The character of James “Bucky” Barnes has one of the most fascinating and transformative publication histories in comics. He first appeared alongside his mentor in Captain America Comics #1 in March 1941, created by the legendary duo Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. In the Golden Age of comics, teenage sidekicks were a popular trope, designed to provide a relatable character for young readers and a sounding board for the hero. Bucky was the archetypal example: a plucky, capable orphan and camp mascot who discovered Steve Rogers's identity and became his partner in fighting Nazis.
For decades, Bucky's primary role was defined by his death. In a retcon established in The Avengers #4 (1964), it was revealed that Bucky and Captain America were trying to disarm an experimental drone plane launched by Baron Heinrich Zemo in the final days of World War II. The plane exploded, seemingly killing Bucky and throwing Captain America into the icy waters of the North Atlantic, where he would be frozen for decades. This death became a cornerstone of Marvel continuity. It was famously cited as one of the few comic book deaths, alongside Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy, that should never be reversed. It served as the source of Steve Rogers's greatest guilt and was a foundational element of his character.
This all changed in 2005. Writer Ed Brubaker, a lifelong fan of the character, crafted a groundbreaking storyline beginning in Captain America (Vol. 5) #1. Brubaker introduced a mysterious Soviet assassin known as the Winter Soldier, a ghost whispered about in intelligence circles for over 50 years. In a shocking twist revealed in issue #6, this enigmatic figure was revealed to be a brainwashed, cybernetically-enhanced Bucky Barnes. This retcon was not merely a resurrection; it was a complete reinvention. It transformed a historically one-dimensional sidekick into a complex, tragic, and compelling modern character. The design, crafted by artist Steve Epting, with its cybernetic arm and stealth suit, instantly became iconic. The Winter Soldier's reintroduction is now widely regarded as one of the best and most impactful comic book retcons of all time, fundamentally revitalizing the Captain America franchise.
James Buchanan Barnes was born in Shelbyville, Indiana, in 1925. An orphan whose father, a soldier, died in training at Camp Lehigh before the U.S. entered WWII, he was unofficially adopted as the camp's mascot. He was smart, tough, and highly capable, and it was here he befriended the clumsy but good-hearted Private Steve Rogers. One night, Bucky accidentally walked in on Steve changing into his Captain America uniform, discovering his friend's secret identity. Rather than being silenced, Bucky was trained extensively by Captain America and became his partner. Contrary to the public perception of him as a mere sidekick, Bucky was a highly effective operative. He was trained to do the things Captain America, as a symbol, couldn't—the covert operations, the assassinations, the “dirty work” of war. This darker side of his WWII service was a later addition to his history, meant to foreshadow his future as an assassin. In the closing days of the war in 1945, Captain America and Bucky confronted Baron Zemo. They leaped onto a drone plane Zemo had launched, which was laden with explosives. The plane exploded mid-air. Captain America was thrown into the freezing water below, while Bucky was seemingly vaporized. However, Bucky did not die. The explosion ripped off his left arm, but he survived the fall into the ocean, where his body was recovered by a Russian patrol submarine under the command of General Vasily Karpov. Bucky was found with amnesia and severe injuries. Karpov, seeing potential in the young American, turned him over to the clandestine Soviet agency, Department X. There, he was outfitted with a state-of-the-art bionic arm and subjected to intense brainwashing. He was molded into the perfect assassin, codenamed the Winter Soldier. For the next 50 years, the Winter Soldier was a phantom. He was kept in cryogenic stasis between missions to preserve his youth and abilities. When needed, he was thawed out, his mind wiped and reprogrammed, and sent to perform political assassinations and covert operations that shaped the Cold War. During one of his active periods in the 1950s, he had a relationship with a fellow Soviet operative, Natasha Romanoff, the future Black Widow. He was also responsible for numerous high-profile assassinations, including the murder of Itsu, the pregnant wife of Wolverine, as part of a larger plot to manipulate Logan. His reawakening came at the hands of Aleksander Lukin, Karpov's former protégé, who now ran Kronas Corporation. Lukin used the Cosmic Cube and activated the Winter Soldier to kill the Red Skull and launch terror attacks on U.S. soil. This brought him into direct conflict with Captain America. During a brutal confrontation, Steve managed to get his hands on the Cosmic Cube and used it to restore all of Bucky's memories. The psychic shock of remembering his past life and the atrocities he had committed caused Bucky to break free of his programming. Overwhelmed by guilt, he fled, beginning a long and difficult journey to atone for his actions as the Winter Soldier.
