First Avenger James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes: Casting and Discussion

[SerendipityWas]

CAPTAIN AMERICA's 'death' in the movie is far, far, superior to that in the comics which was little more than a contrived retcon to get CAP to the present.

Having Bucky die there also would have diluted the impact of a sequence meant to be devoted to CAP.

The Avengers cartoon has a damn good death sequence too, which balances Cap and Bucky pretty well.

 

[Silvermoth]

Yes it's odd that they got it right in the cartoon and yet when it came to the movie they lost all the emotion from it. What a shame.

 

[Axl Van Sixx]

I wanted to start a thread called "In Praise of Sebastian Stan", but thought I would probably get called on it by the mods for not posting in this one.

Basically, I was re-watching Cap again last night and was struck once more by how strong Sebastian Stan's role as Bucky is in the movie. Considering he doesn't even have that much screentime, Stan does a great job of creating a fascinating character who begs for deeper exploration. When I first heard they were going to be making Bucky more of a buddy than a sidekick, I thought that might be cool, but how interesting could it really be?

Colour me surprised! In the end, the friendship between Steve and Bucky was one of the strongest elements to the movie. I love it how Bucky stands up for Steve when he's getting beat up earlier in the movie, how he's the cooler guy who is able to get them dates, and how even though they razz each other there's a genuine affection. Bucky is also crucial to the entire second act of the film, because Cap goes AWOL in the first place to rescue his platoon. And of course, his death in the third act was very poignant and affecting.

Here's where I have to say Sebastian Stan made his most powerful contribution: with the help of the screenwriters and Joe Johnston, Stan turned Bucky from a kid sidekick into an honest-to-goodness BADASS. He defends Skinny Steve early in the movie, but later on, after he's been rescued from the POW camp (with the implication that he's suffered torture of some sort), Stan adds a whole new element. He has the haunted gaze, the whole thousand-yard stare of a soldier who's been through hell. When they said this Bucky was "the Band of Brothers version", they weren't kidding. When you see him with a sniper rifle or a handgun later in the movie, he just looks incredibly badass, there's no other way to put it.

I loved how this Bucky wasn't a sidekick, but more of an equal to Rogers. You really felt the cameraderie, that this wasn't just a stock character to make the hero look good but a genuine friend. It also led to some possible tension that was only hinted at - sexual jealousy over Peggy? It would have been interesting to see them explore a friendly rivalry between Steve and Bucky if we had had a couple World War II-era movies, but unfortunately the countdown to Avengers meant that Cap's WW2 adventures were cut short.

Nevertheless, I think Sebastian Stan's Bucky was still one of the high points of the film and I hope like hell they can figure out some way to incorporate the Winter Soldier storyline in the prequels, because Stan is made for it. In the comics it was always kind of jarring to see Cap's happy-go-lucky sidekick turn into a hardened assassin; after Stan's performance it feels like a natural progression.

 

[Ultra Lantern]

Sebastian Stan

 

[tamron]

It also led to some possible tension that was only hinted at - sexual jealousy over Peggy?

I think the tension stemmed from Steve becoming this alpha male overnight, and completely reversing the dynamic of their relationship,

He's used to saving Steve's bacon and suddenly here's Steve pulling him out of the fire. He's used to being the center of attention and Peggy scarcely registers his presence.

 

[Shadowlord X]

Exactly! You could feel that tension.

 

[Caboose]

Anyone else think the experiments being performed on him might play into his possible survival? Joe Johnston mentioned during the movie commentary that Zola definitely did some nasty stuff to him.
Also, the way he jumped from the beam to the railing over the lava pit looked a little too smooth to me.....hmmmm....

 

[Axl Van Sixx]

How would the Winter Soldier storyline work without all that Soviet Union stuff? Or would they just make it plain old Russian?

 

[oncameratalent]

Sebastian Stan is back, and become the Winter Soldier.