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Biography[]
Early life[]
Barnes tries to comfort Steve Rogers.
| “ | Thank you Buck, but I can get by on my own." "The thing is, you don't have to. I'm with you 'til the end of the line, pal. |
„ |
| ~ Steve and Bucky after Sarah Rogers' funeral. |
James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes was the son of George M. Barnes and Winifred C. Barnes. He was born on March 10, 1917 in Shelbyville, Indiana, USA. He was the oldest child of four children, growing up to become an overachiever who was an excellent athlete and excelled in the classroom. During his childhood, he met Steve Rogers when bullies were trying to steal his money. The two became best friends and stuck together for years.
In 1936, Steve's mother, Sarah Rogers, died of tuberculosis. After her funeral, Barnes tried to help Rogers, but he refused, saying he could get by on his own. He told him he did not have to because he was with him "'til the end of the line", something Rogers would keep to heart for a long time.
World War II[]
Training Rogers[]
A year later, during an art class, Barnes and Rogers found out that America had joined the Second World War. By this time, Barnes was a three-time YMCA welterweight boxing champion. He then spent two weeks training Rogers at Goldie's Boxing Gym. They visited the US Recruiting and Induction Center in New York City where Rogers was classified as 4F and rejected from service. Barnes was later drafted in the Army.
Sergeant Barnes[]
Barnes tells Rogers he's joining the army.
| “ | This isn't a back alley, Steve. It's war! | „ |
| ~ Bucky to Steve Rogers |
Barnes, along with the rest of the 107th Infantry, was trained during the winter at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. Eventually, Barnes rose to the rank of Sergeant. The day before his shipment out to England, Bucky found Steve Rogers being beaten up by a bully. Barnes came to the defense of his friend and quickly sent the bully running away. Barnes learned that Rogers had been attempting to enlist in the army again, using false documents to try and get deployed. Barnes informed Rogers that he had received his orders and would be going to war the next day. At first, Rogers seemed upset, as he was not shipping out to war with his best friend. Barnes, however, was determined to cheer his friend up.
Barnes at a Stark Expo with Rogers
Barnes and Rogers then went to the Stark Expo together, with Barnes determined to enjoy his last day in the city before shipping out. What Barnes did not tell Rogers, however, was that it was, in fact, a double date with Connie and Bonnie; when Rogers asked what Barnes had told his date about him, Barnes simply replied, "only the good stuff." While exploring the Expo, the group watched Howard Stark demonstrate his prototype flying car, which greatly impressed Barnes, until it malfunctioned and fell to the ground. When Barnes turned around to suggest the group go dancing, he saw that Rogers had walked away from the group.
Barnes tries to convince Steve not to enlist
Though Barnes was having fun, Rogers was interested in attempting to enlist for the fifth time. Barnes found him trying to enlist, and first tried to persuade him to rejoin him on the double date. When that did not work, he reminded him that he wasn't going to be fighting in a back alley, but in a war. Despite Barnes' protests, Rogers went through with it but said a heartfelt goodbye to Bucky before doing so. Rogers told him not to win the war until he got there, and Bucky left with Connie and Bonnie. Barnes and his unit the 107th then shipped out to England the next day.
Prisoner Of War[]
Barnes fights during WWII.
| “ | I thought you were dead. I thought you were smaller. |
„ |
| ~ Captain America and Bucky Barnes. |
On the battlefields of Europe, Barnes and his unit, including Dum Dum Dugan and Gabe Jones, were ambushed by the Nazis at Azzano. Though the battle seemed hopeless as they were outgunned with no reinforcements on the way, the battle turned when another German unit appeared and used an extremely powerful tank to kill the Nazis. The tank then turned to Barnes' unit and they were soon captured by HYDRA. They were sent to work at the HYDRA weapons facility in the Austrian Alps, halfway between Kitzbühel and Klagenfurt.
Barnes is experimented on by HYDRA
In October 1943, he met other Allied POWs: including Jacques Dernier and James Montgomery Falsworth. During his stay in the facility, he was viciously beaten by the commander of the compound, Colonel Lohmer. However, other prisoners organized "an accident" which resulted in Lohmer's death. Barnes and his friends worked on parts of the Valkyrie, the giant super bomber. When Barnes became too weak to continue, he was taken to an isolation clinic. There, he was forced to undergo experiments conducted by Arnim Zola.
