James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, more commonly known as 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 and sometimes referred to by his alias, the Winter Soldier, and later as the White Wolf. Barnes is depicted as childhood best friends with Steve Rogers who serves alongside him during World War II before Barnes is transformed into a brainwashed Hydra super soldier and assassin known as the Winter Soldier. He is eventually cured of his programming in Wakanda. He later partners with Sam Wilson after Rogers' retirement, supporting him as the new Captain America.
Biography[]
Early life and World War II[]
- Main article: Captain America: The First Avenger
James 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.
Characterization[]
In Captain America: The First Avenger, Barnes is a sergeant in the United States Army, the best friend of Steve Rogers, and member of his squad of commandos. Stan has signed on for "five or six pictures".[2] He revealed that he did not know anything about the comic books, but watched a lot of documentaries and films about World War II in preparation for the role, calling Band of Brothers "very helpful". 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".[3]
References[]
- ↑ "Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes) On Screen Full Report". marvel.com. Marvel.
- ↑ Bruno, Mike (April 2, 2010). "'Captain America': Sebastian Stan cast as Bucky Barnes".
- ↑ Ditzian, Eric (January 12, 2011). "Sebastian Stan Talks 'Captain America' Casting And His Year Ahead". MTV News.