Bucky Barnes, best friend of history as an assassin as well as a World War II and new-age hero, there are a few things that don't always make sense.
Bucky was always the sidekick of sorts, he never has his own movie, so it makes sense that fans wouldn't understand everything about him, but that doesn't make it feel any better. Here are just a few things that we don't understand about Bucky Barnes.
How He Survived
Bucky Barnes falls from a train and disappears in the first Captain America movie. The train is running along a cliff so Cap, like the audience, assumes that Bucky has perished.
That, obviously, ends up not being the case, but just how Bucky survived his fall is never made clear to viewers. It's understood that Bucky is found by the Soviets and experimented on by Hydra, but how he actually survived his fall from above in the first place is never really explained.
How Much Work He Did For Hydra
It's generally understood that Bucky worked for Hydra and that the Winter Soldier was a very effective assassin. He killed Howard and Maria Stark for example. But just how much work did he do for Hydra? Who else was murdered while Bucky was brainwashed?
Fans are offered the general overview of the big bag Soviet killer, but the details are sparse and that leaves a lot of questions about Bucky's past and the many years he spent not being dead before he reappeared in Steve's life.
How He Stayed So Young
It is understood that Captain America still looks like the Steve Rogers of the 1940s because he was frozen in ice for the many years in between. He was held in stasis and thus got to hold onto his good looks once S.H.I.E.L.D thawed him out.
That's not what happened to Bucky. He was captured almost immediately after his fall during the war. So why is it that Bucky still looks just the way Cap re him? While Cap has a backstory to explain it, Bucky still lacks a detailed one.
Why Didn't He Apologize to Tony?
When Captain America finally turns Bucky's mind back from supervillain mush in parents.
Why didn't Bucky ever apologize? If he'd tried to say he was sorry (rather than have Cap make excuses for him) maybe things wouldn't have spiraled out of control the way they did.
What Was He Doing in Wakanda?
Bucky Barnes, whether in villain mode or hero mode, seems to make friends oddly easily. It's true the Black Panther starts out by trying to murder Bucky (for understandable reasons) but he later takes him in and helps to hide him and heal him in Wakanda.
Despite this assistance, it's never clear exactly what Bucky does while he is spending time in Wakanda. The excuse can be made that he wasn't in his right mind and he's just healing, but exactly how is he doing that?
Why Doesn't He Go Back to Cap After Going to the Museum?
At the end of the Winter Soldier, Bucky makes a trip to the museum to see the Captain America display. Not only is Cap's story laid out, but Bucky's own story is laid out there as well.
With the truth staring him in the face Bucky still goes off on his own, not to reappear in Steve's life until the events of Civil War disrupt everything. But why didn't he go back to Steve immediately? Try ad get some help? Make amends? No one knows.
Why Didn't He Help Steve Get Into The Army?
Of course, back in the day, it was Bucky protecting Steve rather than Steve protecting Bucky, but it's still odd that Bucky wouldn't help Steve get into the army when he goes off himself. Letting Steve try for it on his own, and have no backup, doesn't seem like a Bucky move.
Of course, the pair are later reunited, but Bucky misses most of the growth of Captain America. Their friendship seems at odds with these early decisions.
Why Isn't He Captain America?
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, old man Steve returns, and the Captain America shield makes its way into Sam Wilson's hands.
In no way is Sam undeserving, but it's still strange that there wasn't more overall fleshing out of the shield's ing. Overall, it seemed like a missed opportunity for interaction between these three.
Why Didn't He Recognize Howard Stark?
Of course, Bucky was tortured and lost his mind. He was under the influence of Hydra when he was working as an assassin and killed Howard Stark.
That said, Howard and Bucky would certainly have known one another as they both worked with Cap during the war (Howard even outfitted all of Cap's men, which would have included Bucky). So why was their no recognition? Apology? Or an indication that this death meant more to Bucky than any of his other killings? It would have been nice to see some kind of indication of history.
How Was He Supposed to Recognize Natasha?
In Captain America: Civil War, Natasha Romanoff faces off against Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes. When he has the upper hand at one point Natasha mutters, "You could at least recognize me".
But why should Bucky recognize Natasha? Because he's fought her before? There seems to be more to this line than their brief previous encounters, but no major explanation ever made its way into Bucky's life or that of his fans.
