Winter Soldier

"I'm with you until the end of the line, pal."

- James Barnes to Steve Rogers

Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, better known as Bucky Barnes, was a soldier of the and the childhood friend of Steve Rogers. During World War II, he became a member of the Howling Commandos. They attacked many HYDRA bases together. During a battle on a HYDRA train, Bucky was attacked and fell off the train.

He was then assumed to be deceased, but he actually survived, though he lost his left arm. Brainwashed and armed with a new cybernetic limb, he eventually became a HYDRA operative known as the Winter Soldier. Over the next decades, he would assassinate everyone who posed a threat to HYDRA, spending time between missions in a cryogenic state.

However, when he was sent to kill S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, he was confronted by his old friend, Steve Rogers, which caused him to start remembering who he really was.

Early Life
"Thank you Buck, but I can get by on my own." "The thing is, you don't have to. I'm with you till the end of the line, pal."

- Steve and Bucky after Sarah Rogers' funeral James Buchanan Barnes was born on March 10, 1917, as the oldest child of four, growing up to become an excellent athlete who also excelled in the classroom.

During his childhood, he met Steve Rogers at an early age. The two become best friends and stuck together for years. In 1940, Steve's mother, Sarah Rogers, died of tuberculosis. After her funeral, Bucky tried to help Steve, but he refused, saying he could get by on his own. He told him he didn't have to because he was with him "till the end of the line", something Steve would keep to heart for a long time.

Training Rogers
A year later, during an art class, Bucky and Steve found out that America had joined the Second World War. Over the next two weeks he trained Steve at Goldie's Boxing Gym. They visited the US Recruiting and Induction Center in New York City where Steve was classified as 4F and rejected from service. Bucky was later drafted in the Army.

Sergeant Barnes
"This isn't a back alley, Steve. It's war!"

- Bucky to Steve Rogers

Eventually, Barnes rose to the rank of Sergeant. The day before his shipment out to England, Bucky found Steve Rogers being beaten up by a bully, Barnes came to the defense of his friend and quickly sent the bully running away. Barnes learned that Rogers had been attempting to enlist in the army again, using false documents to try and get deployed. Barnes informed Rogers that he had received his orders and would be going to war the next day, at first Rogers seemed upset as he was not shipping out to war with his best friend, but Barnes was determined to cheer his friend up. So instead of moping, Bucky took Steve to Stark Expo. Barnes and Rogers then went to the Stark Expo together, with Barnes determined to enjoy his last day in the city before shipping out, what Barnes did not tell Rogers however was that it was in fact a double date with Connie and Bonnie, when Rogers asked what Barnes had told his date about him, Barnes simply replied "only the good stuff". While exploring the Expo, the group watched Howard Stark demonstrate his prototype flying car, which greatly impressed Barnes, until it malfunctioned and fell to the ground. When Barnes turned around to suggest the group go dancing, he saw that Rogers had walked away from the group. Though Barnes was having fun, Rogers was interested in attempting to enlist for the fifth time. Barnes found him trying to enlist and first tried to persuade him to rejoin him on the double date, when that did not work he reminded him that he wasn't going to be fighting in a back alley but in a war. Despite Barnes' protests, Rogers went through with it but said a heartfelt goodbye to Bucky before doing so, Rogers told him not to win the war until he got there and Bucky left with Connie and Bonnie. Barnes and his unit the 107th then shipped out to England the next day.

Prisoner of War
"I thought you were dead." "I thought you were smaller."

- Captain America and Bucky Barnes

On the battlefields of Europe, Barnes and his unit, including Dum Dum Dugan and Gabe Jones, were ambushed by the Nazis at Azzano. Though the battle seemed hopeless as they were outgunned with no reinforcements on the way, the battle turned when another German unit appeared and used an extremely powerful tank to kill the Nazis. The tank then turned to Barnes' unit and they were soon captured by HYDRA. They were sent to work at the HYDRA weapons facility in the Austrian Alps, halfway between and.

In October 1943, he met other Allied POWs: including Jacques Dernier and James Montgomery Falsworth. During his stay in the facility, he was viciously beaten by the commander of the compound, Colonel Lohmer. However, other prisoners organized "an accident" which resulted in Lohmer's death. Barnes and his friends worked on parts of the Valkyrie, the giant super bomber. When Barnes became too weak to continue he was taken to an isolation clinic, there he was forced to undergo experiments conducted by Arnim Zola.

