Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #5While Bucky Barnes' Winter Soldier has worked hard to leave his darkness behind, he still needs Captain America to keep him from the edge during the most dire of times. Joining Rogers in his latest battle against the massive shadow organization known as the Outer Circle, Bucky's stake in the new conflict is extremely personal. As a result, Captain America recognizes his partner's struggle as they face soldiers who are more than they seem.
Having been brainwashed and turned into the Russian assassin known as the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes survived to the present era just like Captain America did at the end of WWII. While he eventually regained his free will thanks to Rogers, Bucky has still retained a level of darkness along with the skills he developed as an assassin. As such, he's more willing to operate in morally questionable spaces than Captain America is (while also being more prone to going over the edge).
While Captain America helps Bucky have limits, he understands that Bucky is constantly fighting to repress his killer instincts as the Winter Soldier. The new Sentinel of Liberty #5 from Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Carmen Carnero is a perfect example. As Bucky and Captain America fight the agents of the Outer Circle who've been "tithed" by a variety of organizations that defer to the shadow group's immense control, Bucky is ready to open fire. However, Captain America convinces him to stand down. If he hadn't been there, Bucky would have killed soldiers who had no choice but to fight thanks to their rigged suits set to explode if they disobey.
Without Captain America, the Winter Soldier Would Lose His Own Redemption
Thankfully, Captain America had the recent Outer Circle defector known as The Redacted disable the suits, saving the soldiers in the process and ending the fighting. However, that opportunity to save lives wouldn't have happened if Bucky had started shooting, effectively killing puppets forced to fight just like the Winter Soldier himself. Considering Bucky's own recently revealed status as a former pawn of the Outer Circle, it's a good thing Steve was there to keep him from doing something he'd massively regret.
However, Captain America can't keep Bucky from the edge every single time, especially when the stakes are so personal. Case in point, the discovery that the Outer Circle chose Bucky to be their agent when he was just a child has naturally made them a massive target, and the Winter Soldier won't be talked down so easily. Serving as the true dark orchestrators of his entire life, Bucky is now planning a revolution against the Outer Circle. Nothing is going to stand in his way either, hence his betrayal of Captain America by shooting him when he tried to stand between him and one of the Circle's leaders. Regardless, here's hoping Rogers won't give up on Bucky as the series continues. Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #5 is on sale now.