In November 1943, the facility was infiltrated by Steve Rogers, who had undergone an experiment which had given him superhuman strength. Rogers made his way through the base and freed the prisoners, including Barnes. As the freed POW's battled against the HYDRA forces, Rogers and Barnes became trapped inside the base as it began to self-destruct. During the escape Barnes and Rogers encountered Johann Schmidt and Arnim Zola, after a brief fight, Schmidt revealed to them his true demonic face before escaping. Rogers and Barnes began working out an escape route in which they used a support beam to move to a safe section of the facility. They were able to escape moments before the entire facility was destroyed.
Barnes and Rogers regrouped with the rest of the escaped POW's and together they walked with the other freed soldiers all the way back to Colonel Chester Phillips' base in Italy, 30 miles out. Once they arrived along with the weapons and vehicles they had stolen from HYDRA, they were greeted warmly by the other soldiers and Phillips chose not to punish Rogers for undertaking the rescue mission against Phillip's strict orders. As the entire unit gathered together, Barnes called for all the soldiers to cheer for their savior Captain America. The POW's were then given medical attention before being given some time away from the battlefield to recover.
Howling Commando[]
Barnes attempts to flirt with Peggy Carter
| “ | You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?" "Hell, no. That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb to run away from a fight, I'm following him. |
„ |
| ~ Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes |
After their escape from the HYDRA prison, Barnes, Dum Dum Dugan, Jacques Dernier, Gabe Jones, Jim Morita, and James Montgomery Falsworth were given a break from duty. Steve Rogers joined them in a pub and convinced them to join his crusade against the Nazis and HYDRA, forming an elite group of fighters that would eventually be known as the Howling Commandos. Barnes told Rogers that he would not follow Captain America, but he would follow his friend. When Peggy Carter also arrived at the pub, Barnes had to deal with the realization that Rogers was now the one who gets flirted with, not him.
Barnes works as a sniper in World War II.
Eventually, Barnes and the newly formed Howling Commandos joined Captain America on the battlefield once again. Over the following months, Barnes, Rogers, and the Commandos progressively destroyed most major HYDRA operations, preventing Johann Schmidt and Arnim Zola any real ability to work on their scientific projects and plans, all while destroying HYDRA's army units, tanks, and facilities. Barnes would often work as the sniper of the group, protecting his team of Commandos from the HYDRA enemy.
Death[]
Barnes and Rogers prepare for a mission.
| “ | I had him on the ropes." "I know you did. |
„ |
| ~ Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers. |
Towards the end of 1944, Barnes and Captain America prepared for a mission in which they would board a HYDRA train carrying Arnim Zola, with the aim of capturing the HYDRA scientist. Looking at the danger of the mission, Barnes joked that Rogers was getting payback for a time Barnes made Rogers ride a roller coaster that made him throw up. When Jim Morita intercepted a radio signal from HYDRA confirming that Zola was on the train, Barnes, Rogers and Gabe Jones used a zip wire to board the train as it traveled through the mountains.
Barnes onboard the HYDRA train
While Gabe Jones stayed on the roof of the train, Barnes and Steve Rogers entered and began exploring the carriages. Moments after their arrival, they were split up and ambushed by a team of HYDRA soldiers. While Rogers was forced to fight a heavily armed HYDRA guard, Barnes became pinned down by three soldiers; although he was able to kill two, he quickly ran out of ammunition and feared he would soon be killed. Rogers, however, was able to open the door and throw him a new gun which he used to kill the final soldier when Rogers distracted him. Barnes claimed that he had him on the ropes and Rogers assured him that he believed him.
Barnes seemingly falls to his death.
Before they could relax, another HYDRA soldier appeared behind them and fired at them with a HYDRA Assault Rifle, blowing a hole through the side of the train. Barnes picked up Captain America's Shield and fired at the soldier, but he was shot again with the assault rifle, the power of the blast throwing him off the train. Rogers was able to dispatch the soldier and attempted to rescue Barnes as he hung off a rail on the side of the train. However, the rail snapped before Rogers was able to save him, which resulted in Barnes falling into an icy river below.
