Redeeming Seargent Barnes

Spoilers for Captain America: Civil War will be in this character study.  You have been warned.

The Winter Soldier, alias James Buchanan Barnes.

The Winter Soldier in this story was responsible for the deaths of hundreds in the seventy years between his death and the return of Captain America.  Most of them were good people.  He served as the murderous arm of a Nazi death cult called Hydra.  He followed their orders without question, without mercy, and without remorse for decades.  It is easy to see why governments all over would want him to suffer.

What they fail to realize is that he has, and continues to suffer more than they could ever imagine.

Let's turn the clocks back to the early forties.  Bucky Barnes was a capable young men who defended those that couldn't defend themselves, particularly his best friend Steve Rogers.  He was content to go on dates and visit science fairs at home.  But his country was at war, and the only thing that his best friend wanted was to be a part of defending the country.  Perhaps he wanted to stay because he wanted to make sure Steve was defended.  Perhaps he was afraid of going off to die in a country he didn't know, and who could blame him.  Whatever his reasons, he waited until he was drafted and dragged into the fighting to make his heroic entrance.  Of course he told Steve that he enlisted.  How could you say anything else to someone who would give anything to go?

While fighting on the front lines his entire regiment was captured as prisoners of war.  Assigned to hard labor to build hydra's super weapon, Bucky was hand picked to be experimented on by the red skull's second in command, Dr. Zola.  Trying to replicate the formula that created the hero known as Captain America, Sargent Barnes endured torturous procedures.  How he was hand picked is left a mystery.  It could be that he was being made an example of for the other prisoners.  Perhaps he was again defending the weak, and was now paying the price.  Whatever the reasons for being singled out, the experiments performed on him allowed him to survive certain death.

Rescued by Steve Rogers, Bucky must have thought he was dead for a moment.  The shock and happiness he must have felt seeing his best friend as strong and whole must have felt like heaven for a moment.  Then he realizes that he is indeed alive, and he finds himself in a role he is not comfortable with.  He is the little guy, and Steve has to save him from trouble.

He remained Steve's strongest supporter, even getting in over his head trying to protect him.  It was such an urge to defend his friend which landed him on the side of a train about to fall to his "death."

And so, Bucky Barnes died a hero.  The loss broke Captain Rogers.  But he survived the fall.  He was taken in secret and through torture and psychological deconstruction.  He was unmade.  His thoughts were clawed out, and he was reduced to a mindless drone of destruction.  He was brainwashed.  But he was awake.  They froze him between missions to make sure Bucky Barnes didn't return.

It has been said that the worst thing that could ever happen to a good man is to force him to hurt the ones he cares about.  To see through their eyes that they were the source of destruction and pain.

Bucky Barnes woke up during the fall of Hydra.  He wouldn't kill Steve Rogers.  That is what finally short circuited his programming.  Horrified at what he had become, Bucky ran.  The boy who didn't want to go to war returned.  He remembered.

Now we come to the events in Civil War.  After one too many incidents, the governments of the world are out for the blood of the Winter Soldier.  Captain America isn't about to abandon his friend now, no matter who is against him.  When he finds him, it is hardly the reunion that Steve hoped.  Bucky tries to pretend that he doesn't remember Steve.  But of course, Steve knows when his friend is lying.  Why he lied is anyone's guess, but I believe that the most likely reason is that he feels like he doesn't deserve Steve's friendship.  After all of the things that he has done, he doesn't feel like he is worth saving.  But Steve still sees his worth.

Sacrificing everything, Steve saves his friend once again.  In the final scenes of the movie, it is revealed that two of the many people murdered by the Winter Soldier are Tony Stark's parents.  Tony is understandably furious and is ready to kill this man.  What shows Bucky's character is that he is almost reluctant to flee.  Perhaps he doesn't want to leave his friend with an murderous Iron Man, or perhaps a part of him wants Tony to succeed.  He feels that he deserves it.  There is so much anger in Tony's voice when he demands of Bucky, "Do you even remember them?!?"  And there is so much pain behind his reply of, "I remember all of them!"

This is a tortured man.  This is a good man who has to live with the fact that his hands choked out a boy's mother.  His fist beat a boy's father to death, and he felt every stroke, powerless to stop it.  And hundreds more.  It's no wonder he doesn't think he is worth the friendship that Cap so freely gives.  But that alone gives him hope.  His friend is so stubborn, so unyielding in his belief that Bucky can be saved.  It gives Bucky something to live for.  It gives him the strength to hold on for a cure.

One day when Steve Rogers can no longer hold the shield it may be this broken individual who will wield it.  So, one could ask, "was it all worth it?"  I believe I know what Cap's answer would be.  And one day Bucky will get the chance to show the world what he is made of.  I look forward to that day.