Bucky Barnes' Trigger Words In Captain America: Civil War

When Captain America: Civil War released in 2016, it not only featured the return of Bucky Barnes - AKA The Winter Soldier - but also a series of trigger words designed to activate the sleeper agent within him. Having been supposedly shaken loose of his brainwashing following Captain America: The Winter Soldier, new villain Helmut Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) tracks down former Soviet Hydra agents to find a way into Bucky's head. Zemo's grievance against the Avengers, following their antics in Sokovia in Avengers: Age of Ultron, was enough to drive him to frame Bucky for bombing a U.N. assembly.

Following Bucky's capture in Captain America: Civil War by a joint terrorism task force, Zemo infiltrates Bucky's temporary prison posing as a psychologist, recruited to analyze the wayward assassin. Of course, instead of psycho-analyzing the poor, hundred-year-old Brooklyn native, Zemo speaks Barnes' trigger words to stir up even more trouble.

Bucky attempts to resist the conditioning but when Zemo finishes reciting his trigger words - "Longing," "rusted," "furnace," "daybreak," "seventeen," "benign," "nine," "homecoming," "one," and "freight car" - his head bows and Bucky responds in Russian, "Ready to comply." Bucky's rehabilitation in Wakanda following the events of Captain America: Civil War led to the eradication of his brainwashing, thanks to Ayo, a Dora Milaje warrior. Here are Bucky's trigger words in Captain America: Civil War, explained.

Updated June 11, 2021 by Mae Abdulbaki: This article was updated to reflect the revelations concerning Bucky's trigger words first revealed in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

"Longing" could refer to what Hydra would know about Bucky, in that he would want to return to his former life. Bucky's character arc post-Winter Soldier can be defined by as longing to be free of his brainwashing and remember his past. "Rusted," whilst a bit of a stretch, could relate to his metal arm. Having lost his left arm following his supposed death in Captain America: The First Avenger, Hydra fitted him with a new, powerful metal one. Of course, metal rusts over time and Bucky is coming on a hundred years old. Whether the code word is used to denote this is up for debate.

Captain America: Civil War's "Furnace" trigger is most likely nonsense, although it could be perceived as a subliminal threat. Where Bucky's usually kept on ice between missions, the opposite could be implied as a potential fate should he refuse to comply with orders. "Daybreak" could be interpreted as Bucky embarking on a new life within his revamped existence as a Hydra assassin. "Seventeen" could hold any number of connotations, like maybe Bucky was the 17th test subject on which this brainwashing was tested. "Benign" could reference his state of inactivity between missions, whilst "Nine" can refer to the Greek myth of the Hydra, which has nine heads.

"Homecoming" is a popular one within the fan community as many suspected Captain America: Civil War was referencing the then-upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming. That said, screenwriters Christoper Markus and Stephen McFeely came right out on Movieweb to state that was merely a coincidence; "Sometimes unintentionally you can create a connection and then play with it later - even if you didn't mean it that way in the first place! This one... it's simply not." Meanwhile, "One" could reference Bucky being the first Winter Soldier, or it could be the trigger word in the countdown to his awakening for a mission. Lastly, "Freight Car" is the most obvious - when Bucky "died" in Captain America: The First Avenger, he was thrown from a freight car into an icy river.

Bucky's trigger words most recently came into play during The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, in which Zemo tried to use them to activate Bucky's Hydra brainwashing when the latter visited him in prison. Zemo didn't realize they no longer worked. The series proved that Zemo no longer needed to control Bucky at all, especially considering that Bucky came to Zemo for help despite knowing the damage he caused the last time they crossed paths. In the series' fourth episode, a flashback revealed Ayo had completed Bucky's deprogramming, repeating the trigger words with no violent response from Bucky, proving his mind was finally free and only his to control. This freedom allowed Bucky to engage with Zemo in a far more balanced dynamic and on his own terms, with the two learning from each other in a way they wouldn't have been able to before because Zemo had the upper hand. While the trigger words are now meaningless for Bucky, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier reveals how much farther he has left to go on his journey, but he's definitely in a much better place than he was in Captain America: Civil War.

Next: Black Widow Was The Only Civil War Avenger Who Was Right (Not Cap Or Iron Man)