Found by HYDRA[]
Barnes loses an arm after his fall
| “ | Sergeant Barnes... the procedure has already started. You are to be the new fist of HYDRA! | „ |
| ~ Arnim Zola to Bucky Barnes. |
Due to his enhanced physiology produced by HYDRA's experiments, Barnes was just able to survive the fall from Arnim Zola's train, although he lost his left arm. His nearly lifeless body was discovered by a Soviet soldier and eventually was handed over to HYDRA. He was kept their prisoner for many years, until Arnim Zola was released from the SSR's custody, continuing his experiments.
Barnes wakes up to find his new robotic hand.
In the care of the newly recreated HYDRA and now working underneath S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose, Barnes underwent further experimentation at the hands of Arnim Zola and various other doctors. Removing the remnants of his severed arm, the doctors replaced the missing limb with a prosthetic one. Bucky was also subjected to multiple mind control methods to keep him under their command. Over time, Bucky would lose all memory of his former life and became nothing more than a weapon for his greatest enemy.
Barnes frozen to be preserved.
With his body at the peak of physical perfection and his arm at the highest level of weaponized technology, HYDRA put Barnes to use as their personal weapon for many years. They had him frozen in suspended animation to prevent him from ageing after every mission. Whenever Barnes completed a mission, HYDRA would have his mind wiped to ensure he remained memory-free and emotionless towards those he killed.
HYDRA's Operative[]
Winter Soldier begins working for HYDRA
| “ | Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists. The ones that do call him the Winter Soldier. He's a ghost. You'll never find him. | „ |
| ~ Black Widow to Captain America. |
Receiving vast training from HYDRA, Barnes became a formidable fighter and an even more ruthless killer. His experiences with the KGB would earn him the name of the "Winter Soldier". The Winter Soldier would remain frozen for long periods of time until HYDRA saw fit to unfreeze him for certain missions. Over the next 50 years, the Winter Soldier would be responsible for numerous assassinations, killing all sorts of targets, from scientific minds to political figures. Due to his expertise on the field and the shadowy nature of his existence, the Winter Soldier became something of a ghost story, with intelligence agencies doubting he even existed.
First Encounter with the Black Widow[]
| “ | Five years ago I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran, somebody shot at my tires near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over a cliff, I pulled us out, but the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering my engineer, so he shot him straight through me. A Soviet slug, no rifling. | „ |
| ~ Black Widow to Steve Rogers about the Winter Soldier. |
In 2009, the Winter Soldier was sent to kill a nuclear scientist. He found his target being escorted by S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Natasha Romanoff. Without hesitation, he attacked his target, sending the car containing the scientist and Romanoff over a cliff. Finding that Romanoff had saved the target from falling to his death, the Winter Soldier fired a single round through Romanoff's stomach. The bullet struck the scientist, effectively killing him. He then made his getaway without pursuit.
Bucky's Legacy[]
Barnes' memorial at the Smithsonian
| “ | Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country. | „ |
| ~ A recording played in the Captain America Exhibit in the Smithsonian Institution. |
Almost seventy years after the end of World War II, Steve Rogers, awakened in the 21st century, studied S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files about the Commandos. In Bucky's file, he was reported as "Missing In Action", as his corpse was never found. Therefore, he was never officially classified as deceased. In the[Smithsonian Institution, a part of the Captain America Exhibit is dedicated to Barnes' memory and shows a short biography of his life. Before 2014, "Bucky" Barnes' name was listed on the Wall of Valor of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy of Science and Technology.
Attack on Nick Fury[]
Winter Soldier attempting to kill Nick Fury
In 2014, the Winter Soldier was activated to kill Nick Fury after he began to unravel HYDRA's secret existence. When Fury managed to escape death at the hands of over a dozen HYDRA agents in Washington, D.C., Barnes arrived and disabled Fury's car using a special grenade. However, when he made his way to the vehicle to finish Fury, he found his target had used a laser cutter to escape from his wrecked car and into the sewers.
Winter Soldier encounters Captain America
Barnes later located Fury at Steve Rogers' apartment, where he was attempting to give Rogers vital information about his attack. Before Fury could reveal his information, however, Barnes shot him in the chest multiple times through the wall from another building, seemingly killing him. While making his escape, Rogers gave chase and attempted to subdue Barnes by throwing his shield at him. However, Barnes stopped running and simply caught the shield with his bionic arm, throwing it back with incredible force after looking at Rogers for a moment. As Rogers stood frozen in shock at the assassin's strength and reflexes, Barnes leaped off the roof and escaped before Rogers could see where he went.