In November 1943, the facility was infiltrated by Steve Rogers, who had undergone an experiment which had given him enhanced strength. Rogers made his way through the base and freed the prisoners, including Barnes. As the freed POW's battled against the HYDRA forces, Rogers and Barnes became trapped inside the base as it began to self destruct. During the escape Barnes and Rogers encountered Johann Schmidt and Arnim Zola, after a brief fight, Schmidt revealed to them his true demonic face before escaping. Rogers and Barnes began working out an escape route in which they used a support beam to move to a safe section of the facility. They were able to escape moments before the entire facility was destroyed.

Barnes and Rogers regrouped with the rest of the escaped POW's and together they walked with the other freed soldiers all the way back to Colonel Chester Phillips' base in Italy, 30 miles out. Once they arrived along with the weapons and vehicles they had stolen from HYDRA, they were greeted warmly by the other soldiers and Phillips chose not to punish Rogers for undertaking the rescue mission against Phillip's strict orders. As the entire unit gathered together, Barnes called for all the soldiers to cheer for their saviour Captain America. They POW's were then given medical attention before being given some time away from the battlefield to recover.

Howling Commandos
"Sergeant Barnes said that they were shipping to a facility not on this map."

- Captain Rogers to Chester Phillips

After their escape from the HYDRA prison, Barnes, Dum Dum Dugan, Jacques Dernier, Gabe Jones, Jim Morita, and James Montgomery Falsworth were given a break from duty. Steve Rogers joined them in a pub and convinced them to join his crusade against the Nazis and HYDRA, forming an elite group of fighters that would eventually be known as the Howling Commandos. Barnes told Rogers that he wouldn't follow Captain America, but he would follow his friend. When Peggy Carter also arrived at the pub, Barnes had to deal with the realization that Rogers was now the one who gets flirted with, not him. Eventually Barnes and the newly formed Howling Commandos, joined Captain America in on the battlefield once again Over the following months, Barnes, Rogers, and the Commandos progressively destroyed most major HYDRA operations, preventing Johann Schmidt and Arnim Zola any real ability to work on their scientific projects and plans. Barnes often worked as the sniper of the group, protecting his team of Commandos from the HYDRA enemy.

"Death"
"I had him on the ropes." "I know you did."

- Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers

In the winter of 1945, Barnes and Captain America prepared for a mission in which they would board a HYDRA train carrying Arnim Zola, with the aim of capturing the HYDRA scientist. Looking at the danger of the mission, Barnes joked that Rogers was getting pay-back for a time Barnes caused Rogers to throw up on a roller coaster. When Jim Morita intercepted a radio signal from HYDRA confirming that Zola was on the train, Barnes, Rogers and Gabe Jones used a zip wire to board the train as it travelled through the mountains.

While Gabe Jones stayed on the roof of the train, Barnes and Steve Rogers entered and began exploring the carriages. Moments after their arrival, they were spilt up and ambushed by a team of HYDRA Soldiers. While Rogers was forced to fight a heavily armed HYDRA guard, Barnes became pinned down by three soldiers, although he was able to kill two, he quickly ran out of ammunition and feared he would soon be killed. Rogers however was able to open the door and throw him a new gun which he used to kill the final soldier when Rogers distracted him. Barnes claimed that he had him on the ropes and Rogers assured him that he believed him.

Before they could relax, another HYDRA soldier appeared behind them and fired at them with a HYDRA Assault Rifle, blowing a hole through the side of the train. Barnes picked up Captain America's Shield and fired at the soldier, but he was shot again with the assault rifle, the power of the blast throwing him off the train. Rogers was able to dispatch the soldier and attempted to rescue Barnes as he hung off a rail on the side of the train. However the rail snapped before Rogers was able to save him, which resulted in Barnes falling into an icy river below.

Found by HYDRA
"Sergeant Barnes... the procedure has already started. You are to be the new fist of HYDRA!"

- Arnim Zola

Due to his slightly enhanced strength provided to him by HYDRA's experiments, Barnes was just able to survive the fall from Arnim Zola's train, although he lost an arm. His nearly lifeless body was discovered by a Soviet soldier and eventually was handed over to HYDRA. He was kept their prisoner for many years, until Arnim Zola was released from the SSR's custody and continued his experiments.

In the care of the newly recreated HYDRA now working underneath S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose, Barnes underwent further experimentation at the hands of Arnim Zola and various other doctors. Removing the remnants of his severed arm, the doctors replaced the missing limb with a prosthetic one. Bucky was also subjected to multiple mind control methods to keep him under their command. Over time Bucky would lose all memory of his former life and became nothing more than a weapon for his greatest enemy. With the intention of using Barnes as their personal weapon, HYDRA had him frozen in suspended animation to prevent him from ageing after every mission.

