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This article, James Buchanan Barnes (Earth-61615), is property of MarvelousMarty. |
Winnifred C. Barnes (mother; deceased),
Rebecca Barnes-Proctor (sister; deceased),
Markus Proctor (brother-in-law),
unidentified nieces and nephews,
Scott Proctor (grandnephew),
Kimberly Proctor (grandniece);
Natalia Romanova (lover)
Captain America
Vol 1 1
History
Look, I'm trying. This isn't what I was used to... This is new for me. I didn't have a moment to deal with anything, even after I got away from them. I had some little calm in Wakanda... And other than that, I just went from one fight to another for ninety years.
- — Bucky Barnes
- — Bucky Barnes
Early Years
Born in the spring of 1917, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes had the courage to enlist in the United States Army in World War II, eventually earning the rank of an officer of the 107th Infantry Regiment by 1943. His best friend since childhood, Steve Rogers, had the heart but not the good health and condition to be qualified for enlistment. Bucky and the rest of his regiment were captured by Hydra, wherein he was unknowingly injected a variant of the Super Soldier Serum by Arnim Zola, its head scientist. Bucky, along with whoever still remained from his regiment, was later rescued by Rogers, who had become Captain America during his absence. Upon joining forces with the continuing war, Bucky and Rogers formed their Howling Commandos, to battle Red Skull's forces. However, during their attempt to finally capture Zola, in the Austrian Alps, Bucky was caught in their ambush and plummeted hundreds of feet from a train. As no body was ever recovered, Bucky had then been presumed dead to the public.
The Winter Soldier
Unbeknownst to his team, Bucky's enhanced abilities allowed him to survive the fall, albeit with the loss of his left arm. Once he was found by the Soviet Union and Hydra, Bucky was subsequently mindwiped and brainwashed and armed with a new cybernetic limb in order to become their operative, known as the Winter Soldier. Over the next fifty years, he would eliminate anyone who posed any threat to Hydra, including Howard and Maria Stark. Between all these assassination missions, the Winter Soldier would be put into a cryogenic stasis to ensure his longevity. In 2014, the Winter Soldier had been ordered by Alexander Pierce — the Secretary of the World Security Council — to assassinate then Director Nick Fury, in order to ensure that all Pierce's schemes with Project Insight could go ahead.
However, the Winter Soldier was challenged by Steve Rogers and his small yet structured heroic team which consisted of Black Widow, Maria Hill, and the Falcon, which the former had personally triggered him to begin remembering his prior life during the final moments of Hydra's destruction in the failure of Project Insight. In the wake of their Battle at the Triskelion, Bucky was free from the clutches of Hydra and deserted them in order to remember his past and end his history of violence and bloodshed, although his brainwashing was unfortunately still operational given the right trigger words mentally ingrained to him by Hydra in the past several decades.
This revelation was discovered during his momentary collaboration with the E.D.I. when he tried to start life anew in Bucharest, Romania, only for his past as the Winter Soldier to catch up that he had to confront it head on. While he E.D.I. offered Bucky refuge until they could come up with a way to remove his mind of any brainwashing from Hydra, Bucky made the choice to go into hiding instead when he found out he would spend most of his time in captivity once more, triggering his trauma during his decades long coercion at the hands of Hydra.
Path to Redemption
Still running around in hiding around 2017, Bucky had no other choice but to partner up with Black Widow to Russia for a private investigation, crossing paths with the Widow's former comrades: Red Guardian, Iron Maiden, and Yelena Belova, whom she reluctantly joined forces with to deal with taking down the modern incarnation of the Red Room as the alliance would face the Russian superhero team Winter Guard, whom they had to convince the true crimes of the Red Room so they could take them down together. Revisiting his past involvement with the Red Room and the Black Widow Ops Program as a former affiliate and representative for Hydra, this team-up gave Bucky the chance to avenge the powerful criminals he was coerced into helping in the past and eventually atone for his sins.
Listening to Romanoff's advice after their partnership in Russia due to the Superhuman Registration Act's enacted started to get enforced by law across countries in America and even most of Europe, Bucky was given amnesty in the African kingdom of Wakanda by King T'Challa himself through contact with Steve Rogers, with himself willingly placed in cryostasis before he was ready enough to undergo through a series of therapeutic methods in the following months until all Hydra's control was removed. With the help of Princess Shuri, who essentially pioneered Wakanda's modern technology, Bucky was finally cured of his brainwashing and had reverted to a normal life within the peaceful borders of Wakanda as its new citizen, earning the honorary title of the White Wolf, which was previously used by T'Challa's adoptive brother, Hunter, until the latter had left Wakanda.
