So why, out of all of the people that I could connect with, did Bucky Barnes become my hero?
1. Bucky Barnes is a survivor. He didn't volunteer to join the army. He didn't want this. But not only did he turn up when told to he also showed enough promise and leadership skills for them to make him a Sergeant. He was also the only one of Schmidts test subjects to survive the experiments. He survived the fall from the train, years of torture, cryofreeze, brainwashing, vanishing into thin air in the snap… 100 years old and he's suddenly fighting space aliens. How can you not admire this man's survival skills?
2. I don't think he's given enough credit for his amazing list of skills. How many languages does he speak? How many weapons is he an expert in using? He's described as a ghost story, an assassin with an impeccable record, he must have been successfully under cover a hundred times. But he's not a robot. He's a man, and he learned to do all of these things himself. Which is pretty awesome.
3. His loyalty. Once you're Bucky's friend he'll always be there for you, even if he's been brainwashed to do the opposite.
4. Even though at his great age he's probably had more than enough of all the bullshit, here he is, trying to do the right thing. Attending court mandated counselling. Tracking down people he hurt in order to make amends. Attending court to get a formal pardon. He didn't just hide away from the world, he still wants to be a part of it. He became a Congressman for Brooklyn! When the rest of us would look for retirement he still wants to serve.
5. He's gorgeous! I definitely have a type and Mr Tall Dark and Gorgeous, complete with blue eyes, is exactly mine.
6. I want more for him. I'm so ANGRY with Steve for leaving him, and I worry that Bucky has little else in his life. So I desperately want him to find his place in the world and maybe even be happy. I really hope the New Avengers can bring him this.
7. Any man who can live in a hut while tending to a load of silly goats definitely has my vote. Did he listen to what was being asked of him and think oh at last I can just kick back and look after a bunch of daft animals. This is what I've always wanted? If he wasn't an animal lover then he wouldn't be the Bucky we know and love. Let alone how he looked after his little cat, Alpine. And Steve, of course!
8. Pre war Bucky is my dearest Bucky of all. Working two jobs, going without so that Steve could have more. Fighting Steve's fights for him. Not just coping but properly surviving the poverty of New York of the 20s and 30s. The best of men.
9. There's a part of Bucky that I totally associate with although I don't often show it. Sometimes I want to stand at the back, quiet, introvert, and let the Steves and Tonys make the speeches and decisions. And Bucky gives me permission to do that, to think inwardly, to consider things deeply and carefully. To be calm and quiet. To be free.
10. Despite all the things he did over many years that he wishes he hadn't done, he's still here, moving forward. And I think that's something we can all appreciate and learn from.
Bucky Barnes. The best of men.