The Winter Soldier
"Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists. The ones that do call him the Winter Soldier. He's a ghost. You'll never find him."

- Black Widow

Receiving vast training from HYDRA, Barnes became a formidable fighter and an even more ruthless killer. His experiences with the KGB would earn him the name of the 'Winter Soldier. The Winter Soldier would remain frozen for long periods of time until HYDRA saw fit to unfreeze him for certain missions. Over the next 50 years, the Winter Soldier would be responsible for countless assassinations including political parties. Due to his expertise on the field and the shadowy nature of his existence, the Winter Soldier became something of a Ghost Story with Intelligence Agencies doubting he even existed.

Encounter with the Black Widow
In 2009, the Winter Soldier was sent to kill a nuclear scientist. He found his target being escorted by S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, Natasha Romanoff. Without hesitation, he attacked his target, sending him and Romanoff over a cliff. Finding Romanoff saved the target from falling to his death, the Winter Soldier fired a single round through Romanoff's stomach. The bullet struck the scientist, effectively killing him. He then made his getaway without pursuit.

Bucky's Legacy
"Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country."

- A recording played in the Captain America Exhibit in the Smithsonian Institution

Almost seventy years after the end of World War II, Steve Rogers, awakened in the 21st century, studied S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files about the Commandos. In Bucky's file, he was reported as "Missing in action", as his corpse was never found and therefore he was never officially classified as deceased.

In the Smithsonian Institution, a part of the Captain America Exhibit is dedicated to Barnes' memory and shows a short biography of his life.

Before 2014, "Bucky" Barnes' name was listed in the Wall of Valor of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy of Science and Technology.

Attack on Nick Fury
In 2014, the Winter Soldier was activated to kill Nick Fury after he began to unravel HYDRA's secret existence. When Fury managed to escape death at the hands of over a dozen HYDRA agents in Washington, D.C., Barnes arrived and disabled Fury's car using a special grenade. However, when he made his way to the vehicle to finish Fury, he found his target had used a laser to escape his car and into the sewers. He later located Fury at Steve Rogers' apartment and shot him multiple times through the wall from another building, seemingly killing him. While making his escape, Rogers gave chase and tried to subdue Barnes by throwing his shield at him. However, Barnes stopped running and simply caught the shield with his bionic arm, throwing it back with incredible force. As Rogers stood frozen in shock at Barnes' strength and reflexes, Barnes leaped off the roof and escaped before Rogers could see where he went.

Hunting Captain America
"It was him: He looked at me like he didn't even know me." "How's that even possible? It was like, seventy years ago."

- Captain America and Falcon about the Winter Soldier

Instead of being returned to cryo-sleep, the Winter Soldier was later sent to Alexander Pierce's house for his next orders. His next targets were Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff who were attempting to reveal HYDRA's plan to wipe out over a million targets using S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarriers. The next day he attacked Rogers, Romanoff, and Sam Wilson on the freeway while they were kidnapping HYDRA sleeper agent, Jasper Sitwell. Throwing Sitwell from the car into an incoming truck, the Winter Soldier destroyed the car and forced it off the road. When he fired a grenade at his targets, Rogers deflected it and went flying off the bridge into a bus below. Instead of engaging Romanoff, Barnes began pursuing her through the streets of Washington, D.C., only to be ambushed. After shooting Romanoff through the shoulder, the Winter Soldier was attacked by Rogers before he could assassinate her. The two engaged in a brutal one-on-one fight, both rivaling each other with every move. In the midst of the fight, Rogers ripped the Soldier's mask off and stared in disbelief. Recognizing him as Bucky Barnes, Rogers brought the Soldier to a stand still. The Soldier briefly questioned who Bucky was, but soon remembered his mission and swiftly raised his gun to take a shot, but the Winter Soldier was suddenly knocked to the ground by Wilson. He attempted to shoot him again, but he was then shot at by Natasha Romanoff with the grenade launcher he dropped while fighting Rogers. He dodged the grenade and was forced to flee while HYDRA agents captured Rogers, Romanoff and Wilson.

Forgotten Memories
"The man on the bridge, who was he?" "You met him earlier this week on another assignment." "I knew him."

- Bucky Barnes and Alexander Pierce

Back at Base, Barnes became erratic and violent towards the doctors. After they repaired his arm, he began to remember fragments from his past. These fragments included his fall from the train, as well as the operations performed on him by Arnim Zola.

Alexander Pierce arrived at the Base to obtain Barnes' mission report, only to find Barnes in a state of disarray and would not listen, even when Pierce hit him across the face. Barnes claimed that he knew Steve Rogers somehow, Pierce claimed that he remembered him because he had meet him a week ago when he had killed Nick Fury, but Barnes insisted that he knew him. Seeing that Barnes was not mentally fit to continue with his mission, Pierce ordered Barnes to undergo further mind alterations to force his cooperation.

