James Buchanan Barnes

Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes (a.k.a. Bucky; Winter Soldier)

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Barnes was one of the recipients of HYDRA's Super Soldier Serum. There were no apparent effects at the time of his rescue by Steve Rogers, but the changes the serum caused in Barnes' body were sufficient to let him survive a plunge into an icy river at the bottom of a fall that should have killed him. According to the Smithsonian Institution, Barnes was already "an excellent athlete." Like Steve Rogers, he too has early levels of superhuman conditioning, due to his enhanced physiology. He was also equipped with a titanium arm capable of deflecting bullets and was later given a new vibranium arm after losing his original one.

Special abilities

• Enhanced Strength
• Enhanced Durability
• Enhanced Speed
• Enhanced Agility
• Enhanced Stamina
• Enhanced Reflexes
• Regenerative Healing Factor
• Longevity
• Master Assassin
• Master Martial Artist
• Knife Mastery
• Master Marksman
• Master Acrobat
• Expert Tactician
• Pilot
• Multilingualism

Specialized Equipment

Barnes lost his left arm and had it replaced with a cybernetic one by HYDRA. His cybernetic arm is incredibly resistant to physical damage, which is completely bulletproof, made evident when Barnes used the arm to block several gunshots from a German officer. However, it did have its limitations, as one shot of Iron Man's Unibeam cut right through it. After his original arm was destroyed, Barnes received a new vibranium arm from T'Challa. This new arm grants him even higher durability due to it being composed of vibranium, as well as the benefit of being vibration absorbent. The arm is not above invulnerable however, as members of the Dora Milaje knew secret buttons within the arm that expelled it from Barnes' shoulder, though it could be reconnected easily.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a World War II veteran, former officer of the 107th Infantry Regiment and the best friend of Steve Rogers since childhood. Barnes had enlisted into the Army following the attack on Pearl Harbor and was assigned to the 107th in 1943. His unit was captured by HYDRA, where Barnes was injected with the Super Soldier Serum by Arnim Zola. Barnes was rescued by Rogers, who had become Captain America. Barnes and Rogers then formed the Howling Commandos to battle Red Skull's forces. However, during the attempt to finally capture Zola in the Austrian Alps, Barnes was caught up in the ambush and plummeted hundreds of feet. As no body was recovered, Barnes was presumed deceased and honored as a hero who died in service to his country.
Unbeknownst to his team, Barnes' enhanced abilities allowed him to survive the fall, albeit with the loss of his left arm. Once he was found by the Soviet Armed Forces and HYDRA, Barnes was brainwashed and armed with a new cybernetic arm in order to become their operative, known as Winter Soldier. Over the next fifty years, he killed anyone who posed any kind of threat to HYDRA or the Soviet Union, including John F. Kennedy as well as Howard Stark and his wife, Maria. Between missions, Winter Soldier would be put back into a cryogenic stasis to ensure his longevity. In 2014, Winter Soldier was ordered by Alexander Pierce to kill Nick Fury, in order to ensure that all Pierce's schemes with Project Insight could go ahead. However, Winter Soldier was challenged by Steve Rogers, leading to him to begin remembering his prior life.
In the wake of the Battle at the Triskelion, Barnes, now free, deserted HYDRA in order to remember his past and end his long, violent history. Two years later, Barnes was framed for the bombing of the Vienna International Centre, which claimed the life of T'Chaka. As Black Panther then sought his revenge for his father's death, Barnes was repeatedly saved by Captain America, which sparked the Avengers Civil War as a team of Avengers led by Iron Man was sent to capture him. However, they learned that Helmut Zemo framed Barnes and reactivated his brainwashing so that Zemo could reveal that Barnes had murdered Stark's parents years ago. Having just survived Stark's revenge, Barnes was given amnesty in Wakanda by T'Challa and was placed in cryostasis until all HYDRA's control could be removed.
With the help of Shuri, Barnes was finally cured of his brainwashing, earning the nickname White Wolf. However, as Thanos attempted to kill Vision for the Mind Stone, Barnes received a new vibranium arm and joined the defense of Wakanda. Winter Soldier defeated many of the Outriders alongside Rocket, only for Thanos to defeat them and assemble all of the Infinity Stones. Barnes was killed when Thanos eliminated half of all life in the universe. Five years later, Barnes was resurrected by Hulk and participated in the final battle against Thanos.
With his name pardoned, Barnes sought atonement for all his actions as the Winter Soldier. His attempts were interrupted when John Walker was made the next Captain America, and the Flag Smashers emerged to act against the GRC's efforts to handle the aftermath of the Blip. He and Sam Wilson would go on a mission to stop the Flag Smashers, working with Helmut Zemo and Sharon Carter. However, their mission was complicated by Walker's attacks, until Walker murdered a Flag Smasher over Battlestar's death. Barnes and Wilson were forced to defeat Walker to stop him from continuing to be Captain America. Barnes would then join Wilson and Walker in the final battle with the Flag Smashers, helping in their defeat and making amends with his past. The next year, he was attacked by Nebula, who stole his arm so that she could give it to Rocket as a Christmas gift.

Sexuality

Bucky is bisexual.

Education

Bucky attended George Washington High School from 1932 to 1936.

Employment

After Pearl Harbor, Bucky enlisted in the United States Army, joining the 107th Infantry Regiment. He became a sergeant and underwent sniper training.

