The benefit of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV series was not just to bring more material into the MCU, but also to highlight supporting characters that didn’t get as much screentime before. Bucky Barnes was mainly known as Steve Rogers’ best friend, but the Disney+ series has gone a long way in shaping his character.

Bucky was a much different person in Captain America: The First Avenger, having started out as a well-meaning sergeant who was forced to become a brainwashed assassin. With the Disney+ show placing him as the main character, the differences between Bucky’s original persona to who he’s become are interesting to see.

10 He’s Willing To Confront His Issues

It was clear that Bucky had had some testing done on him by Hydra in The First Avenger during his captivity, but he did nothing to confront this possibility. He had also beaten around the bush over issues such as Steve’s insecurities in not being part of the war and would look to distract him from stuff that needed to be addressed.

During his time in Wakanda, Bucky realized that he needed to be upfront about his problems. Back then, it was his mental conditioning that was the issue, which he only overcame after he faced his fears. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Bucky finally confronted his guilt to end these problems once and for all.

9 He Isn’t Surprised By Anything Anymore

Bucky was shown to be overwhelmed by the things he saw in the war and was also intrigued by Howard Stark’s expo with the futuristic exhibition on display. Following numerous run-ins with spies, aliens, and everything in between, he’s shed this aspect of himself.

Bucky’s mentality has now become such that he’s always ready to expect the unexpected. Once the initial shock wears off, he doesn’t waste time on his surprise and instantly gets around to tackling the problems, so much so that he didn’t even flinch when he saw a talking raccoon.

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8 He Doesn’t Crave External Validation

Being an overachiever in youth, Bucky was shown appreciating the attention that came his way in The First Avenger. He never let it get into his head but it was clear he needed the validation from the likes of Steve over how well he was doing or that he could face his fears.

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It wasn’t until The Falcon and the Winter Soldier that Bucky changed this about himself, as Sam made him realize that Steve wasn’t always right and that Bucky had to find his own self-worth. After this, Bucky’s been shown to be comfortable in his own skin without needing external validation over who he is.

7 He’s Open To Friendships Apart From Steve

Although Steve claimed that he had Bucky when he had no one else, this was actually true the other way around as well. Even before he was captured by Hydra, Bucky wasn’t shown around other friends since he only preferred the company of Steve.

He didn’t have the opportunity to make friends when he was under Hydra’s conditioning or on the run, but Bucky has become willing to be friendly with others. Not only did he accept Sam as his friend, but he also made allies out of Ayo, Shuri, and several others.

6 He Searches For Peace More Than The Fight

Despite being one of the stronger characters in the Disney+ series, Bucky wasn’t interested in fighting if he could help it. This was in stark contrast to his original character in Captain America: The First Avenger, where Bucky wanted to see action in the war.

He searched out conflict under the belief that this was the only way he could make a difference. It was after years of being under mental conditioning that Bucky changed his thought process and sought peace and calm instead of a fight.

5 He’s Willing To Trust Others

The MCU played it straight to the comics that Bucky was Steve’s closest ally, with the former only trusting his best friend in The First Avenger. This aspect changed several times in the series, with Bucky not even trusting Steve during his mental conditioning. 

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Eventually, he’s come to terms with this after the people of Wakanda extended their home to him, with Bucky shown to fully trust the Wakandans. He also changed it in terms of personal relationships, as he placed his faith in Sam as a friend and trusted his judgment.

4 He Understands That The Government Isn’t Always Right

This is something that both Steve and Bucky changed their outlooks over. In their first appearance, the friends had considered the government to be the ultimate symbol of goodness and had signed up to the army due to their faith in them.

However, the numerous times Bucky got treated wrongly by the likes of Thunderbolt Ross and the world governments themselves made him ditch his loyalties to the state. He now operates based on his own opinions and agrees with the government only if he feels they’re right.

3 He Doesn’t Hide His Fear

Being a product of the early twentieth century, Bucky was raised under the belief that he was supposed to put on a brave face. In The First Avenger, there were plenty of times during the war that he was afraid but would attempt to hide it since he didn’t want to seem weak.

After the enormity of his mental conditioning wore away, Bucky has been open to showing his vulnerable emotions, going so far as to break into tears when he’s overwhelmed. He’s relied on his quick thinking to get out of situations and isn’t shy about his fear showing up, even when it would strategically benefit him to mask it.

2 He Doesn’t Find Humor In Things As Easily

Bucky was a happy and funny individual in The First Avenger who wanted to make Steve smile as well by pointing out the positives in life. Sadly, after being the victim of mind control for the better part of a century, he’s changed his personality where humor is concerned.

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Bucky has been known to find things funny since then, but he’s not the kind of guy to laugh out loud. He was once the kind of person who would seek out sources of comedy, only to become passive in this regard.

1 He Gives Space To His Best Friend

Despite Steve and Bucky’s friendship being as strong as ever, it’s clear that Bucky would harp on Steve over everything because of his protective streak. In The First Avenger, he would try to make Steve’s decisions for him and was always around. 

By The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Bucky’s changed to give space to his best friend, with Sam now occupying this role. He’s offered his insight where needed but hasn’t been pushy or inadvertently controlling. Bucky now sticks around as long as he’s needed without getting himself too involved.

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About The Author


Saim Cheeda
(1348 Articles Published)

Saim Cheeda is an entertainment writer covering all of Film, TV, Gaming and Books. He’s been a writer for Valnet since 2017, contributing 500+ articles for The Gamer, The Things, Game Rant, Comic Book Resources and Screen Rant. Apart from freelance writing, Saim is a lifestyle blogger, co-owning the blog 3 States Apart.

http://3statesapart.com

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