Holding S.H.I.E.L.D. Back
The following day, before HYDRA could complete their goal and activate the Helicarriers, Rogers and company infiltrated the Triskelion and revealed HYDRA's presence to his fellow agents who actively engaged in battle with HYDRA's undercover agents. In the ensuing chaos, Bucky slew a path through the open airfield, murdering pilots and destroying Quinjets. He flew a Quinjet to the third Helicarrier, where he ambushed Rogers and Sam Wilson. He shoved Rogers off the Helicarrier, destroyed Wilson's flight suit and threw him off the Helicarrier. Seeing that Rogers did not die and was still on the helicarrier, he ran ahead to meet him at the Target System.

Confronting Rogers
"People are gonna die, Buck. I can't let that happen... Please don't make me do this."

- Captain America

The Winter Soldier went to confront Rogers himself before he could reboot the Helicarrier's Target System. As the two stood opposite one another, Rogers pleaded with his former best friend for him to remember him. Barnes remained silent and ignored these pleas, seeing no other choice, Rogers engaged Barnes in combat once again.

The two fought in a lengthy hand-to-hand fight, during which the Winter Soldier got the Targeting Chip. Trying to obtain the Targeting Chip from Barnes, Rogers broke Barnes' arm, and injured his leg before subduing him. The Winter Soldier however, regained consciousness before Rogers could reach the System Override, shooting him multiple times. Despite this, Rogers managed to swap the Data Chips and had S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill have the three Helicarriers target each other, even with himself aboard one.

As the Carrier began to fall apart in mid-air, the Winter Soldier became trapped under debris. A badly injured Rogers leaped to his friend's aid and freed him. Begging for Bucky to remember him, telling him his true name and informing him they had been friends their whole lives. Rogers let his shield drop to the Earth, refusing to fight his friend. Barnes refused to listen, violently beating Rogers to a pulp as their surroundings began to deteriorate.

Remembering
"I'm not gonna fight you. You're my friend" "You're my mission!" "Then finish it. 'Cause I'm with you 'til the end of the line."

- Captain America and Winter Soldier

As the Winter Soldier claimed Rogers to be his mission, Steve quoted something Bucky said to him more than 70 years prior after his mother's funeral. Memories flooded to the surface, as Bucky relented, unwilling to throw another punch. The surface beneath them fell away, and Rogers plummeted into the river below.

Bucky quickly grabbed on to a metal beam, which allowed him to stay on the Helicarrier. Realizing that Rogers truly was his friend, Bucky let go of the beam and leaped in after Steve and pulled him ashore, saving his old friend's life. After saving him, Bucky quickly checked to see if Rogers was still breathing. After he discovered he was, he began slowly walking off into the nearby woods, going on a mission to discover his true identity.

Discovering the Truth
Some time after the battle, Barnes visited the Smithsonian Institution's Captain America Exhibit. While there, he found a memorial for a Howling Commando named Bucky Barnes who had seemingly been killed during World War II. As he stared intensely at his memorial, Barnes accepted that Steve Rogers was telling the truth and finally began to remember who he was.

Powers and Abilities
"He's fast. Strong. Had a metal arm."

- Captain America

After Bucky fell into a trench in an ice mountain, he was saved and given a metal arm, along with some other enhanced abilities from a serum that had a similar effect to the human body like the Super Soldier Serum given to Steve Rogers.

Powers

 * Enhanced Strength: The Winter Soldier has strength that is equal to that of Captain America. Bucky's strength was greatly boosted by a serum given to him by HYDRA scientists. The Winter Soldier's physical strength is enhanced to superhuman levels. He has used his legs and flesh arm to kick and punch others with a display of strength that far surpasses normal humans and closely resembles Captain America's own abilities.
 * Bionic Arm: HYDRA also removed the remnants of his severed left arm and replaced the missing limb with a cybernetic one. The bionic arm gives him enhanced strength superior to that of Captain America. The Winter Soldier was able to rip open a S.H.I.E.L.D. armor SUV, rip apart Falcon's EXO-7 suit, and smash concrete by punching it.
 * Enhanced Speed: The Winter Soldier's speed is comparable to Captain America's. It should be noted that Captain America can run at 26 miles per hour with relative ease, and still had trouble keeping up with the Winter Soldier in a chase sequence.
 * Enhanced Durability: The Winter Soldier's bones and muscles are denser and harder than normal, to the highest human potential, which makes him very durable compared to a normal human. Zola's experiments fortified his form to the extent that he survived a high fall in the Eastern Alps that would have been fatal to an ordinary man. Also he was able to leap from the bridge to the top of a car and land without any apparent injury. The roof of the car was not as lucky, being cracked by his landing.
 * Enhanced Stamina: The Winter Soldier's musculature produces less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human.
 * Enhanced Reflexes & Agility: The Winter Soldier's reflexes and agility is superior of a ordinary human. When Steve throws his shield at him while he was chasing after him, he easily catches it with his cybernetic arm and throws it back at him.
 * Regenerative Healing Factor: The Winter Soldier's healing speed and efficiency is at the highest limits of human potential, which means he can heal faster than most humans.

