8 Ways The Winter Soldier Could Dominate The Marvel Cinematic Universe
4. His (Actually) Tragic Story
Everyone loves a sympathetic villain; its the mark of a well-rounded antagonist that viewers can feel sorry for him or her at some point. With the Winter Soldier, you almost find yourself feeling sorrier for poor, brainwashed Bucky Barnes than you ever do Steve Rogers. Having your body preserved and experimented upon, your mind wiped, your memories stolen, your name erased, and then being used as an assassination tool for decades sure beats being stood up by Tony Stark on New Years Eve, at the very least. Even Loki, with whom many sympathize on account of his rough family life, doesnt have it nearly as bad as the Winter Soldier; and the few scenes where we see the memories and personality of Bucky resurfacing under years of force and abuse are heartrending (obligatory kudos to Sebastian Stan). But I knew him, he says miserably before they agonizingly re-wipe his mind to make him forget his former best friend, the first person to recognize him as a person, not as just the asset, and to utter his name in years. The Winter Soldier, then, becomes not just an antagonist but a figure reminiscent of classical tragedy: a fallen hero, a victim of fate. Now, tragedy does not necessarily a good villain make, but Buckys story gives the Winter Soldier a certain depth, pathos, and well-roundedness that many recent MCU antagonistssuch as Aldrich Killian, Malekith, or Ivan Vankocertainly lacked, that makes viewers want to see more of his story and his ultimate redemption unfold.
Canadian student. Spends probably an unhealthy amount of time enthusing over musicals, unpopular TV shows, and Harry Potter. Main life goal: to become fluent in Elvish.
