With hype building for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+, we're looking back over Bucky Barnes' best moments in the MCU so far.
We're buzzing ahead of the release of Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ TV show, which will show how Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson cope in a world where Captain America, or at least Steve Rogers, is no longer at the heart of the action. It promises to be entertaining and intriguing at the same time and, with actors Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie reprising their roles, looks set to be one of the biggest TV shows of the year.
So, with that in mind, we're now going to take a look at Bucky's top 10 moments from his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Starting with something that happens right at the very beginning of his first outing in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger.
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10 Helping Steve
When we first meet Steve, he's extremely skinny and doesn't have the physical skills to join the US Army - despite having a heart of gold. He stands up to some bullies in an alleyway and immediately gets his ass kicked, leading to Bucky Barnes stepping and saving the day.
This sets the tone for what is to come, showing just how close Bucky and Steve are. It shows the former as a hero and a nice person, which makes his 'death' later in the blockbuster all the more devastating. You really do get a sense that they're best friends and it's touching to show that Bucky, unlike the rest of the world, doesn't treat his friend with any disdain or disrespect.
9 Let's Hear It For Captain America
When Steve takes the supersoldier serum and immediately becomes one of the fiercest people on the planet, Bucky could have been forgiven for feeling jealous. His friend, after all, is the talk of the town and every woman in America wanted to settle down with him.
But when Steve leads a rescue mission and succeeds, Bucky does no such thing. He instead shouts 'let's hear it for Captain America' and everybody claps, himself included. It's yet another scene where the strength of their friendship really shines through, despite them now being two very different people.
8 Catching The Shield
When Nick Fury appears to have died in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers does his best to try and track the mysterious assassin down. What then follows is a sublime rooftop chase, one that moves at breathtaking speed and ends with Bucky, under the guise of the Winter Soldier, catching his old friend's iconic shield.
This was a 'woah' moment from the trailer alone. Who can be strong enough to catch such a thing? The audience don't know at this point that Bucky and the Winter Soldier are the same person but, even without that information, this scene is a standout moment from a brilliant movie.
7 Saving Steve
At the end of the second Captain America movie, you grow fearful that one of Steve Rogers or the Winter Soldier will end up finishing each other off. They have a huge showdown as S.H.I.E.L.D explodes around them and, in the closing stages of their encounter, Bucky gets the upper hand.
He pauses when it comes to dealing the final blow, however. Sebastian Stan's acting in this moment is superb, with the actor doing a perfect job of conveying the conflict within Bucky. In the end the building they're fighting on is destroyed and Bucky pulls Steve from the river - before vanishing without a trace.
6 THAT Chase Scene In Civil War
Above, we've talked about the rooftop chase between Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers during the early moments of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But a similar scene in Civil War trumps it, making audiences feel breathless just from watching Bucky, Steve and Black Panther in action.
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Bucky is wrongly accused of the murder of Wakandan King T'Chaka and immediately tries to flee Berlin with Steve's help. However, Black Panther has other ideas and the trio move at sublime speed, jumping from building to building before Bucky is finally caught and incarcerated.
5 Interacting With Sam
Before Civil War, Bucky Barnes hadn't really been involved in any comedic sequences. For the most part, he's having to contend with everybody trying to hunt him down and bring him to justice despite the fact he was a victim of some horrible and hideous experiments from Hydra.
But that changes in the third Captain America movie, with Bucky finally getting a chance to show a different side to his character. His exchanges with Sam Wilson are absolute gold, with the duo clearly fighting for Cap's affections and both having their friend's best interests at heart. This, we believe, is why the Falcon and Winter Soldier show has so much potential. If they can produce the same chemistry, it's sure to be a huge hit among fans.
4 The Big Reveal
Civil War begins with the Winter Soldier killing the Starks. And the scheming Baren Zemo chooses to show a video of the incident to Tony Stark during the epic final showdown, promoting Iron Man to turn not just against Bucky Barnes, but Captain America as well.
You can tell that Bucky is remorseful for his actions but that doesn't stop he and Steve from ganging up on Stark, eventually managing to reign supreme. It's a powerful, massive moment for the MCU because it's also what well and truly drives Cap and Iron Man apart. They'd continue to be on opposing sides before putting their differences behind them to bring everybody back to life in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War.
3 Getting A New Arm
After Civil War, Bucky chooses to spend time in Wakanda, a place where he can avoid detection. However, in Infinity War, Sebastian Stan's character is forced out of his exile and back into battle, with Black Panther giving him a shiny new arm to replace the one he had blasted off by Tony Stark.
This symbolises how Bucky is turning his back on his old ways. The new arm represents a new opportunity, a new start. And that it is, with Barnes agreeing to give his all in the fight against Thanos.
2 Fighting Alongside The Avengers
Bucky has usually had to fight against the Avengers, rather than by their side. However, Infinity War sees that change with the man formerly known as the Winter Soldier taking the fight to Thanos when he arrives in Wakanda with the purpose of rendering half of the entire universe to dust.
In this moment, he's one of the team. What's also admirable is his courage, choosing to use a machine gun against a man who has the power of the Infinity Stones, literally, in his hands. It ends in disaster, though, with Bucky passing away, And his death, among many others, that prompts Captain America to do everything he can to bring the deceased back to the land of the living.
1 Accepting Steve's Decision
At the end of Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers decides that the time is right for him to return the Infinity Stones and spend some much-needed time with the love of his life, Peggy Carter. Just about everybody is left shocked when he does this, returning to the year 2023 as an old man.
But Bucky appears to know what his friend is thinking before it even happens. This speaks volumes about the tight bond between the duo and it’ll be interesting to see how he and Sam Wilson react to one another with no Captain America there as foil.
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