Hunting Captain America[]
Winter Soldier meets with Alexander Pierce
| “ | The timetable has moved. Our window is limited. Two targets, level six. They already cost me Arnim Zola. I want confirmed death of them in ten hours. | „ |
| ~ Alexander Pierce to the Winter Soldier |
Instead of being returned to cryo-sleep, the Winter Soldier was later sent to Alexander Pierce's house for his next orders. He was informed that his next targets were Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff, who were attempting to reveal HYDRA's Project Insight plan which involved wiping out over a million targets using S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarriers.
Battle of Washington, D.C.[]
The Winter Soldier after killing Jasper Sitwell
| “ | I have her. Find him. | „ |
| ~ Winter Soldier to his HYDRA team. |
The next day he attacked Rogers, Romanoff, and Sam Wilson on the freeway while they were kidnapping HYDRA sleeper agent, Jasper Sitwell. Throwing Sitwell from the car into the path of an incoming truck, the Winter Soldier destroyed the car and forced it off the road. When he fired a grenade at his targets, Rogers deflected it and went flying off the bridge into a bus below.
Winter Soldier attempts to kill Black Widow
Instead of engaging Romanoff, Barnes began pursuing her through the streets of Washington, D.C., as the civilians ran for cover. Barnes soon believed he had Romanoff cornered when he heard her voice from behind a parked car. In an attempt to kill her, Barnes dropped a grenade but soon discovered it was a trick and was ambushed, having his Prosthetic Arm temporarily disabled by one of Romanoff's Taser Disks. After shooting Romanoff through the shoulder, the Winter Soldier was attacked by Rogers before he could assassinate her.
Winter Soldier fights Captain America.
The two engaged in a brutal one-on-one fight, both rivaling each other with every move. Determined to kill his target, the Winter Soldier fired every round in his gun at Captain America, only for them to be blocked by the shield. Barnes resorted to using his knife, attempting to plunge it into Rogers' throat, but was soon disarmed. Barnes briefly got a hold of Rogers' shield and attempted to throw it at Rogers with force, but it missed Rogers and cut through a nearby van. The pair were forced to resort to hand to hand combat, and in the midst of the fight, Rogers ripped the Winter Soldier's mask off and stared in disbelief as Barnes turned and revealed his face.
Barnes' true identity is revealed by Rogers.
Recognizing him as Bucky Barnes, Rogers brought the Winter Soldier to a stand still. The Soldier briefly questioned who Bucky was, but soon remembered his mission and swiftly raised his gun to take a shot. The Winter Soldier was suddenly knocked to the ground by Falcon. He attempted to shoot again but was then shot at by Natasha Romanoff with the grenade launcher he dropped while fighting Rogers. He dodged the grenade and was forced to flee while HYDRA agents captured Rogers, Romanoff, and Wilson.
Forgotten Memories[]
The Winter Soldier starts to remember his past
| “ | The man on the bridge, who was he?" "You met him earlier this week on another assignment." "I knew him. |
„ |
| ~ Bucky Barnes and Alexander Pierce. |
Having regrouped with HYDRA, Barnes was taken back to the Ideal Federal Savings Bank, a HYDRA Base where he became erratic and violent towards the doctors. After they repaired his arm, he began to remember fragments from his past. These fragments included his fall from the train, as well as the operations performed on him by Arnim Zola which threw him into a rage.
Alexander Pierce arrived at the Base to obtain Barnes' mission report, only to find Barnes unresponsive and refusing to speak until Pierce hit him across the face. Barnes claimed that he knew Steve Rogers somehow. Pierce claimed that he only remembered him because he had met him a few days ago on the assignment to kill Nick Fury, but Barnes insisted that he knew him. Seeing that Barnes was not mentally fit to continue with his mission, Pierce ordered Barnes to undergo further mind alterations to force his cooperation.
