The-Winter-Soldier

There used to be a saying in comics that nobody stays dead except Bucky Barnes and Uncle Ben. In 2005 Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting decided to break that rule by bringing Bucky back and what followed was one of the best runs on Captain America and the introduction of the Winter Soldier to the Marvel Universe. That decision, while controversial to some longtime fans, was so well executed that now, less than ten years later, the character has hit the big screen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. There was widespread excitement on the Internet as soon as Marvel announced the title of the Captain America movie. At the time I hadn’t read the Captain America comics that reintroduced Bucky, but even I was thrilled at the announcement. Anyone that followed Marvel Comics knew that bringing in the Winter Soldier was going to make for an emotionally powerful story. Comic storytelling is at its best when there are real emotional stakes for the heroes and it’s hard to get more personal than your best friend and beloved side kick being resurrected as a seemingly unstoppable foe. Bucky Barnes has always been an extremely important part of Steve Rogers’ history. During the Golden Age he was Steve’s sidekick—back when Captain America was part of Timely Comics, the precursor to Marvel. They fought side by side during World War II, but he seemingly died during the war. During the same incident that killed Bucky, Captain America was frozen in the ice not to awaken again until the Avengers found him. Since that time various authors have addressed Bucky’s loss and what it means to Steve. Dealing with that loss is one of the most defining aspects of his character. Then Bucky came back.

Are you ready to talk about Captain America: The Winter Soldier? Let me tell you, I’m so ready to talk about Captain America: The Winter Soldier. As you’ve probably guessed: massive spoilers ahead. I’m going to be talking a lot about the movie and the characters, so if you haven’t seen the film yet and want to remain spoiler-free, bookmark this article for later! There are a lot of things I could talk about with regard to this film: the little nods to longtime comic fans, the choices they made about Steve Rogers’ characterization, the way they frame the story, how well the first and second Captain America movies parallel each other. They’re all great topics, and to be honest, I could probably write a sizable amount about each of them… but the thing that I really want to talk about is how incredible Cap’s supporting cast is.