As one of the earliest appearing characters, Sebastian Stan has now been playing Bucky Barnes for 13 years now and has gone through a huge character development arc and transformation in the MCU. From one of the Howling Commando's and Steve's best friend in Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011 and Hydra's brainwashed Winter Soldier in 2014 to now a struggling soldier in his latest venture on Disney+, fans have certainly grown to see Bucky as one of their favorite MCU characters.
Now that he has helped save the lives of billions of people throughout the universe, Bucky's challenge now is to understand his place in the world. All of Bucky's appearances have done well in terms of Rotten Tomatoes score, thanks to the brilliant minds behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and fans hope that there is much more to come.
Captain America: The First Avenger - 80%
Bucky first appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger as Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, Steve's closest friend. After Bucky was shipped off to England as part of the 107th, this only made Steve even more determined to join the army as well.
Fans also got the first glimpse of Bucky wielding the shield on the Hydra train just before his supposed death. Bucky has been on a huge character journey since his first appearance and a lot of fans are certainly glad Bucky is still in the MCU.
Avengers: Infinity War - 85%
Similar to Avengers: Endgame, Bucky did not feature too heavily in Avengers: Infinity War but that has to be expected when there are so many characters and the Russo's did a great job at giving so many characters their moment in the spotlight.
Bucky was sadly one of the heroes that was turned to dust by The Snap, and even though his role in Avengers 3 and 4 was small, he now has his chance to shine in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier.
Captain America: Civil War - 90%
With so many heroes involved in one movie, Captain America: Civil War certainly almost did feel like "Avengers 2.5." However, the key for this movie was making sure each element is told from Cap's perspective.
Bucky played an integral role in the movie, being the only connection to the '40s that Steve had left, now that Peggy had passed away.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier - 90%
Sebastian Stan reprises his role from Captain America: The First Avenger, but this time with a dark Hydra-infused twist as the Winter Soldier. What made this movie work for fans on so many levels was the fact that it felt more like a political thriller with touches of comic book elements as opposed to predominantly a comic book movie with touches of a political thriller.
Marvel is fantastic at exploring different genres and the Russo brothers did a good job with each movie they were involved in. This was just the first example of what they can achieve with these characters.
Avengers: Endgame - 94%
To many fan's dismay, Bucky did not feature too heavily in Avengers: Endgame, only appearing at the final battle at the Avengers compound, and then also in one of the final scenes when he has his final conversation with Steve Rogers before he goes on to live his life with Peggy.
The writers of the movie have confirmed that Bucky knew exactly what Steve was about to do, hence the line, "I'm gonna miss you, buddy."
Black Panther - 96%
Sebastian Stan only appears in the post-credit scene of Black Panther as a self-proclaimed "semi-stable hundred-year-old man." At the end of Captain America: Civil War, Steve takes Bucky to Wakanda to get him the help he needs to get the Hydra words out of his head.
As seen in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier's latest episode, Bucky still has a connection with the Wakandan's after being there for two years.
The Falcon & The Winter Soldier - 96%
WandaVision was a fantastic start to the MCU's journey on Disney+ and The Falcon & The Winter Soldier continues the trend with a solid 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The first episode of the series was certainly a slower pace than the preceding episodes, but it was necessary to catch fans up on where Bucky and Sam are now, and they still argue just as much.
It's clear that Bucky is still dealing, not with the Hydra words inside his head, but living with the acts Hydra made him carry out as the Winter Soldier. Steve's belief that Bucky is a good person is all that is keeping Bucky going. The line, "If he was wrong about you then he was wrong about me," carries so much weight, as Sam giving away the shield makes Bucky worry that Steve was wrong about believing in them both. Bucky's determination to protect his friend's legacy is certainly one of Bucky's most inspiring characteristics.