Winter Soldier aka Bucky Barnes started out as a mere sidekick in Marvel Comics. He helped Captain America and aided the Allied War Effort in the 1940s when the Second World War was still raging on. Then, all of a sudden, Bucky died a grueling yet mysterious death and Cap was left grieving for his loss. The dead side hero would re-surface years later as the Winter Soldier, Soviet Russia’s answer to Captain America.
In the MCU, the character is portrayed by Sebastian Stan and by far, he has done a splendid job. But even after so many movies and comic books featuring the guy, we still know so little about him. Well not anymore!! Presenting – 11 truly amazing facts about the Winter Soldier, Devil’s Personal Hitman!!
1. Brain-washing is not a new concept to him
In 1942, the Red Skull was fighting a losing battle against a team of superheroes who had joined hands to stop him. The invaders consisted of the Human Torch, Namor, Toro, Captain America, and Bucky Barnes. Everyone except Bucky was later captured and later brain-washed by the Red Skull to do his bidding.
Realizing that Bucky would not be able to fight the Invaders by himself, he fled and later came back with the Liberty Legion – a group of superheroes that came together to fight the brain washed superheroes and thwart Red Skull’s plan.
2. He broke one of the most powerful objects in the Marvel Universe – The Cosmic Cube
In one issue, Captain America was dead sure that no matter how evil Bucky had become now as the Winter Soldier, there was still a remnant of the good guy and friend he once knew and was hell-bent on bringing him back. Captain America captured Bucky and used the Cosmic Cube, otherwise known as the Tesseract in the MCU, on him.
The reality bending properties of the Cube restored Bucky’s memories from scratch but it came at a high price. Bucky now remembered every horrible little detail of all the crimes he had committed in the past as the Winter Soldier. Visibly angry, Bucky broke the cube into a thousand pieces before storming his way out of the scene.
3. He once was Batman’s sidekick
DC and Marvel Comics are supposed to be rivals right? Wrong!!! The rivalry is something that as cooked up by some hog washed, useless morons who spread the word that Marvel and DC are always at each other’s throats. The guys who believe this crap are even bigger morons.
The 1996 Batman/Captain America crossover is a testament to the friendship between the two houses. In this issue, Batman and Cap meet during the latter stages of World War 2 where they decide to exchange sidekicks. But due to some unexplained reasons, Bucky dies off page later in the same issue.
4. Bucky’s son becomes the future Red Skull
There are a lot of What If… story lines in the comic books of Marvel. In the Marvel 1610 alternate reality timeline, the world is drastically different and distinct than the one we see in mainstream continuity. In this reality, Captain America dies a long time ago before he became famous and Bucky would later contract lung cancer.
Bucky would also become the Red Skull, marry Captain America’ wife and raise Cap’s biological son (Cap knocked up Bucky’s wife before he died). Bucky’s son would soon find out that he is the descendant of the great Captain America, and would eventually turn into a villain after realizing that he would never be able to fill his father’s superhero shoes.
5. He and Wolverine share a long and violent past
Wolverine is one of Marvel comics’ most popular superheroes. Apart from being a flagship character, he is also one of the most powerful mutants to ever exist. Wolverine has also had a long history in Marvel Comics, courtesy of his enhanced longevity derived from his superior healing factor. In the past, Wolverine the animal decided to settle down in Japan. His wife Itsu, was later killed by none other than the Winter Soldier as part of a contract.
Itsu was pregnant with Wolverine’s child then. Daken had to claw his way out of Itsu’s dying womb. Wolverine had no idea that it was Bucky who killed his wife but the moment he realized it, he went on a rampage against the Winter Soldier.
6. His guns are custom made and unique
Bucky has two signature moves – his bionic arm that can wrestle with even Thor and his terrific command of firearms. Bucky is alike a wizard every time he gets his hands on a pistol or a hand grenade. Give him enough bullets and a rifle and he will dance around an entire army like the Angel of Death.
But Bucky also has specialised fire arms built for him just in case. They are more durable than the regular weaponry we see and have added safety features like explosive hand print sensor arrays that will only let the gun activate if it senses Bucky’s fingerprints on the handle, otherwise, the gun would explode!
7. The unwritten code of death in comic books aka The Bucky Clause
The comic books are not actually places where death has any sort of meaning. One moment the guy is dead and the other moment we see some voodoo magic or technological miracle brining the guy back to life. Bucky Barnes was one of Marvel Comics’ most popular superheroes and he was killed inexplicably in the comic books.
But so were Jason Todd and Uncle Ben. Guess what? Both Jason Todd and Bucky Barnes came back from the dead as violent psychopaths that believed in the extreme form of justice. Uncle Ben is yet to appear but if he does, expect that he is coming back with a pistol from hell.
8. He is the Earth’s bodyguard…literally!
In one issue, Bucky, Gamora and Moon Knight are tasked with finding out the guy who killed Uatu the Watcher. Due to the hallucinating reality warping effects of the comic orb they bumped into during the investigation, Bucky later realizes that he was the one who killed Uatu.
Bucky was being periodically brain washed by Nick Fury to carry out missions in outer space using tactics so violent and extreme that the Avengers would steer clear of them. Nick Fury would later become the Watcher and Bucky would become the Man on the Wall.
9. He died and was resurrected yet again
After Captain America’s departure, Bucky would take on the mantle of Captain America in the “Fear Itself” storyline. It is then that Bucky comes into contact with the deadly Sinthea “Sin” Schmidt, villainous daughter of the Red Skull.
Sin hatches up a trap that kills Bucky but he is later brought back from the dead using the Infinity Formula, a secret serum derived from the Super Soldier Serum. The Formula not only gives Bucky another chance at life but also drastically slows down his aging process.
10. Stan Lee hated Bucky Barnes
Don’t blame the guy. He had a legitimate reason to hate the Winter Soldier. Remember Bucky, as skilled as he might be, is still a child. Stan Lee did not like the idea of endangering the life of a teenage boy as the world pushes him into the line of fire to do their bidding.
Teenage sidekicks may give the reader’s a bad idea and Stan Lee did not want that for the Marvel fans. Many claim that this is the reason Bucky was killed off so abruptly back in the past.
11. The surprising reason Bucky was resurrected
Bucky Barnes was a celebrated character in the pages of Marvel Comics. His death likewise, shocked many but the way Marvel Comics handled Bucky’s death so unemotionally and insensitively also shocked many Marvel fans. Ed Brubaker used to love Bucky Barnes and he too knew that the way Marvel Comics had pushed Bucky off the ship was unjust and hurtful.
What’s even more disgusting was that there was just one page dedicated to Bucky’s death, a character that was pivotal in building Marvel Comics in its formative years. So Brubaker decided to do something about it. Bucky was later ret-conned to have been captured by the Soviets, not killed as the original story went and Brubaker brought the guy back from the dead as the Winter Soldier. The rest, as you know, is history.
