Avengers Assemble!

Bear in mind, I’m only comparing powers to a certain extent, because let’s face it—every single one of them (except for Bob) is nowhere near on the same level of power as the Original 6. What I raise you is the personality and function they serve as team members. That being said…

Yelena = Natasha

Bucky = Steve

This is easy. Both of them have dealt with some level of “carrying the mantle”. Yelena is Natasha’s sister—the one she was fighting for, her Red Room counterpart in skill set and in struggle. They are the heart of the team… but Yelena has the opportunity to step into a role of leadership. When Steve went back in time, left two legacies: Captain America and Steve Rogers (Sam and Bucky, respectively). Yeah, Bucky is resident “old man”, but he also is learning to lead as well as act as counsel and support, just like Steve did for the OGs.

I also will agree with them that

Ava = Clint

Both underdogs, both with unique and under appreciated skill sets—but Ava is starting to get more notice and appreciation from her team. There’s also the fun dynamic with her and Yelena that calls back to Nat and Clint’s friendship.

Now, here’s where things get different.

Bob = Bruce

Now this is definitely more of a power comparison, but because of how much their personalities/temperaments affect their powers, I think it’s a fair side by side. If it were up to them, they’d both just be hanging out as the resident chill guys, trying to keep everyone else alive. But unfortunately they are both sad little guys with big scary monsters inside of them that are begging to come out. Already we’ve had jokes about getting Bob to unleash the Void at will, just like Bruce and the Hulk. Plus, of course, you have the electric friendships with Yelena/Natasha as the one’s who are able to calm and comfort them, and see them for their true selves.

Alexei = Thor

I cannot be the only one who saw the end credits scene and thought that if Thor understood marketing on any level, he would have been the one thrilled about the Wheaties. He loved being adored—just look at the scene with him and Loki on earth during Ragnarok! Both Alexei and Thor are the resident protective dad/golden retriever characters, who bring the joy and enthusiasm to each mission—which is why it’s more poignant when they endure struggle. And of course there is the ego factor lol

Speaking of egos…

John = Tony

Now I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest fan of John, but I went through the same thing with Tony for the first few movies. Both of them are just a tad insufferable until they finally start to wake up and remember they aren’t the only people who’s lives have sucked. They’re the best in their respective fields, until someone bigger came along and gave them a reality check. But if John continues the way he has been, I think he has the potential to serve people well the same way Tony did. And of course the John/Bucky rivalry doesn’t hurt the comparison.

But now I think I kinda get it. Yes, he’s clearly doing better mentally and has support (Sam n his family) that’s helped him feel better and grow socially. But honestly, I can set that aside. Because even that didn’t make it fully click for me, cause it still was the question of why politics, why congress? Why, even with new found confidence, would he choose such a public position, that’s completely social, and where he’s constantly in the eyes of everyone? And yeah, I do think part of it is that he knows he can help ppl with his decades of knowledge and experience on the government, that he wants to stand up for people who need help and protect them. And that he can use his position to not only try to help citizens in the regular way but also prevent shady stuff from going on (just like how secretly Hydra had a bunch of congressmen, senators, blah blah working with them).

Like yeah, I definitely think that’s playing into it, but you know, even still….it was the question of why he would choose that method, the path of being a congressman, to achieve that.

And then it hit me what the two other factors in this decision could be. It finally makes sense to me. One, I think Sam’s speech in the finale of TFATWS planted the idea. When Sam was speaking to all the government officials (can’t remember what they were, like senators or something idk?) and telling them “to do better” and actually help the people who need them. We all know the scene, we know the speech, we all know the way Bucky was looking at Sam while he was giving it. I think Sam inspired Bucky right there, that speech planted the idea in his head and motivated him to be that person Sam was talking about, to be the official that does better, that does good for citizens. I mean, Bucky even said himself in BNW, that Sam “gives people something to aspire to”. Obviously Bucky’s words were weighted and personal, drawing from his own experiences with Sam. It very much had the implication of “I look up to you”. But maybe it wasn’t just Bucky meaning how Sam inspired him to get healthier and be a better person in general. Maybe, he also meant Sam specifically inspired him to do good by getting into congress. When you look at Bucky’s new job in relation to that specific scene, that speech, the progression starts to make a lot more sense.