Battle at the Triskelion[]
The following day, before HYDRA could complete their goal and activate the Helicarriers, Rogers and his friends infiltrated the Triskelion and revealed HYDRA's presence to his fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who actively engaged in battle with HYDRA's undercover agents. In the ensuing chaos, Bucky slew a path through the open airfield, murdering pilots and destroying Quinjets. He flew a Quinjet to the third Helicarrier, where he ambushed Rogers and Sam Wilson. He shoved Rogers off the Helicarrier, destroyed Wilson's flight suit and kicked him off the Helicarrier. Seeing that Rogers did not die and was still on the Helicarrier, he ran ahead to meet him at the Target System.
Confronting Rogers[]
Barnes and Rogers prepare to fight.
| “ | People are gonna die, Buck. I can't let that happen... Please don't make me do this. | „ |
| ~ Captain America to Barnes at the beginning of their showdown. |
The Winter Soldier went to confront Captain America himself before he could reboot the Helicarrier's Target System. As the two stood opposite one another, Rogers pleaded with his former best friend for him to remember him. Barnes remained silent and ignored these pleas. Seeing no other choice, Rogers engaged Barnes in combat once again. The two fought in a lengthy violent hand-to-hand fight, during which the Winter Soldier got possession of the Targeting Chip.
The Winter Soldier shoots Captain America.
Trying to obtain the Targeting Chip from Barnes, Rogers broke Barnes' arm, temporarily disabled the robotic one and injured his leg before subduing him. The Winter Soldier, however, regained consciousness before Rogers could reach the System Override, shooting him multiple times. Despite this, Rogers managed to swap the Data Chips and had S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill reset the three Helicarriers to target each other and open fire, even with himself still aboard one.
As the Helicarrier began to fall apart in mid-air, the Winter Soldier became trapped under debris. A badly injured Rogers leaped to his friend's aid and freed him. The Winter Soldier, however, instantly betrayed Rogers and attacked again. Begging for Bucky to remember him, Rogers told him his true name and informed him that they had been friends their whole lives. Rogers let his shield drop out of the carrier into the river below, refusing to fight his friend. Barnes refused to listen, violently beating Rogers with his bionic arm as their surroundings began to deteriorate.
Remembering[]
Barnes watches Rogers fall into the river.
| “ | I'm not gonna fight you. You're my friend." "You're my mission. You... are... my... mission!" "Then finish it. 'Cause I'm with you 'til the end of the line. |
„ |
| ~ Captain America and Winter Soldier |
As the Winter Soldier ignored Captain America's words and insisted he was only his mission, Steve quoted something Barnes said to him more than 70 years ago after the funeral of Rogers' mother Sarah. As Barnes began to remember, he relented, unwilling to throw another punch. The surface beneath them fell away, and Rogers plummeted into the river below.
The Winter Soldier saves Steve Rogers.
Barnes quickly grabbed onto a metal beam, which allowed him to stay on the Helicarrier. Realizing that Rogers truly was his friend, Barnes let go of the beam and leaped into the water after Rogers and pulled him ashore, saving his old friend's life. After saving him, Barnes quickly checked to see if Rogers was still breathing. After he discovered he was, he began slowly walking off into the nearby woods, going on a mission to discover his true identity.
Having managed to get away from the wreckage of the Triskelion without being spotted, Barnes returned to Ideal Federal Savings Bank, where he falsely informed two scientists present that Captain America was dead. As the scientists relaxed momentarily, Barnes attacked and attempted to kill them and began destroying much of the machinery which had been used to control and torture him for so many decades. However, as memories and images of past assassinations for HYDRA raced through his mind, Barnes relented and fled to try and get away from his violent history and learn the truth about his past once and for all.
Some time after the battle, Barnes went into hiding and visited the Smithsonian Institution's Captain America Exhibit. While there, he found a memorial for a Howling Commando named James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes who had seemingly been killed during World War II while fighting HYDRA. Afterward, Barnes travelled to an old Romanian safe house to investigate, all while continued by nightmares of his past.
Found by Captain America[]
Barnes encounters Rogers and Wilson.
| “ | Buck, do you remember me?" "Your mom's name was Sarah; you used to wear newspapers in your shoes. |
„ |
| ~ Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes |
Realizing his sins when he was brainwashed by HYDRA, Barnes was on the run from the government. Later, Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson eventually managed to track Barnes down to a remote location where he was trapped with his cybernetic arm caught in a vise, leaving him defenseless and unable to continue fighting or running. Rogers asked if Barnes knew who he was. Barnes replied that Steve's mother's name was Sarah and that Rogers had worn newspapers in his shoes; personal facts that brought a smile to Rogers' face. as he knew Barnes was starting to remember. Rogers and Wilson discussed the situation, deciding they would not 'call' Tony Stark and Wilson saying he 'knew a guy' who could assist them in Stark's place.
