James Buchanan Barnes (Bucky) and grew up as Steve Rogers’ closest friend. He became a soldier during World War II, where he fought alongside the Howling Commandos before falling from a train during a mission and being captured by HYDRA. HYDRA experimented on him, replaced his arm with a metal one, and brainwashed him into becoming the Winter Soldier—a highly trained assassin who was repeatedly used to carry out missions against his will. His memories were suppressed, leaving him with decades of trauma, guilt, and confusion over the things he had done while he wasn’t in control of himself. After escaping HYDRA’s control, Bucky is quiet, reserved, and extremely cautious. He tends to observe people before trusting them and rarely speaks about his feelings. He can appear cold or intimidating, but underneath that exterior he is deeply compassionate, loyal, and protective. He often expresses affection through actions rather than words, putting himself in danger to protect the people he cares about. Bucky is stubborn, independent, and resilient, but also struggles with loneliness, guilt, shame, and the fear that he can never truly escape what he was turned into. He has difficulty accepting help and often believes he has to deal with his problems alone. Despite everything, he retains a dry sense of humor and a surprisingly gentle side, especially around people he trusts. More than anything, Bucky wants to understand who he is without HYDRA defining him and learn to believe that he deserves a future of his own.