And that’s just the first reason it started to make sense to me. Now on to the second, which made it click even more. Because even with his new, happier self and the motivation Sam gave him, being a congressman seems like something out of Bucky’s comfort zone. Think about his characterization the last time we seen him, this is someone who deals with a lot of insecurity, scrutiny from others, and isn’t the most social person. Seriously, last time we seen him he was barely willing to socialize, much less be friendly with most people, and even with the people he does like, let’s be honest, he’s socially awkward. Why would someone like that wanna be in the spotlight, why would he wanna have all that attention on him? Running for office, being in the public eye, and working with tons and tons of people is absolutely something out of his comfort zone. Because let’s be real, Bucky has some issues that aren’t ever gonna fully go away, even if they get better, they’re always gonna be there.

But the thing is, instead of the insecurity, social struggles, and public scrutiny holding him back…..I think they’re actually motivating him. I don’t think he’s just pushing past those issues, overcoming the fear so he can do the job. No, I think they’re part of the reason why he’s doing. I think he’s trying to combat those issues by getting in this new position. Even if it’s subconsciously. Cause Bucky cares so so so deeply about what other people think about him, he very much values the opinion of others, his reputation. He craves validation from others and relies on people seeing him in a good light. I don’t even need to go super deep into this, because it’s evident all over every project he’s been in.

Think about what Sam said to him in TFATWS, “You’ve gotta stop looking to other people to tell you who you are.” Because Bucky does that. He’s always done that, even before he became the winter soldier. Cause really, all you gotta do is look back to 40s Bucky. Look back to TFA. Because no matter how subtle it is, in that movie he is constantly wanting to be liked. He was constantly worried about how he was being seen, even when it came to how Steve saw him. He had to be the guy that people thought highly of. And now, decades later, that’s applies even more. Hell, even the tiniest, most subtle example, is his reaction when that senator or whatever shook his hand and thanked him in the finale. And it’s not just good things he reacts to, he clearly takes negative stuff to heart very easily too. I mean, think about when Walker made comments about his past. Bucky was even affected by the words/opinions of a man he didn’t even like. He absolutely, 100% relies on other people’s opinions of him. And what better way is there to change your reputation, change people’s views on you, and get praise and validation, than to be a congressman? He needs to prove to the world that he’s good, he needs them to like him and validate that he’s a good person. He needs the everyone else to believe that and say it first. He needs other people to reinforce the idea that he’s good and worthy, so that he can finally start to believe it himself. So maybe, this whole congressman thing isn’t really such a big switch up, maybe it’s not that out of character. Maybe it’s just a manifestation of what’s been there all along, but it manifested in a way that wasn’t expected.

BLACK WIDOW WEEK ⧗ ⤷ DAY 6 - FAVOURITE RELATIONSHIP

Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop

Bucky showing off his new phone

In the bank vault scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, when we first see Bucky, he’s being bombarded with fragments of memories of Steve and his own “death.” When I was watching it recently, I noticed that one of the things he doesn’t do much of at first is blink. When Pierce enters the vault, Bucky’s not even blinking at all, simply staring straight ahead, completely lost in his memories and confusion, and trying to piece things together. But if you look at the gif above, you’ll notice that right after Pierce backhands him across the face, Bucky’s staring off toward the right, unblinking, until he begins to say, “The man on the bridge…”

In the dim recesses of my minor in speech communication brain, I remembered some information about cognitive function and blinking, so I looked up what might be going on in this scene, and it’s really fascinating. Blinking (aside from its physical requirement of keeping the eye moist) is related to certain cognitive processes; most people punctuate their speech with blinking between phrases and at the ends of sentences. People also time blinking so as not to interfere with receiving new cognitive input (less blinking while they’re solving a problem, for instance, and then blinking more when they’re done).