In the MCU continuity (Earth-199999), James “Bucky” Barnes's origin is deeply and personally tied to Steve Rogers from the very beginning. Born in 1917, he was Steve's childhood best friend in Brooklyn, acting as his fierce protector against bullies. When World War II broke out, the charismatic and physically capable Bucky enlisted, quickly rising to the rank of Sergeant in the 107th Infantry Regiment. Steve, physically unfit for service, was repeatedly rejected until he was chosen for the Super-Soldier Program. While Steve was performing in USO shows, Bucky's unit was captured by HYDRA forces under the command of Johann Schmidt (the Red Skull). Bucky was taken to an Austrian facility and experimented on by Arnim Zola, who was attempting to replicate the Super-Soldier Serum. These experiments augmented Bucky's physiology, granting him enhanced physical abilities. He was rescued by a newly empowered Steve Rogers, who single-handedly infiltrated the HYDRA base. After his rescue, Bucky joined Captain America as a member of his elite unit, the Howling Commandos. During a mission to capture Arnim Zola aboard a HYDRA train in the snowy mountains, Bucky was blasted out of a carriage by a HYDRA energy weapon. He clung desperately to a rail on the side of the train, but the rail broke, and Steve could only watch in horror as his best friend plummeted into the icy ravine below. He was presumed killed in action. Similar to the comics, Bucky survived the fall, though his left arm was severed. He was found by HYDRA forces, now under the control of Arnim Zola (whose consciousness would later be transferred to a computer). Recognizing the results of his earlier experiments, Zola had Bucky taken to a secret HYDRA facility. There, he was given a cybernetic arm and subjected to a brutal brainwashing protocol involving electroshock therapy and trigger words. This process erased his identity and turned him into the ultimate weapon: the Winter Soldier. For over 70 years, HYDRA kept the Winter Soldier in cryo-stasis, deploying him for key assassinations that shaped the 20th century, including, it is implied, the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Howard and Maria Stark. His missions ensured HYDRA's quiet rise to power within S.H.I.E.L.D. and across the globe. In the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he is activated by Alexander Pierce to eliminate Nick Fury and Captain America, who have uncovered HYDRA's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. During a fight on a Washington D.C. highway, Steve knocks off the Soldier's mask, revealing the face of his long-lost friend. The sight of Steve, and Steve's repeated attempts to reach him (“I'm with you 'til the end of the line”), causes fractures in his programming. After the Triskelion falls, Bucky saves an unconscious Steve from drowning in the Potomac River and disappears, beginning a two-year journey to rediscover his identity and escape his past. This journey eventually leads him to seek refuge in Wakanda, where Shuri helps him permanently deprogram the HYDRA brainwashing.
The Earth-616 Bucky Barnes is defined by a deep, pervasive guilt over his actions as the Winter Soldier. He is often portrayed as stoic, somber, and cynical, a man haunted by the ghosts of his past. Unlike Steve, who is a man out of time, Bucky is a man used by time, and this makes him far more world-weary. He is fiercely loyal to the few people he trusts, particularly Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff. His journey is a constant struggle for atonement, whether it's by trying to live up to Steve's legacy as Captain America or by taking on dangerous “man on the wall” missions to protect Earth from cosmic threats. He carries the weight of his sins and believes he can never truly be forgiven, only that he can try to balance the scales.
The MCU Bucky's personality is primarily defined by his relationship with Steve Rogers. Initially, he is charismatic and protective. As the Winter Soldier, he is a blank slate, a ruthless and emotionless weapon. The core of his character arc is the difficult, painful process of reclaiming his identity. He is wracked with guilt and PTSD from his time under HYDRA's control, as vividly explored in the series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He struggles to reconcile the man he was with the monster he was forced to become. His journey toward healing is more explicit than in the comics, involving therapy and a list of amends. He has a dry, sardonic sense of humor that often clashes with Sam Wilson's more affable nature. Ultimately, he is a man searching for peace and a sense of belonging in a world that has moved on without him, finding a new family with Sam and his sister, Sarah. His loyalty remains his defining trait, first to Steve, and now to the legacy Steve chose Sam to carry on.
This is the quintessential Bucky Barnes story, running through Ed Brubaker's initial run on Captain America (Vol. 5, issues #1-14). The storyline re-contextualized Captain America's world as a gritty spy thriller. A mysterious assassin known only as the Winter Soldier begins carrying out attacks, assassinating the Red Skull and framing Jack Monroe (Nomad). S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence reveals the Soldier is a ghost of the Cold War, responsible for countless deaths. The trail leads Captain America to a shocking discovery: the assassin is his long-dead partner, Bucky. The emotional climax involves Steve using the Cosmic Cube to restore Bucky's memories. The story was a critical and commercial success, praised for its noir tone, intricate plotting, and for achieving the impossible: bringing Bucky back in a way that was emotionally resonant and narratively brilliant.
Following the events of Civil War, Steve Rogers is assassinated on the steps of a courthouse. The world mourns, and a guilt-ridden Bucky, believing he could have prevented it, goes on a mission of vengeance against the Red Skull's forces. Meanwhile, Tony Stark, acting on a letter left behind by Steve, offers Bucky the chance to become the new Captain America. Bucky reluctantly agrees, but on his own terms: he will operate independently and will not be a government puppet. This storyline explored Bucky's immense struggle to live up to his mentor's legacy while fighting his own darker impulses. It proved that Bucky was a worthy successor and a compelling hero in his own right, forever cementing his place as an A-list character.
This film adapted the core of Brubaker's comic storyline and used it to shatter the foundations of the MCU. When Nick Fury is seemingly assassinated, Captain America is framed as a fugitive and forced on the run with Black Widow and Sam Wilson. They are hunted by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most dangerous asset: the Winter Soldier. The film's iconic highway fight scene culminates in Steve knocking off the Soldier's mask, revealing Bucky. This revelation shifts the entire conflict from a political thriller to an intensely personal story about saving a lost friend. The film's final act, where Steve refuses to fight Bucky aboard a crashing Helicarrier, choosing instead to appeal to his memory, perfectly encapsulates their bond and sets the stage for Bucky's entire future arc in the MCU.
Set after Avengers: Endgame, this series delves deep into the psychological aftermath of Bucky's life as the Winter Soldier. He is now pardoned but is in government-mandated therapy, attempting to make amends for his past. The series explores his severe PTSD and his difficulty connecting with a world that has moved on. When a new threat, the Flag Smashers, emerges, he is forced to team up with Sam Wilson, who is struggling with the weight of inheriting Captain America's shield. Their journey forces them to confront difficult truths about legacy, identity, and race in America, while also putting them back in the path of a liberated Helmut Zemo. The series is a crucial chapter in Bucky's story, moving him past the “brainwashed assassin” phase and establishing him as a fully-formed hero finding a new purpose and a new family.