In March 1941, Timely published the first issue of Captain America Comics, introducing Steve Rogers, the super-soldier and future leader in Marvel Comics. That essential issue of comic book history also introduced James Buchanan Barnes, better known as Bucky, a young man who would embark on a complex journey in comics.

Long before he was the Winter Soldier, Captain America, or a film and TV star, Bucky was an army brat. When Joe Simon and Jack Kirby created him 80 years ago, Bucky was a kid in an army family who lost his father during training at Camp Lehigh in Virginia, not long before the US entered World War II. Bucky was able to stay at the camp where he learned a lot about military life.

There he became friends with Private Steve Rogers, who was by far the clumsiest soldier. At this time, stories about Captain America were circulating and Bucky became enamored with the hero. It wasn’t long before Bucky learned that his friend Steve Rogers was Captain America when he walked in on his pal changing into his uniform. Bucky started training extensively with the British SAS and became Cap’s partner.

Together they fought Axis terrorists in the US then joined the war effort overseas, particularly the villainous Red Skull. In addition to working as a duo, Bucky and Cap were part of a team called the Invaders. Bucky would act as a scout for Cap and the Invaders, taking on tasks that a teenager could do less conspicuously than his adult teammates or ones that needed his smaller stature and crafty skills. He became an ally to Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos, and worked with other young heroes, including Toro, as Young Allies, and he was one of the Kid Commandos.

As World War II was coming to a close, Baron Zemo captured Bucky and Captain America, to torture the heroes. Zemo planned to launch an unmanned plane with explosives onboard, but before it left the ground, Cap and Bucky got loose and made it on board. Bucky tried to defuse the bomb, but was unsuccessful, and the plane exploded in the air. Cap was sent into the freezing water and his body was frozen in suspended animation until he was found by the Avengers decades later.

It was believed that Bucky died in the explosion, but he was able to free himself and abandon the plane. The Russians found him in the water and soon realized that he had no memory or his personality, but he did still remember how to fight. Generals Vasily Karpov and Aleksander Lukin built a robotic arm to replace the one he lost and put implants into his mind to enhance his abilities and keep him operating at peak levels. As Winter Soldier he gained new levels of fighting abilities and became a master of many types of firearms and other weapons. The implants also hindered any development of personality turning him into an emotionless killer. He was also put into cryofreeze in between missions to protect their programming.

He trained Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and the two began a relationship. That romance, coupled with missions to the US, and Winter Soldier started disobeying his programing. He was put on ice again until Lukin thawed him out in the modern era to kill Red Skull. It was during this period that Cap, Nick Fury, Falcon, and Sharon Carter realized that he was Bucky. Captain America used the Cosmic Cube to restore his memories and Bucky sought to make up for the harm he caused as Winter Soldier.

After regaining his memories, Bucky started working with Nick Fury, as well as with the Avengers and other teams. During Civil War, when Captain America turned himself in for opposing the anti-registration act, he was assassinated by Crossbones and Sharon, who was being controlled by Dr. Faustus.

In mourning and not trusting what Tony Stark would do with Cap’s shield, Bucky stole it. He didn’t plan to become Captain America until he found a letter from Steve encouraging him to do so. Before committing to the task, he wanted SHIELD to remove all the Winter Soldier programming.

Once he became Captain America, Bucky soon learned what it meant to be the hero and how the symbol affected people. He would work with fellow heroes in the New Avengers and teamed up with Falcon, Black Widow, Sharon Carter, and Namor. Bucky stopped several evildoers and continued hunting for Red Skull.

It was soon revealed that Steve hadn’t actually been killed, but rather unstuck from time. Red Skull brought his body back and took control of it becoming Skull-Cap. Bucky fought the abomination and Steve was able to regain control of his body.

Once Steve was back, he joined SHIELD and other superhero teams while Bucky continued as Captain America. Bucky’s mission to stop Red Skull and his allies continued, putting him in conflict with Zemo again. Zemo gave the media proof that Bucky was formerly Winter Soldier and Bucky turned himself in to face charges for his crimes. His trial ended with Bucky pleading guilty and the judge commuting his sentence to time served.

Russia did not agree with his American sentencing and he was placed in a Siberian jail for crimes against the state. Inside, he was in constant danger from people he harmed as Winter Soldier. Black Widow and Sharon Carter looked for ways to free him and discovered that some people he had killed were tied back to the Red Room and Department X. Bucky broke out of the jail with help from Black Widow and set out to stop the operative he had helped create while being controlled as Winter Soldier.

With Steve back in the role of Captain America, Bucky began operating as Winter Soldier, minus the mind control. He and Black Widow stuck to the shadows to stop the sleeper agents he had unintentionally created. Fury called on him to investigate the Watcher’s murder and began entrusting Bucky with more responsibilities to help stop high level threats. He started working with Daisy Johnson and then later joined Kobik, the sentient Cosmic Cube, as the new Thunderbolts.

Bucky learned that Kobik had rewritten Steve Rogers’ mind to establish a new Secret Hydra Empire. Baron Zemo tried to kill Bucky, who escaped into the water where Namor’s people saved him. He joined with Sam Wilson and Scott Lang to launch the last piece of Kobik into Steve and jump into the reformed Cube to save him. In his most recent exploits, Bucky is working with Hawkeye to find out if the real Natasha, who had been killed by Hydra Cap, could still be out there.

Sebastian Stan began playing Bucky in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, as well as the sequels, and the last two Avengers movies. Bucky can currently be seen fighting alongside Sam Wilson in the Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.