Even when Bucky was the villainous Winter Soldier, he was forced to commit evil acts due to the Hydra brainwashing and programming. This makes Bucky more of a tragic figure than a true villain, since he didn't choose to do anything evil.
Of course, he's one of the exceptions as he turned evil even before becoming the Avenger. Bucky was a hero who fought alongside Steve Rogers in World War Two. But when he was captured and brainwashed, he became an assassin known as the Winter Soldier.
Bucky is no longer treated like a villain because his name was cleared and the horrible actions of his past as the Winter Soldier haven't been made public, but it's that same past that makes him more suitable for the Thunderbolts.
However, while Tony did make amends with Steve, he wasn't able to do so with Bucky. In fact, they didn't even get to have any interaction before Iron Man's death.
The Exact Moment KANG KILLED CAPTAIN AMERICA Steve Rogers Revealed!
Why Bucky killed Tony's parents?
In 1991, Barnes was thawed out and sent to retrieve Howard Stark's new attempt at the Super Soldier Serum. The assassin forcibly crashed the car with Howard and Maria inside and stole the samples, killing Tony Stark's parents in the process.
James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes enlists to fight in World War II, but eventually literally falls in battle. Unfortunately, the evil Arnim Zola recovers him and erases his memory, turning him into a highly-trained assassin called the Winter Soldier.
I paid attention to how Bucky is affected by Steve's change and suddenly Steve is this leader". Bucky re-emerges in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as an enhanced brainwashed assassin after supposedly being killed in action during World War II.
Later, Lukin winds up playing host to Bucky's long-time nemesis the Red Skull, who utilizes Crossbones, Sin, Doctor Faustus, Arnim Zola, and more of Captain America's enemies to continue tormenting anyone in the shield-slinger's uniform, including Bucky.
Even when Bucky was the villainous Winter Soldier, he was forced to commit evil acts due to the Hydra brainwashing and programming. This makes Bucky more of a tragic figure than a true villain, since he didn't choose to do anything evil.
Both Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes disliked each other ever since they first met in "Captain America: Civil War". I believe it had something to do with some perceived rivalry over Steve Rogers' friendship. This was not simply a case of Sam disliking Bucky. It was mutual from the beginning.
Bucky's Vibranium arm is just one of his superpowers but it's also essentially what defines the Winter Soldier. He's been proven to be more peaceful without it but, because Barnes didn't know Shuri built a failsafe that removes his arm, he didn't know he could remove it from himself.
In December 2025, Nebula went to Earth specifically to steal Bucky Barnes' vibranium arm from him. After defeating him, she succeeded in removing his arm and took it with her back to space, intending to give it to Rocket Raccoon as a Christmas present.
In the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which released before Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Nebula gives Bucky's arm to Rocket as a Christmas gift. Although it's meant as a callback to the Infinity War and GOTG 1 jokes, it created some confusion about how exactly Nebula got the arm.
He had been brainwashed by Hydra and turned into The Winter Soldier, a killing machine. Eventually, he was able to escape, be free of his conditioning, and fight alongside The Avengers. Bucky was undoubtedly a good guy, but he never really shook his anti-hero status.
Bucky remained dead for decades - an eternity in comic book time - before being revived in 2005's Captain America: Winter Soldier. Eventually, Bucky would shake off his brainwashing and become a full-fledged hero... albeit one with a dark and mysterious past.
Bucky Survived Through Cryogenic Freezing And The Super-Soldier Serum. After surviving his fall from the train, Bucky would be kidnapped by a HYDRA cell in the Soviet Union, and then placed in the same super-soldier experimentation that Steve was.
So Winter Soldier ends with the franchise's lead SHIELD agents seeking other employment. We saw Maria Hill applying for a job at Stark Industries. We saw Nick Fury burn his secret stash to the ground, including his eyepatch.
Surviving the war and believing Captain America's death, Bucky eventually marries Gail Richards and has a large extended family. During which, Bucky is diagnosed as having lung cancer from chain smoking back in the War. Barnes and Gail both live to see Steve's revival in the 21st century and renews their friendship.
Bucky, then, fought against HYDRA and his many experiments, but they ultimately got what they wanted. This makes Bucky's story even more tragic than it already was, as he went through 20 years of torture in addition to 50 years of being the Winter Soldier.
Subjected to frequent mind alterations to keep him submissive, The Winter Soldier is an effective killing machine until he eventually meets Steve and his subconscious memories begin to bubble to the surface.
Crossbones snipes at him while Sharon Carter (Agent 13; Cap's girlfriend), who has been brainwashed by Doctor Faustus, posing as a S.H.I.E.L.D. psychiatrist, delivers the killing shot. Overwhelmed with guilt, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Tony Stark and Black Widow hunt Captain America's murderers.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the title of “weakest Avenger” is subjective and can vary based on individual perspectives. However, if we consider powers and abilities, Hawkeye (Clint Barton) often stands out as the least superpowered Avenger.
Tony manages to get a hold of Bucky at one point and says "Do you even remember them?" Bucky replies with "I remember all of them." signaling to everyone that he still retains his memories from his time as the Winter Soldier and all the people he has killed.
What does Ayo say to Bucky after removing his arm?
Considering both the significance of Bast in Wakandan culture and Bucky's reaction to the words, "Bast damn you" seems to be one of the harshest curses that Ayo could have hurled.