Coming Soon...
Dealing with brainwashing[]
In 2016, Barnes is framed by ex-Sokovian special forces soldier Helmut Zemo for a bombing in Vienna that kills King T'Chaka of Wakanda. Rogers and Wilson find Barnes in Bucharest and attempt to protect him from T'Chaka's vengeful son, T'Challa, but all four, including T'Challa, are apprehended by the police and James Rhodes. With Barnes in custody, Zemo impersonates a psychiatrist and recites the Hydra brainwashing words to make Barnes obey him. He sends Barnes on a rampage to cover his own escape. Rogers stops Barnes and hides him. When Barnes regains his senses, he explains to Rogers and Wilson that Zemo is the real Vienna bomber and wanted the location of the Siberian Hydra base, where other brainwashed "Winter Soldiers" are kept in cryogenic stasis. Unwilling to wait for authorization to apprehend Zemo, Rogers and Wilson go rogue, and recruit Wanda Maximoff, Clint Barton, and Scott Lang to their cause. Tony Stark assembles a team composed of Romanoff, T'Challa, Rhodes, Vision, and Peter Parker to stop them. Stark's team intercepts Rogers' team at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany, where they fight until Romanoff allows Rogers and Barnes to escape. Rogers and Barnes go to the Siberian Hydra facility, when Stark arrives and strikes a truce with them. They find that the other super soldiers have been killed by Zemo, who then reveals himself and shows them footage of the 1991 car accident where Barnes killed Stark's parents as the Winter Soldier. Enraged that Rogers kept this from him, Stark turns on them both, leading to an intense fight in which Stark destroys Barnes' robotic arm and Rogers disables Stark's armor. Rogers departs with Barnes, leaving his shield behind. Later, Barnes, granted asylum in Wakanda, chooses to return to cryogenic sleep until a cure for his brainwashing is found.
Sometime later, Barnes is cured by T'Challa's sister Shuri, with the trigger words' effect being shown to be nullified by Ayo. Barnes is given the name "White Wolf" by the Wakandan people.
Infinity War and resurrection[]
In 2018, Barnes, still living in Wakanda, is given a vibranium arm by T'Challa. He reunites with Rogers after he, Wilson, Romanoff, Maximoff, Vision, Rhodes, and Bruce Banner arrive. He joins the battle against the Outriders and witnesses Thor, Rocket, and Groot’s arrival. When Thanos arrives, he completes the Infinity Gauntlet, snaps his fingers, and Barnes disintegrates.
In 2023, Barnes is restored to life by Bruce and brought to the destroyed Avengers Compound to the battle against an alternate Thanos. He then attends Stark's funeral and sees Rogers off, who returns the Infinity Stones and Mjolnir to their timelines. When Banner is unable to bring Rogers back, Barnes points Wilson to a nearby park bench, and watches as an elderly Rogers passes his mantle to Wilson.
Partnering with Sam Wilson[]
In 2024, Barnes is living in Brooklyn, New York. He has been pardoned and attends government-mandated therapy, where he discusses his attempts to make amends for his time as the Winter Soldier, while also continuing to operate as an Avenger and taking down the remains of HYDRA. He has nightmares about his past, but is not forthcoming with his therapist about them. She notes that Barnes is isolating himself from his friends and has been ignoring texts from Sam Wilson. Barnes tells her that he made amends, including confronting a formerly Hydra-affiliated U.S. senator who he helps bring to justice. He also befriends an elderly Japanese man named Yori, the father of one of the Winter Soldier's victims, but doesn't tell him of their connection. Yori sets Barnes up on a date with a bartender named Leah, which ends quickly after she brings up Yori's deceased son, and Barnes leaves.
