8 Ways The Winter Soldier Could Dominate The Marvel Cinematic Universe

8. He€™s The Perfect Foil To The Hero

The costumes and looks of both Captain America and the Winter Soldier were in striking contrast throughout the movie€”dark versus light, blond versus black€”a visual nod to the fact that the Winter Soldier is a near-perfect literary foil to Steve Rogers, a quality that makes him a compelling and noteworthy antagonist. A foil in literature is a character, though often similar in nature, who contrasts with the protagonist in some key way to highlight the protagonist€™s important qualities. Both Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes were treated to a super-soldier serum that enhanced their abilities, and both are men out of time that were created as a tool, one by what became SHIELD and one by HYDRA€”one and the same, in the end. But while one is a €œliving legend,€ the other is a €œghost€; where one represents high ideals and is a pillar of moral fortitude, the other is a brainwashed, highly successful assassin; one is a good man, the other a perfect soldier. Furthermore, Captain America was created as the embodiment of the American ideal, which is closely linked with freedom and liberty. The first time we see the Winter Soldier, the entirety of his face is covered, and he wears a mask nearly throughout the movie. He is mindless, voiceless, nameless, faceless, mechanised with neither will nor memory to his name: he is the polar opposite of what Captain America was meant to represent.