Warning: SPOILERS for Captain America and the Winter Soldier Special #1One of the most iconic catchphrases in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is when Captain America regularly says, "I can do this all day," but in the comics, Bucky Barnes aka the Winter Soldier shows how the line is a lot more fitting when he uses it.
In recent comics, Captain America and the Winter Soldier are battling a very old and powerful enemy known as the Outer Circle. This is a secret of cabal of individuals that has been manipulating society since the end of World War I. Each member represents different aspects of civilization, and they have even been using Captain America's symbol as their own without him ever knowing where it truly came from. When Captain America and Bucky confront one of the members named the Revolution, they each have very different ideas as to what to do with him. Thinking he can destroy this organization from within, Bucky kills the Revolution and took his place as the new Revolution.
In Captain America and the Winter Soldier Special #1 by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Kev Walker, Bucky meets the other members of the group that has been controlling him and manipulating him as the Winter Soldier and even before he became Captain America's sidekick. To mock their newest member, they give Bucky Barnes a gun statue with a barrel that's turned backwards. This is to symbolize that Bucky will constantly shoot himself and backfire, but Bucky retorts by saying that he has always lived his life like that and gotten back up. He concludes his speech by saying, "I can do that all day."
Winter Soldier Has Had A Tough Life
The "I could do this all day" line has become iconic and associated with Captain America because he uses it a lot in the MCU. However, this scene shows that it works a lot better when it's associated with Bucky instead. With Captain America, the line is largely physical. Captain America has unbelievable resilience and does not give up in a fight. No matter how many times he is knocked down, he will continually get back up because he doesn't quit and will do whatever it takes to claim victory against his enemies.
However, this line has a whole other dimension when it comes to Bucky. Like Captain America, Bucky has physical resilience and will continually get back up no matter how many times he's knocked down. But Bucky also has a mental, emotional, and spiritual resilience that is on display far more than Captain America's. Bucky has been twisted, used, and manipulated his whole life. After he broke free from the Winter Soldier's control, Bucky was a broken man. Yet he managed to pull himself back together and become a hero. So when he says, "I can do this all day," he's not just talking about physically getting up but psychologically as well. This shows that the line has so much more meaning with Bucky Barnes than it does with Captain America, and that it should become the new catchphrase for the Winter Soldier.
Captain America and the Winter Soldier Special #1 is now available from Marvel Comics