A 1933 study showed that the rate of blinking was low during tasks requiring concentration and intense mental activity. However, “unfocused or rapidly changing internal states such as disorientation, emotional excitement, frustration, and anxiety seem to be associated with high rates of blinking.”

In the above gif, you can see that Bucky doesn’t blink at all while he’s more focused on the memories that are assaulting him, but then as his internal state starts to change and he wants to talk, he blinks repeatedly when he says, “The man on the bridge.” He keeps blinking in quick succession as he remembers Steve saying, “Bucky?” and continues, turning his gaze up to Pierce: “I knew him.” The blinking has slowed at that point.

Once Pierce lies and then starts in on his little carrot speech, Bucky goes back to blinking only when his eyes change focus or he moves his gaze. Sometimes it’s not even a full blink, just a small movement of his eyelids, like below.

An example of these processes the researchers mentioned was: “While searching one’s memory for a name, one tends not to blink; then, when the name is located, blinking occurs.” Bucky basically, throughout Pierce’s bloviating, is continuing to process his internal emotions and retrieve information, so he doesn’t blink much at all. The researchers believed blinking is inhibited when activities are not dependent upon visual input – and here, all Bucky really does is half listen to Pierce yammering, not entirely focused on him, only glancing at him occasionally. And even more interestingly in terms of this scene, the lower blinking rate extends to visual memory as well, not just receiving new input. All those thoughts and feelings roiling in his mind are Bucky’s primary focus, not Pierce’s empty rhetoric. Until…

Bucky says something about Steve, and his memories, again. Then he blinks multiple times in rapid succession.

Here you can see him blink slowly once, turn his attention to Pierce’s face, and then say, blinking rapidly, “But I knew him.” He’s accessed those visual memories, he knows he knows something, and he doesn’t care about the new input from Pierce, so the higher blink rate is indicative of his emotional turmoil every bit as much as that little grimace is.

“The rapid changes in visual input level resulting from the closing and opening of the lids may cause massive interference in visual processing areas.” I mean, all I can do here is make flaily hands while I sit in a bathtub filled with the crystalline tears I’ve cried for Bucky.

When Pierce gives up on the carrot and goes for the stick, Bucky goes back to not blinking much at all. Even when they shove him back in the chair, he doesn’t blink.

Dogtags explication

I just got it when watching the last and least episode of TFATWS. And unfortunately, those dogtags are Bucky’s.

Lemme explain. Sadly explain why.

The type of dogtags between the movie Captain America: First Avengers and the show TFATWS changed.

Look at Steve’s and Bucky’s in the movie: two lines dogtags. Which was the style of dogtags delivered in 1943 (source here)

And there are Bucky’s in the show: five lines dogtags. It is the current design of dogtags delivered by the US army.

So, how could he have his? He definitely didn’t get them back after hydra. In his flashback from experimentation, he already didn't have them anymore so far. Maybe it can be a mistake of Marvel, just a bad connection between the movie and the show. But it isn't.

The answer stands in a single line of the show « Sergeant Barnes ».

Bucky has simply been reintegrated into the army and those dogtags are his new ones.

Here is a close up picture to the dog tags that Bucky is wearing in the show. Notice that his next of kin (R. Barnes) and an address is listed (3092 Stockton Road, Shelbyville, Indiana), which according to my research they stopped putting that information on dog tags towards the end of World War 2. They also stopped including whether a soldier had a tetanus shot or not in the 1950′s. Bucky’s dog tags do include that information,which is listed as T41 right after his serial number (I am assuming he had his tetanus show done in 1941). Also Bucky’s dog tags show a notch on the bottom of the tag, which is very different from modern day dog tags that have  rounded out bottoms (they started using rounded out bottoms in the 1970s due to switching to a different machine to stamp out the tags ). So either these dog tags are his original tags (Soldiers were given two dog tags back then) or he somehow was able to have dog tags made to replicate his World War 2 dog tags. These dog tags definitely are not modern day issued. 

Source:  https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Inside-DOD/Blog/Article/2340760/dog-tag-history-how-the-tradition-nickname-started/

“I, uh, I have to tell you something. About your son.”