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In comics, Bucky Barnes had a very different journey to recover his memories than the one depicted in the MCU’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
One of the most acclaimed films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, is based on the comics storyline of the same name by creators Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. The story reintroduces Captain America’s old friend Bucky Barnes as the villainous Winter Soldier. While faithful to the spirit of the original comics, the MCU took a more grounded approach and relied on an emotional confrontation, while the original comic put a powerful relic called the Cosmic Cube at its center.
Both versions introduce a mysterious assassin coming into conflict with Steve Rogers., who catches a glimpse of his enemy’s face and recognizes his old friend, Bucky Barnes. He learns that after Bucky’s apparent death during World War II, he was experimented on by the Russian government. Over the intervening decades, the Winter Soldier became an urban legend, reappearing to carry out high-profile assassinations and frozen in suspended animation between missions. 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. However, Bucky’s background and how he regains his memories diverge from there in comics and the MCU.
Bucky and Steve’s relationship is different from the start. In the MCU, Bucky is introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger as Steve’s childhood friend and protector. By the time Steve becomes Captain America, Bucky is already an accomplished soldier. In the comics, Bucky was a wisecracking kid sidekick, the Robin to Captain America’s Batman. Comic book Bucky was a black ops trained prodigy whose youth and size were leveraged to keep Captain America, the symbol of the Allied Forces, from getting his hands too dirty. In both versions, Bucky seemingly dies tragically, which haunts Steve for years.
That friendship and loss is the heart of the Winter Soldier’s emotional conflict on page and screen, but the plot specifics surrounding it are quite different. The comic centers on former KGB operative Aleksander Lukin’s plan to take revenge on Captain America for the destruction of his village in World War II. Lukin has obtained the Cosmic Cube, which gives the wielder the power to rewrite reality. Lukin uses the Cube to twist Steve’s memories and consolidate power for his corporation. Disturbed by the Cube’s side effects, Lukin orders the Winter Soldier to take it into hiding. Captain America tracks the Winter Soldier and Bucky and Steve battle once more. In the scuffle, Rogers takes hold of the Cube and uses its powers, telling Bucky to “Remember who you are.”
Bucky’s memories flood back immediately in a dramatic double-page spread. Overcome by remorse, Bucky destroys the Cosmic Cube and disappears in a flash of light, leaving Steve to wonder if he has lost his friend again. In reality, Bucky was transported away and began a journey to take revenge on Lukin. Over time, Bucky atoned for his misdeeds and is eventually called upon to take up the mantle of Captain America in the wake of Rogers’ death.
The film version takes a more grounded approach but keeps the background of Bucky’s apparent death and brainwashing. However, the film’s emotional resolution is far more personal, relying on Steve’s unfailing belief in his old friend. He refuses to fight and dares Bucky to kill him, believing that his friend is still hidden beneath the brainwashing. Bucky freezes and eventually rescues an injured Steve Rogers from drowning after the Helicarrier they were fighting on crashes into a river.
The level to which the Winter Soldier movie adaptation lifts the spirit of the comics speaks to the strength of Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting’s original story, while the changes underline how the Marvel Cinematic Universe differs from the comics. While the MCU has grown into a galaxy-spanning epic, its take on Captain America is rooted in the human cost of war and the emotional and mental journeys of its characters. By taking a character-centric approach to his struggle, the MCU gave its version of Bucky a more difficult road to recovery, making him one of the franchise’s most compelling characters.
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