Abilities

 * Master Martial Artist: The Winter Soldier is a highly trained martial artist and excels at improvisation and weapons handling. Receiving vast training from HYDRA, Barnes became a master assassin that can slaughter dozens of enemies alone, take on highly skilled combatants such as Falcon and Black Widow with relative ease, and go toe to toe with Captain America. The two engaged in a brutal one-on-one fight, both rivaling each other with every move. The Winter Soldier also single-handedly killed up to a dozen well-armed Quinjet pilots in a single encounter and escaped uninjured.
 * Master Marksman: Bucky was a remarkably precise shot, even prior to being turned into the Winter Soldier. During World War II, he shot a HYDRA operative that Captain America did not see until he was down. As the Winter Soldier, he became an even deadlier marksman. The Winter Soldier fired a single round through Natasha Romanoff's stomach and into a nuclear scientist that she was protecting, killing him. The Winter Soldier is also capable of making long range shots without the use of a rifle, for example, shooting Nick Fury multiple times through the wall of Steve's apartment and from the top of another building.
 * Weapons Master: Barnes has access to high level weaponry and is skilled in the use of knives and specialty weapons. as the Winter Soldier, Bucky has caught and handled Cap's shield on two occasions and showed impressive ability in doing so.
 * Expert Pilot: The Winter Soldier was able to "hijack" a Quinjet after killing the pilot.
 * Multilingual: Barnes speaks both English and Russian fluently.

Equipment

 * Uniform: HYDRA designed a lightweight tactical suit for Bucky, complete with half-face mask attempting to conceal his true identity from the world. The uniform is constructed from nomex thread and kevlar fiber. The lightweight suit provides resistance to small arms fire, and has advanced flexibility for close quarters combat.

Weapons
"Ballistics." "Three slugs, completely untraceable." "Soviet made?" "Yeah."

- Natasha Romanoff and Maria Hill

While working for HYDRA, the Winter Soldier carried a vast array of weapons for combat, adapting his uniform with customized holsters to carry them. He was also usually handed extra weapons by his support henchmen.
 * : The Winter Soldier's weapon of choice, a semi-automatic pistol heavily used by armed forces and police of many countries.
 * : A submachine gun carried on the back of his vest
 *  and : Two small guns carried in the right thigh custom holster.
 * ' with a ': A fully automatic carbine intended for special operations use, attached with a grenade launcher.
 * : A grenade launcher customized to fire Magnetic Disk Grenades.
 * : A six-shot revolver-type grenade launcher.
 * : A six-shot revolver-type grenade launcher.

Allies

 * Captain America - Former Team Leader and Best Friend. Temporary Enemy.
 * United States Armed Forces - Former Allies
 * Chester Phillips † - Former Superior Officer
 * Howling Commandos - Former Teammates
 * Dum Dum Dugan
 * Gabe Jones
 * Jim Morita †
 * James Montgomery Falsworth †
 * Jacques Dernier

Enemies

 * HYDRA - Former Allies
 * Red Skull - Enemy
 * Arnim Zola † - Enemy
 * Alexander Pierce † - Former Superior Officer
 * Jasper Sitwell † - Victim
 * Black Widow - Enemy
 * Falcon - Enemy
 * Nick Fury - Assassination Target

Trivia

 * In the comics, Bucky had a complicated romantic relationship with Black Widow, and took over the mantle of Captain America after Steve Rogers was assassinated.
 * It was highly likely before being confirmed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, that while Bucky was captured, Arnim Zola was experimenting with an alternative to the Super Soldier Serum, thus granting Bucky the ability to survive his fall from the train.
 * The Winter Soldier proved untrue to Howard Stark's quote that HYDRA wouldn't attack Captain America with a pocket knife.

Behind the Scenes

 * Winter Soldier co-creator, Ed Brubaker appears in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as a HYDRA doctor who helps repair the Winter Soldier's mechanical arm.