supreme Steve Rogers with a modified stolen Iron Man armor, infused with fragments of Cosmic Cube, both altering the reality into Hydra's image and erasing the heroes from their existence, Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, and Sam Wilson use the last fragment to defend themselves and initiate their plans by pretending to surrender the last fragment to Hydra Steve for Ant-Man and Winter Soldier to enter the cube inside. Once entering the cube thanks to Ant-Man and Sam's distraction, Winter Soldier manages to save both Kobik and Steve Rogers, restoring the reality and restoring both Steve's physical appearance on the surface, as well as wearing his iconic Captain America costume, and his Super Soldier serum powers.[66]

After Captain America defeats his counterpart and eventually Hydra, Winter Soldier goes to Madripoor while still mourning Black Widow's death, who was killed by Hydra Supreme Rogers, watching her funeral on TV as he is currently on the trail of an infamous general who is the target of assassination. Someone snipes the general and Winter Soldier suspects that it might be Black Widow.[67] However, Bucky thinks that the last Black Widow he saw is not Natasha but an impostor. He is soon joined by Hawkeye in the search for Natasha's impostor, who they discover to be Yelena Belova, who temporarily replaced Natasha as the Black Widow ten years prior.[68]

• The Ultimate Marvel incarnation of Bucky Barnes appears in the animated direct-to-video film Ultimate Avengers, voiced by James Arnold Taylor.
• Sebastian Stan portrays Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as part of a nine-picture deal with Marvel Studios.[79]

• Bucky Barnes appears in the "Captain America" segment of The Marvel Super Heroes animated series, voiced by Carl Banas.[80]
• Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes animated series, voiced by Scott Menville and Jon Curry respectively.[80][81] Introduced in the episode "Meet Captain America" and throughout "The Red Skull Strikes!" and "If This Be Doomsday!", Bucky assisted Captain America in combating HYDRA during World War II until he sacrificed himself to save Captain America. While the former was presumed dead for decades, in "Hail, HYDRA!", the latter unknowingly used the Cosmic Cube to revive Bucky. Throughout the episodes "Nightmare in Red", "Code Red", and "Winter Soldier", Bucky was captured by HYDRA forces and converted into the Winter Soldier before eventually falling under Dell Rusk's command by the present day. Once Captain America discovers his identity, he is able to free Bucky from his brainwashing so they can join forces once more to defeat the Red Skull. In the series finale "Avengers Assemble!", Bucky joins forces with Ant-Man, Black Panther, the Hulk, and the Invisible Woman to foil Galactus' invasion and repel his herald Firelord.
• Bucky Barnes appears in The Super Hero Squad Show animated series episode "World War Witch", voiced by Rod Keller.[80]
• Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier appears in the Avengers Assemble animated series,[82][83] voiced by Bob Bergen in "Ghosts of the Past", Roger Craig Smith in "Spectrums", Robbie Daymond as Bucky's original self in "Saving Captain Rogers", and Matt Lanter in "The Vibranium Curtain". In the episode "Ghost from the Past", he infiltrates Avengers Tower to abduct the Red Skull and take revenge. However, the Avengers intervene and force Winter Soldier to retreat.[84] In "Spectrums", Doctor Spectrum uses Captain America's fears to make him fight a spectral version of the Winter Soldier until Captain America overcomes his fears.[85] In "Saving Captain Rogers", Baron Helmut Zemo hypnotizes Captain America into recreating a fight he had with Heinrich Zemo in World War II alongside Bucky as his original self, but Winter Soldier eventually helps break him out of it.[86] In "The Vibranium Curtain" Pt. 1, Winter Soldier joins the Avengers in pursuing and defeating the Black Panther after the latter is accused of killing Captain America. Winter Soldier succeeds, and though he attempts to kill Black Panther before Iron Man stops him.[87]
• Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier appears in the Marvel Future Avengers anime series, voiced by Masayoshi Sugawara in Japanese and Yuri Lowenthal in English.[81] This incarnation is a member of the Masters of Evil.
• Sebastian Stan will reprise his role as Bucky Barnes in upcoming Disney+ television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe:
  • He will appear in the live-action limited series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.[88][89]
  • Stan will also appear in the animated series, What If...?.[90]

• Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier appears as a mini-boss in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, voiced by Crispin Freeman.[81] Due to the game being in development before the conclusion of the character’s reintroduction in the comics, he appears as a villain despite retaining his memories.
• Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier appears in the Wii, PS2 and PSP versions of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2.
• Bucky Barnes as himself and the Winter Soldier appear in Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet.
• Bucky Barnes appears in Captain America: Super Soldier, voiced by Sebastian Stan.[80]
• Bucky Barnes as Captain America and the Winter Soldier appear as two separate playable characters in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online, voiced by Mikey Kelley and Yuri Lowenthal respectively.[81] Additionally, the Winter Soldier also appears as a boss.
• Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier appears as a card in the "Heroes vs. Heralds Mode" of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Additionally, one of Captain America's alternate costumes is based on Bucky's Captain America suit.
• Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier appears in Marvel Heroes, voiced by David Hayter.[91]
• Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier appears as a DLC character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by James Arnold Taylor.[81]
• Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier appears as a playable character in the Facebook game Marvel: Avengers Alliance.[92]
• Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier appears as a playable character in the iOS/Android game Marvel: Contest of Champions.[93]
• Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier appears as a sidekick character in Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes.[94]
• Bucky Barnes as his original alias, his MCU incarnation, the Winter Soldier (original and MCU), and Captain America all appear as separate playable characters in Lego Marvel's Avengers,[81] voiced by Scott Porter.[80] He first appears in the story mode's third chapter, which is based on his role in The First Avenger, while the Winter Soldier serves as the boss of the "Out of Insight" bonus level, which is based on his role in The Winter Soldier.
• Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier appears as a playable character in Marvel: Future Fight.[95]
• Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier appears as a playable character in Marvel Puzzle Quest.[96]
• Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier appears as a DLC character in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, again voiced by Scott Porter.[97]
• Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2.[98]
• Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier appears as a non-playable character in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, voiced by Ray Chase.[99]