The superheroes of the MCU come from a broad background from intergalactic planets, Europe, the United States, and even from the 1940s. Captain America was the first Avenger to be created using super-soldier serum in order to stop Hydra from ruling the world. Underneath the star-spangled costume, Steve Rogers was a young man from the 1940s born and raised in Brooklyn.
The same is said about his best friend and companion, Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier. There's a running gag throughout the movies about how much of an old man Steve really is and the same can be said for Bucky. Between "language!" and finally understanding modern references, these two characters still hold on to the 1940s.
Bucky Prefers The Company Of An Older Generation
Bucky has had it rough during his time in the MCU, especially after Steve decides to try out life as Stark suggested. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it's clear that Bucky still doesn't get along with the younger crowd of the modern time. It's no surprise that Bucky found some comradery in his neighbor, Yori Nakajima (Ken Takemoto).
Nakajima is an older man who has a deep wound from losing his son, but his age and wisdom in life somehow resonated with Bucky. Fans were happy to at least see Bucky find a friend in someone who's technically closer to his age while being aware that Bucky is the reason for Nakajima's son's disappearance.
Steve Prefers A Record Player
In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Steve ditched Brooklyn for Washington D.C. and has a quaint apartment. Fans might have noticed one small detail that helps define him as someone still stuck in the 1940s. As he arrives home, Sharon tells him that he might have left his stereo on which immediately alerts Steve that something is wrong.
Steve climbs in through the window and fans get a shot of Nick Fury in an armchair next to a record player. Fury used the music to disguise their conversation in case someone was listening. Yes, record players are immensely popular and retro, but in Steve's point of view, it was the only way to listen to music back in the '40s.
Bucky Hasn't Danced In A While
In FATWS, Bucky is at a local Japanese restaurant having dinner with Nakajima. In this scene, a cute waitress makes a remark that they ordered something other than their usual and Nakajima tries to egg Bucky on to ask her on a date. Bucky tries to get out of it until the waitress actually agrees.
It's safe to say that Bucky is a bit rusty about dating since he makes the remark that dating is like a dance where you need to warm up to it. Bucky even says, "I haven't danced since 1943." Fans can recall the day Bucky enlisted in the army in the first Captain America movie and brought a date for Steve and even went dancing before being shipped out.
Steve Recalls That Elevators Used To Play Music
In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Fury decides that Steve needs high-level clearance to learn about Project Insight. There's one scene that was nostalgic for both Steve and Fury while they ride the elevator - the same elevator from the epic fight scene. Steve says that elevators used to play music as he vividly remembers from the 1940s.
The remark is 100% true as elevators played an instrumental whistling tune to break the silence. The short line by Steve only resonates with how things really have changed since he went into the ice. Fury agrees with Steve and even adds that elevators used to have operators and his grandfather worked the job for 40 years.
Language!
Steve Rogers really wasn't the type of male character who said bad words, got into fights for fun or caused a ruckus. It was one of the reasons why he was so good at heart and perfect to become Captain America. Being from the 1940s, the way people talked was very different from the modern times Steve now lives in.
Hence why it became a running joke and meme when Steve says, "Language!" after Stark says a bad word while infiltrating a Hydra base in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Bad words really weren't part of Steve's life before going into the ice but fans saw an immense 180 when he utters the words "Let's go get this son of b**ch," in Avengers: Endgame.
Bucky Does Like '40s Music
Bucky might not have gotten in tune with modern music as implied in FATWS. Bucky, Zemo, and Sam are on a private jet going to Europe for some information. Sam starts to talk about how when he first met Steve, he recommended the Trouble Man soundtrack by Marvin Gaye.
Seeing as Bucky now has Steve's book, Sam asks if Bucky listened to the album. This is where Bucky's taste in music really is reminiscent of the '40s as he says, '"I like '40s music, so." Sam starts to freak out thinking he didn't like it. In reality, the soundtrack has the same vibe as music from the '40s, so of course, Bucky probably liked it.
Everything Was Boiled In The '40s
There's no better example of Steve being a man from the '40s than when he first meets Sam while jogging. This is the scene most fans remember because Steve kept saying "On your left," every time he passed Sam. The line would become a staple in Sam and Steve's friendship and used for comical memes. In their first encounter, Sam realizes who Steve is and asks if he misses the old days.
Comically enough, Steve makes a joke that there're some perks seeing as everything was boiled in the '40s and there's no more polio. The internet is especially helpful in order to catch up on things. Sam then recommends the Trouble Man soundtrack and fans get to see Steve's list of all the modern things he needs to learn about like Apple, Nirvana, and Star Trek.
Bucky Read The Hobbit When It Came Out
FATWS gave fans many comedic moments and arguments between Bucky and Sam. One of the best scenes is when Sam and Bucky argue about 'the big 3' - androids, aliens, and wizards. Bucky thinks it's utterly absurd and makes the joke on who Sam is now fighting, "Gandalf?"
Sam quickly puts aside their argument and is perplexed by what Bucky said and asks how he knows Gandalf. It's simple, Bucky read The Hobbit when it was originally published back in 1937. Bucky was already a fantasy/adventure nerd before it was even cool.
Steve Understood That Reference
In the first Avengers movie, Steve is baffled by the incredible machinery of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ship - he's never seen anything like it. Onboard, Steve, Stark, Thor, Banner, and Fury hold a meeting to discuss Loki wreaking havoc. Fury wants to know how Loki was able to turn some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s. best agents into 'flying monkeys.'
Thor doesn't understand the reference to pop culture seeing as he's from Asgard. In a surprising twist, Steve actually knows what Fury is referring to. The 'flying monkeys' are the characters in The Wizard of Oz movie that premiered in 1939. Steve went into the ice in 1943, so he actually saw it in theaters.