The character of Bucky Barnes was first introduced alongside his famous partner in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941), created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. For decades, Bucky was the quintessential teenage sidekick, a symbol of youthful patriotism during World War II. His supposed death in the final days of the war, first depicted in The Avengers #4 (1964), became one of the most ironclad and respected deaths in comic book history, alongside that of Spider-Man's Uncle Ben. It was an immutable fact that defined Captain America's character, fueling his grief and his status as a “man out of time.”
This all changed in 2005. In a move that was initially met with skepticism but is now regarded as a modern masterpiece, writer Ed Brubaker and artist Steve Epting resurrected the character in Captain America (vol. 5) #1. Brubaker, a long-time fan, conceived of a way to bring Bucky back that was grounded in the espionage and spy-thriller tone he wanted for his run. The “Winter Soldier” persona was born from this idea—a Cold War ghost, a Soviet assassin whispered about in the intelligence community, whose identity was a mystery. This retcon, revealing that Bucky never died but was instead captured, brainwashed, and turned into a weapon, was not only a commercial success but a critical one, revitalizing the Captain America mythos for the 21st century and transforming Bucky from a historical footnote into one of Marvel's most compelling characters.
The origin of the Winter Soldier is a tale of tragedy, manipulation, and the erasure of identity. While the core concept remains the same, the specifics differ significantly between the comic books and the cinematic universe.
In the prime comic continuity, Sergeant James “Bucky” Barnes was an exceptionally skilled operative, trained for covert missions that the star-spangled Captain America couldn't be seen undertaking. His official record as a teen mascot was a cover; in reality, he was a highly-trained commando tasked with wetwork and infiltration. In late 1944, Captain America and Bucky confronted Baron Heinrich Zemo in an attempt to stop him from stealing an experimental drone plane. During the fight, the plane was launched with an active bomb on board. Rogers was thrown off, but Bucky leaped onto the plane to defuse the device. The bomb detonated mid-air, and Bucky was believed to have been killed in the explosion, with Steve Rogers falling into the icy waters of the North Atlantic, where he would be frozen for decades. However, Bucky did not die. The explosion ripped off his left arm, but the sub-zero temperatures of the water below preserved his body, much like Steve's. His unconscious form was discovered by a Russian patrol submarine under the command of General Vasily Karpov. Taken back to the USSR, Bucky was found to have profound amnesia. Recognizing his potential, Karpov's covert agency, Department X, initiated the “Winter Soldier Program.” They outfitted him with a state-of-the-art bionic arm, a marvel of Soviet technology that was regularly upgraded over the years. Through a brutal process of mental conditioning, torture, and brainwashing, his identity as Bucky Barnes was systematically erased and replaced with that of a loyal Soviet assassin: the Winter Soldier. For over fifty years, he was kept in cryogenic stasis between missions to halt his aging. When a target was identified, he would be thawed, programmed, and deployed. He became a ghost, an urban legend in the global intelligence community, responsible for countless assassinations, acts of sabotage, and political upheavals. During his active periods, he even had a hand in training a young Natasha Romanoff in the Red Room. His existence remained a secret until the modern era, when he was tasked by Karpov's protege, General Aleksander Lukin, with assassinating the Red Skull and stealing the Cosmic Cube. This act put him on a direct collision course with a now-resurrected Steve Rogers. Captain America refused to believe this killer could be his long-lost friend, but after a brutal confrontation, he used the Cosmic Cube to restore Bucky's memories. Flooded with decades of guilt for the atrocities he was forced to commit, Bucky fled, beginning his long and arduous journey toward atonement.
The MCU origin of the Winter Soldier shares a similar catalyst but diverges in its culprits and timeline. In 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it is revealed that Sergeant Bucky Barnes's fall from Baron Zemo's train in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) was not fatal. He survived the fall into the ravine, albeit with the catastrophic loss of his left arm. He was recovered not by the Soviets, but by HYDRA forces operating under the command of Arnim Zola, the Red Skull's chief scientist who had been captured by the Allies and secretly integrated into S.H.I.E.L.D.
Zola, who had previously experimented on Bucky when he was a POW, continued his work. He subjected Bucky to a version of the Super-Soldier Serum and further experimentation, enhancing his physical abilities to their peak. HYDRA's scientists then equipped him with a rugged, powerful cybernetic arm. The core of his transformation, however, was psychological. Using a brutal electroshock-based method of memory suppression, HYDRA erased his identity and replaced it with a set of trigger words (“Longing, rusted, seventeen, daybreak, furnace, nine, benign, homecoming, one, freight car.” 1)). When recited, these words would wipe his recent memory and render him completely compliant to HYDRA's commands.