However, as the cosmic genocidal warlord Thanos had attempted to kill the Vision for the Mind Stone, Bucky returned to action and help the heroes stop the Mad Titan's plans, receiving his new vibranium arm around the start of 2019. Willing to save the world with his allies, Bucky joined T'Challa and the Ultimates to help fight off the threat brought by his Black Order and ravenous Outrider armies, only for Thanos himself to defeat them and assemble all of the Infinity Stones. Bucky was subsequently decimated into ashes as Thanos eliminated half of all life in the universe which completed his original quest to balance the cosmos.
Fortunately for the heroes' valiant efforts, it was in the following year that Bucky and the half of all reality were finally resurrected by Nebula. With his name pardoned, Bucky sought atonement for all his actions as the Winter Soldier in the public as the years went by, continuing to work as a heroic mercenary alongside the Avengers, most especially the Falcon and Black Widow, and sometimes assisting the Thunderbolts, that even with the tragic demise and heroic sacrifice of his best friend Steve Rogers around 2025. Steve's legacy only ensured that Bucky got himself to a path of redemption and fully realize himself to become the goodhearted soldier he has always been before becoming the Winter Soldier. Such better change of direction gave Bucky to form a more stable, committed, and fruitful relationship with Black Widow, who was also close friends with Wilson and Rogers as the three were Avengers.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Artificially Cybernetic Enhanced Physiology: Hydra's Winter Soldier Program, to which Bucky Barnes was subjected into, increased his abilities to levels enhanced beyond natural limitations and rival the physical abilities of Captain America. As a result, Barnes' body was enhanced to the peak of human potential of strength, agility, stamina, speed, etc. The formula in his system is definite such that even if Barnes decided to live an unhealthy lifestyle, little of his powers would be weakened by any conventional means. The implants associated with his cybernetic arm are known to have given him certain powers beyond typical human limitations, despite the fact that he is classified as peak human.
- Superhuman Strength
- Superhuman Speed
- Superhuman Stamina
- Superhuman Agility
- Superhuman Reflexes
- Superhuman Durability
- Superhuman Equilibrium
- Accelerated Healing Factor
- Advanced Longevity
- Vibranium Bionic Arm
- Superhuman Strength
- Stabilization Sensors
- Tactical Reload
- Palm Sensors
- Sensory Array
- Extended Reach
- Electrical Discharge
- Electromagnetic Pulse
- Cybernetic Defense
- Retractable Blade
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| Intelligence |
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| Speed |
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| Energy Projection |
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Abilities
- Multilingual
- Expert Tactician
- Master Spy
- Master Assassin
- Advanced Military Operator
- Trained Martial Artist
Strength level
Class 16+
Weaknesses
- Electromagnetic Pulses on Bionic Arm
Paraphernalia
Equipment:
- Winter Soldier's Bionic Arm
- Vibranium Bionic Arm
- Titanium Bionic Arm (formerly; destroyed)
- Captain America's Shield (formerly)
Transportation:
- Miniature Grapple Device
- Various Military Vehicles
Weapons:
- Various Automatic Firearms
- Assortment of WWII Firearms
- M1911 Pistol
- M1911 Pistol
Notes
- No special notes.
- ↑ Modern Comics: Avengers Vol 3 12
Trivia
- Bucky was named after the 15th President of the United States of America, James Buchanan.
- During his collaboration with the Thunderbolts and prior to the death of Steve Rogers, Bucky was once considered by the likes of Thunderbolt Ross as a potential successor of the Captain America mantle, although Bucky knew there are better candidates to the heroic position, believing his infamous reputation as the Winter Soldier already made him undeserving of the title.
- During the times when he came to face off against Thunderbolt field leader U.S.Agent, Bucky was against the idea of having the rogue take on the mantle of America's iconic hero, having seen too much of his darker self in Walker.
- Bucky was positively supportive of Sam Wilson taking the mantle of Captain America, knowing that Wilson had the selfless heart and determined volition to succeed the legacy of Rogers' heroic calling by his own respective light.
- A year since the brainwashing ingrained to him by Hydra was completely removed from his mind, Bucky was given the offer to join S.H.I.E.L.D., to which Bucky had strongly declined due to how guilty he would still often feel having neutralized dozens targets from the agency as one of his many victims under Hydra's coercion, most notably his assassination attempt on Nick Fury.
- After his apparent death after World War II, Bucky's name appeared in Strategic Scientific Reserve's Hall of Valor.
- Bucky is right-handed, in spite of having a bionic arm on his left arm.
See Also
- Appearances of James Buchanan Barnes (Earth-61615)
- Character Gallery: James Buchanan Barnes (Earth-61615)
- Quotations by James Buchanan Barnes (Earth-61615)
Discover and Discuss
- Search News for: Winter Soldier · James Buchanan Barnes · James Buchanan Barnes (Earth-61615)
Links and References
- None.