Morality & Philosophy

Prior to his brainwashing, Bucky Barnes was extremely devoted, loyal, headstrong, and patriotic. He was a good and close friend to Steve Rogers during their youth; he helped him when he got into fights and tried to cheer him up and look after him when Rogers' mother died. Best friends since childhood, they went through many trials and tribulations together. He was also protective of Rogers, as demonstrated when Steve planned to enlist in the United States Army. Barnes tried to talk him out of it, as he knew he would die because of his physical condition and poor health.
Due to his advanced physiology, however, Barnes survived his apparent death but was found by HYDRA instead. Trained as a living weapon, Barnes became a new man so to speak, as his memories and identity were constantly being erased or suppressed until he was augmented into the perfect assassin, the Winter Soldier. As the Winter Soldier, he was brutal, ruthless and appeared totally emotionless, often completely silent and not uttering a word except to his handlers. This may have been due to the damage inflicted on the parts of his brain which controlled not just memory, but also emotional regulation from the constant mind wipes.
However, his first encounter with Rogers following his fall and brainwashing, caused him to remember parts of his old life and realize he knew Rogers. In his second encounter with Rogers, he refused to believe he remembered him due to his memory being wiped again, but after Rogers repeated the same line Bucky said to him following the funeral of Rogers' mother, Bucky realized how he knew Rogers, which freed him from Hydra's mind control. No longer under Hydra's control, Barnes saved Rogers after the Insight Helicarrier blew up. While he later told Steve he did not know why he did it, it was due to Rogers reminding him of who he was, to which he initially reacted with violence before finally accepting the truth of it.
While he still holds a mostly serious and introverted demeanor, he retains a sense of humor, as shown when he and Captain America reminisced over earlier times in their friendship. His sense of humor can also be dry at times, as shown when he asked Wilson why he couldn't use Redwing on Spider-Man earlier. Barnes was shown to be a fan of board games, during his date with Leah. He also retains his flirtatious nature, constantly flirting with Sarah Wilson, much to her brother's annoyance.
Even though Barnes has regained his identity and former values, he has also developed a guilt-ridden conscience, and became deeply ashamed and remorseful over his actions as the Winter Soldier. He previously stated that he has an absolute memory of every person he has killed, and acknowledges with great regret and self-loathing that the fact he was brainwashed does not change the fact that he killed them. Upon watching his murder of Howard and Maria Stark, he was visibly stunned and ashamed of what he had done. Fearing for his mental state changing and what he might bring about those around him, Barnes ultimately decided that placing himself in cryogenic stasis until he could be cured of HYDRA's mental programming completely would be the best course of action.
After being cured of HYDRA's programming, Barnes appears to have come to terms with his past. As the White Wolf, Barnes lived quietly in Wakanda, where he spent his time entertaining the children and farming, until T'Challa asked for his assistance in the Battle of Wakanda. When presented with a replacement cybernetic arm, Barnes, recognizing its meaning, didn't hesitate to join his allies in the battle. However, severe self-loathing persists due to the extent and nature of the crimes HYDRA forced him to commit, to the extent that he recognized that John Walker was dangerously unstable and unfit for the mantle of Captain America, long before the Super Soldier Serum and Lemar Hoskins' death caused Walker to become unhinged, purely because he saw aspects of himself in Walker.
Despite the years of brainwashing, Barnes still contains many elements of his old self, being rather old-fashioned on his first date with Leah, presenting her with a bouquet of flowers, as well as later confessing to Sam Wilson that he still listens to the 40s era music. Barnes holds a deep personal connection to Captain America's Shield, stating that it's the closest thing that he has left to a family. He is deeply hurt after finding out that Wilson has given the shield to the Smithsonian Institution, and that Walker has subsequently taken the mantle of Captain America. The legacy of the shield is what ultimately causes Barnes and Wilson to cross paths once again. Barnes initially confronts Wilson on several occasions, directly criticizing him for surrendering the shield, believing that he has disrespected and discarded Captain America's legacy like it was nothing. Barnes later confesses that the reason why he has initially pressured and blamed Wilson for giving up the shield was because it made him question Rogers' decisions, as well as his own.
Regardless of their many differences, Barnes has developed a close bond with Wilson during their struggle against the Flag Smashers, with Barnes later voluntarily helping him fix the Paul & Darlene family boat, and with Wilson subsequently inviting Barnes to sleep over at the Wilson Family Residence. After helping him practice throwing the shield, Barnes sincerely apologizes to Wilson, stating that he now realizes the pressure that Wilson was under after Rogers initially gave him the shield. Barnes also confesses about his nightmares, showing his newly developed trust in Wilson.

Social

Family Ties

• "Gramma" Hubbard (grandmother, deceased)
• George M. Barnes (father, deceased)
• Winnifred C. Barnes (mother, deceased)
• Rebecca P. Barnes Proctor (sister)
• Barbara Barnes Dernier (sister)
• Sarah Barnes (sister)
• Ida (aunt, deceased)
• Unnamed niece and nephew
• Scott Proctor (grandnephew)
• Kimberly Proctor (grandniece)

Religious Views

Bucky's family is half-Jewish, half-Catholic. Bucky, however, is not very pious.

Species

Human

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Codenames

• Winter Soldier (Зимний Солдат)
• White Wolf

Derivatives

• Buck
• Jimmy

Organizational Names

• Prisoner #56898

Date of Birth

March 10, 1917

Year of Birth

1917 AD 84 Years old

Birthplace

New York City, New York

Family

Barnes Family

Pronouns

He/Him

Sex

Male

Gender

Man

Presentation

Masculine

Eyes

Blue

Hair

Brown

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Fair

Height

5'10"

Weight

260 lbs.

Quotes & Catchphrases

"I got a vibranium arm. I can take them."

— Bucky Barnes

"There are things from the Winter Soldier days that I'm just remembering. Weapons left in the field... Dangers I can still prevent. I think maybe that's the path... A way to the redemption I've been looking for."

— Bucky Barnes

Known Languages

Bucky is fluent in his native English, as well as Romanian, Russian, and Xhosa, albeit in an American accent. He is also able to understand German and Japanese.