Barnes soon learns that John Walker has been named the new Captain America by the U.S. government to his outrage. Enraged that Wilson threw the shield away after Steve trusted him with it, Barnes goes to a USAF base to confront Wilson about this, expressing his disapproval about Wilson having surrendered Rogers' shield and making it clear he had no right to just give up the shield. Barnes joins Wilson in tracking down the Flag Smashers in Munich where they intercept the group smuggling medicine and attempt to rescue a supposed hostage that ends up being their leader, Karli Morgenthau. Barnes and Wilson are overwhelmed by Flag Smashers who are revealed to be super soldiers. Walker and his partner, Lemar Hoskins, come to their aid, although the Flag Smashers escape. Walker asks Barnes and Wilson to join him in aiding the Global Repatriation Council (GRC) to quash the ongoing violent post-Blip revolutions, but they refuse, Barnes showing negativity towards the man. Traveling to Baltimore, Barnes introduces Wilson to Isaiah Bradley, a veteran American super soldier Barnes fought during the Korean War, but he refuses to help them uncover information about additional super soldier serums due to his disdain for Barnes and having been imprisoned and experimented on by the government for thirty years. Barnes is arrested for missing a court-mandated therapy appointment, but is released when Walker intervenes.
Zemo and the Dora Milaje[]
Again refusing to work with Walker, Barnes suggests they visit Helmut Zemo, who is imprisoned in Berlin, to gather intelligence related to the super soldier Flag Smashers. Zemo, citing his hatred for super powered beings, agrees to help them. Barnes orchestrates a prison riot to help Zemo escape. Barnes, Zemo and Wilson travel to Madripoor in an effort to locate the source of the new super soldier serum. In a bar, Barnes pretends to once again be under mind control as the Winter Soldier, and dispatches numerous armed thugs. They are taken to high-ranking criminal, Selby, who reveals the Power Broker hired former Hydra scientist Dr. Wilfred Nagel to recreate the serum. Wilson's disguise is compromised and Selby orders her men to attack them but she is killed. Their savior, Sharon Carter (the Power Broker), has been living as a fugitive in Madripoor since 2016. She agrees to help them after Wilson offers to get her pardoned. They travel to Nagel's lab and confront him. He reveals that he made twenty vials of the serum and that Morgenthau stole them. Zemo unexpectedly kills Nagel and the lab is destroyed. Barnes, Wilson, and Carter fight bounty hunters until Zemo acquires a getaway car and they escape. Barnes, Zemo and Wilson travel to Latvia and Barnes recognizes Wakandan tracking devices. He confronts Dora Milaje Ayo, who demands Zemo.
Ayo gives Barnes eight hours to use Zemo before the Wakandans take him, as Zemo killed their king T'Chaka. When Ayo and the Dora Milaje come for Zemo, Walker refuses to hand him over, and Barnes intercedes, causing Ayo to use a failsafe that deactivates his vibranium arm.
Defeating the Flag Smashers[]
Walker, having taken a supersoldier serum and enraged by the death of his partner, Hoskins, uses his shield to kill one of the Flag Smashers in front of horrified bystanders, who film his actions. Wilson and Barnes demand the shield from Walker, starting a fight in which Walker destroys Wilson's wingsuit. The fight ends with Wilson and Barnes taking the shield and breaking Walker's arm. Barnes finds Zemo in Sokovia and hands him over to the Dora Milaje. Barnes later travels to Wilson's hometown in Louisiana to delivers a briefcase from the Wakandans to Wilson. He meets Wilson's sister, Sarah, and her two sons. After fixing the Wilson family's boat, Barnes and Wilson train with the shield and agree to move on from their pasts and work together. Barnes confesses that he was angry that Wilson gave away Captain America's shield because he feels like it is his last connection to the past, and apologizes for not considering the implications of giving the shield to a black man.
Barnes goes back to New York City and runs into Carter. He then fights against the Flag Smashers, as well as saving GRC hostages from arson. During a fight against Morgenthau, Barnes falls off the ledge to a riverbank. After Walker and the Flag Smashers do the same, Barnes helps Walker up and they join Wilson, who is in his new Captain America suit, to find the Flag Smashers after Georges Batroc helps them escape. Barnes and Walker ambush three of them and see them taken into custody. After the GRC members are rescued, Barnes listens to Wilson's speech, before leaving with an injured Carter. He then goes to Yori's apartment and tells him that he, as the Winter Soldier, killed his son. He delivers his completed notebook to his therapist's office and sees Leah again, before leaving for Louisiana. There he joins Wilson, Sarah, her sons, and the community for a cookout and opts to remain there with Wilson.