Bucky Barnes: Bio, Origin & History

Real Name: James Buchanan Barnes

First Appearance: Captain America (March, 1941)

Powers: No real powers. Highly trained in combat and weaponry. Master assassin

Affiliation: Liberty Legion, Kid Commandos, Invaders, Young Allies

Enemies:  Red Skull, and Baron Zemo

Love Interests: Black Widow

Did You Know: For years Bucky was the butt end of a joke that said, “Nobody stays dead in comics except Uncle Ben and Bucky.”

A Little History

Before transforming into the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes was the longtime sidekick and friend to Captain America.

Bucky Barnes debuted back in 1941 inside the pages of Captain America #1. He was created by Joe Simon and named after Simon’s high school friend, Bucky Pierson.

After losing his parents at a very young age, James Barnes was adopted as the resident mascot to camp Lehigh and given the name Bucky. Due to his impressive skills, he was sent to England for training for two months. At its conclusion, he was sent back to the United States for an additional month of training. With all the training and his natural skill set, Bucky quickly became the best natural fighter the military had ever seen.

While at Camp Lehigh, Bucky “accidentally” stumbled into Captain America’s tent and learns that he is, in fact, Steve Rogers. He quickly becomes his sidekick and is able to do the things Captain America can’t.

At the conclusion of World War 2, Captain America and Bucky look to bring down Baron Zemo. In an effort to foil his plans, the two jump on a plane carrying a bomb to try to disarm it. Unbeknownst to them, the plane was rigged with a trap and the trap caused the plane to explode.

The explosion threw the two from the plane. While Captain America’s body was frozen in the waters below, Bucky’s body was never found…