Like his comic counterpart, the MCU's Winter Soldier was kept in cryo-stasis between missions, allowing him to operate as HYDRA's primary assassin for over 70 years without aging. He was the “fist of HYDRA,” a ghost agent responsible for shaping the 20th century through key political assassinations, including, as revealed in Captain America: Civil War (2016), the murder of Howard and Maria Stark. His conditioning was so effective that he had no memory of his past life until his shocking confrontation with Steve Rogers during the HYDRA Uprising. Steve's refusal to fight him and his desperate plea—“I'm with you 'til the end of the line”—sparked a flicker of recognition, causing the Soldier's programming to fracture. This began his slow, painful process of deprogramming and remembering who he was, first in solitude and later with the help of Shuri in wakanda.
The Winter Soldier is one of the most dangerous human-level combatants on Earth, combining the peak-human physiology of a super-soldier with the lethal skills of a master spy and the brute force of his cybernetic arm.
As the Winter Soldier, Bucky was a cold, emotionless machine, a perfect tool of his handlers. After regaining his memories, his personality became defined by overwhelming guilt and a desperate search for redemption. He is brooding, taciturn, and often struggles with the memories of his actions. He possesses a dry, cynical wit but carries the weight of his past heavily. Despite his darkness, the core of the loyal, determined Bucky Barnes remains, driving him to atone for his sins, often by operating in the shadows and doing the dirty work that other heroes won't.
Civil War, he was given a new, sleeker arm by T'Challa and Shuri in Wakanda. This arm is made of pure vibranium, making it incredibly durable and capable of absorbing kinetic energy. It also features failsafes to prevent it from being controlled or used against him.
The MCU's Winter Soldier is a terrifyingly blank slate, a programmed weapon with no hint of the man he once was. The process of regaining his identity is slow and torturous. The post-HYDRA Bucky is defined by a deep-seated trauma and PTSD. He is quiet, reserved, and haunted by his past, struggling to trust himself and others. His journey is about learning to live with his guilt rather than being consumed by it. His friendship with Sam Wilson in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is crucial to this healing process, forcing him out of his isolated grief and helping him find a new purpose as a hero, not a weapon. He evolves from the “Winter Soldier” to the “White Wolf,” a man who has found a measure of peace.
Civil War. Zemo's goal is to tear the Avengers apart from within, using the revelation that the Winter Soldier murdered Tony Stark's parents as his ultimate weapon.Infinity War and Endgame).This is the seminal storyline by Ed Brubaker that brought Bucky back. The plot follows Captain America investigating a series of high-profile assassinations attributed to a legendary Soviet ghost agent known as the Winter Soldier. As Steve and S.H.I.E.L.D. dig deeper, the evidence begins to point to the impossible: the assassin is Bucky Barnes. The arc culminates in a brutal, emotionally charged confrontation where Steve uses the Cosmic Cube to restore Bucky's fractured memories. The story was celebrated for its gritty, espionage tone and its masterful handling of a major retcon, instantly elevating Bucky Barnes to an A-list character.
In the aftermath of Civil War, Steve Rogers is assassinated on the steps of a courthouse. Bucky, wracked with guilt and believing he could have prevented it, goes on a vengeful hunt for those responsible, clashing with Tony Stark. It's eventually revealed that Steve's last wish, conveyed in a letter to Tony, was for Bucky to take up the shield and continue the legacy of Captain America. After a great deal of soul-searching and a promise from Tony that he will have complete autonomy, Bucky accepts. He becomes the new Captain America, wielding both the shield and a pistol, bringing a darker, more pragmatic edge to the role as he tries to honor his friend's memory.
This film places the Winter Soldier at the absolute center of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's greatest ideological conflict. Bucky, now living in hiding, is framed for the bombing of the UN by Helmut Zemo. This act turns him into the world's most wanted man and puts Steve Rogers in the impossible position of defending his friend against the world, including his own team. The conflict escalates when Tony Stark learns the truth: that the Winter Soldier, under HYDRA's control, murdered his parents in 1991. This deeply personal revelation shatters the Avengers, leading to a visceral, heart-wrenching battle between Iron Man, Captain America, and the Winter Soldier. The film is a masterclass in character-driven conflict, using Bucky's past as the tragic catalyst for the heroes' schism.
Avengers: Infinity War, Rocket Raccoon's comedic obsession with obtaining the arm became a running gag.Captain America Vol. 5 #1-14 (“The Winter Soldier” arc), Captain America #34 (“The Death of the Dream”), and the 2012 Winter Soldier ongoing series by Ed Brubaker.