Hey guys, can we please stop with all the snide remarks? This is the "what you didn't like about CA2" thread, right? Not the "tell me all about how much you thought CA2 was awesome" thread, that's the rest of the forum. If someone posts their opinion about something that they think is a flaw or critique, and you disagree, then kindly post a constructive comment and see if you can find some middle ground.
To Dragon: the writing does get a little sloppy at times in that it leaves too many unanswered questions for the viewers. However, we can still make reasonable assumptions that show that these questions aren't necessarily plot holes.
For example, "Muscle memory" still requires the brain to be functioning properly, and memory wipes, especially if it's happened on a number of occasions would likely cause some malfunction. Look at athletes who suffer brain trauma. They can pretty much never function on the high levels of precision that TWS was always functioning on.
In this case, we simply don't know enough about the procedures that were carried out on the Winter Soldier. We know that he was experimented on by Zola during WWII; perhaps he was given a variant of the Red Skull serum that didn't leave him deformed. We don't know anything about his mental conditioning, but we have to assume that it was done in a way (perhaps not possible in real life) that left everything intact except the ability to reason - that he was turned into an almost mindless killing machine. In my opinion, suspension of disbelief can be allowed for technical details like this: for example, in real life, cryo storage is a technology that is nowhere near close to feasible, but we must accept the premise in the MCU.
e.g. The Falcon. The comics explain that the Black Panther developed the wings. As Marvel intends to bring BP into the films why not simply explain that Sam performed some heroic act while in combat. Perhaps saving a Wakandan diplomat. T'Challa awarded him the wings as a gift. They're one of a kind because they're constructed from the rare Wakandan natural resource of vibranium. No other metal could work.
Yes, the writers missed a chance at world building here, but the explanation as given in the film - that Wilson was part of an elite military unit, and there was only one jet pack device left - works. Later films can answer questions about the origins of the jet pack device and so on.
And when I said who gives a crap about Agent 13, I meant that she was what is now too much of a cliche' action movie chick. She's pretty, says cutesy s*** and can shoot and fight at expert levels when called upon. There was no difference between her, Hill and Natasha other than the amount of screen time each had. There was no need for Sharon other than to appease fans. If they wanted to introduce her, make an effort to create a unique figure that Cap could connect with in a way that he couldn't with anyone else. And yes, I know the next response is "The next movie". I'm sorry, but I've been waiting for "the next movie" for a long while now.
I would agree that there isn't much shown of her character to differentiate her from other characters, but at this point, we just have to accept that her role was pretty much a cameo, sort of like Natasha in IM2 or Agent Coulson in IM1.
The Hydra infiltration need not have happened during Shield's inception. Zola could have been planning it from the perimeter, placing one or two operatives in key positions. Ultimately, Hydra's takeover didn't have to be because they somehow flooded Shield with their agents, but that Zola's computer (Which would have been continually upgraded) took over the system in a Skynet type of scenario. Then Shield's weapon tech is merely taken by actual Hydra agents. Certainly Pierce could be their man on the ground, having had family that traced back to Nazi Germany, and given his position by glad-handing and bribery.
That's actually a really interesting scenario. In terms of entertainment, it would fulfill the needs of the movie.* In terms of plausibility, it's much more probable and realistic for SHIELD to be inadvertently taken over by a HYDRA computer program than for it to have hosted at least three generations of Americans who have been indoctrinated fully in a foreign ideology. In terms of direction of the story, it wouldn't have created a reason to disband SHIELD. Merely activating a controversial preemptive kill system that then turns against SHIELD wouldn't be reason enough to disband SHIELD. SHIELD had to be shown to be so corrupt that there was no other alternative but to disband it, and to do so required showing infiltration at pretty much all levels of SHIELD hierarchy.
*On second thought, it wouldn't have fulfilled the needs of the movie because there wouldn't be enough "bad guys" for the protagonist to be in conflict with. The idea of a conspiracy thriller is that the protagonist is in conflict with some aspect of society and doesn't know who to trust. Therefore, the needs of the movie demand that a substantial part of SHIELD be antagonist, and it had to go beyond just a mere misunderstanding, because otherwise it would be unseemly for Steve to be using lethal force on good guys who are just following wrong orders.
Back to TWS, I always thought a very easy explanation for him being superhuman is to have had Steve give him a blood transfusion back in WWII. Have Bucky "die" as he did in the comics, falling into the sea and going into cryo-sleep via freezing. The serum could have concentrated in his blood over the years in a way that wouldn't have been practical for any other experimentation. Zola and Hydra could have found him while searching for their tech that crashed into the ocean after Cap crashed the plane. They discover his enhancements, but also learn it can't be synthesized. It also ******s his aging. He has amnesia due to his trauma, which never becomes an issue until he sees Cap. All points covered.
I like this explanation, but again, the movie's explanation (or lack thereof) also works. In fact, it might be that they will incorporate parts of your explanation when they go into detail about the Winter Soldier in the next movie.
