Of the many characters in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, Bucky Barnes has been one of the longest-serving, meaning he has many consequential scenes that define his story. Concerning therelease order of Marvel movies, Bucky has been around a long time, with his first appearance coming in 2011’sCaptain America: The First Avenger. This story kickstarted Bucky’s journey, which is only set to continue in severalupcoming Marvel moviesas one of the most important characters in the entire multiverse.
Not only is Bucky appearing in several2025 Marvel movies, be itCaptain America: Brave New WorldorThunderbolts*,but he will also appear in two future tentpole movies. Sebastian Stan was confirmed for thecast list ofAvengers: Doomsday, and likelyAvengers: Secret Wars, proving just how big an MCU future Bucky has. With this future in mind, it is worth looking back on Bucky Barnes' MCU history, specifically the biggest scenes that have defined the character’s journey and took him from an ally to Captain America to an evil supersoldier and, finally, a redeemed hero in his own right.
10Bucky Barnes Helped Steve Rogers Before World War II
From Captain America: The First Avengers (2011) & Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Although this list begins with the least-defining moment of Bucky Barnes' most consequential MCU scenes, I believe his backstory with Steve is worth addressing. I admit, these moments are not quite as big as some others on the list, but they helped define who Bucky Barnes is at his core and simply as a human being. This began in 2011’sCaptain America: The First Avenger.This film outlined how Bucky was always willing to be there for Steve, regardless of what was happening, defining how good a friend he was and still is.
The scenes define the characteristics that make James Buchanan Barnes a purely decent person…
Be it defending Steve from the bully in the alleyway or asking his partner to take a friend with her to the Stark Expo so that Steve was not alone, the scenes define the characteristics that make James Buchanan Barnes a purely decent person.Captain America: The Winter Soldierbuilt on this, with a flashback showing Bucky reaching out to a mournful Steve, whose mother was dying. This scene provides one of my still-favorite quotes of the MCU that links to more of Bucky’s most defining moments:“I’m with you till the end of the line, pal.”
9Bucky Telling Iron Man That He “Remembers All Of Them”
From Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Captain America: Civil Warhas lots of scenes that go far in defining Bucky’s MCU journey, yet one stands out above the rest. When Iron Man attacks Bucky and asks if the latter remembers killing the former’s parents as the Winter Soldier, Bucky replies"I remember all of them.“The moment is a small one but is incredibly impactful because of its subtlety. It once again defines that, despite the awful things Bucky was forced to do, he remained decent at his core as he tragically remembers everyone he hurt as the Winter Soldier, reinforcing his true self.
8Bucky Embraced Sam Wilson As Captain America
From The Falcon & The Winter Soldier (2021)
One of the more recent appearances inBucky Barnes' extensive MCU timelinecame inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier.The focus of this show was primarily on the former hero, Sam Wilson, and his journey to becoming Captain America after Steve Rogers. While Sam took center stage in this storyline, it included many moments that reinforced the aforementioned character traits that define Bucky, with one standing tall.
10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching All Of Bucky’s MCU Appearances
Bucky Barnes, the MCU’s Winter Soldier, is one of the franchise’s longest-serving characters, but rewatching his appearances highlights a few issues.
The moment is solidified in the final episode ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierbut is teased throughout the show. It involves Bucky accepting that Sam Wilson is Captain America now, not him. Bucky has a stint as the hero in Marvel Comics, and many believed that he should have been the MCU’s Cap after Steve retired, causing division when it was Sam who took on the shield. As such, it would have been easy for Marvel to lean into this and cause a rift between Sam and Bucky, but the latter was nothing but supportive.
Bucky endsThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierby calling Sam “Cap,” proving how he accepts who carries on his friend’s legacy. Buck never made a claim for the shield or wanted it to be his, instead supporting Sam throughout and intoBucky’s cameo inCaptain America: Brave New World.Like the earlier scenes I have mentioned, this defines Bucky’s character more than anything, showcasing his humility and dependability as a friend.
7Bucky Barnes Healed In Wakanda
From Black Panther (2018)
A smaller moment in the large-scale movieBlack Pantherfeatures Bucky, but it is a big one in terms of defining his overall arc in the MCU. BeforeBlack Panther, Bucky’s primary storyline involved his struggle between his true self and the Winter Soldier programming HYDRA instilled in him. After the 2018 film, he was mostly comfortable with himself. This is largely due to his overall healing journey in Wakanda, something that is briefly hinted at in the post-credits scene ofBlack Panther, which defines his switch from a troubled soldier to a recovering hero.
6Bucky Became An Avenger During Thanos’ Search For The Infinity Stones
From Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Moving towards the top half of the list,Avengers: Infinity Warhas a big defining moment for Bucky Barnes that combines his previous definition of character and overall story. Suitably, this comes somewhere around the middle of Bucky’s many MCU appearances, when Thanos invades Wakanda in search of the Infinity Stones. Bucky reunites with Steve and decides to fight alongside his best friend, the Wakandans, and the other Avengers present.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Avengers: Doomsday
July 26, 2025
This moment speaks to the previous definitions of Bucky’s character as he is willing to fight for Earth and on the side of the Avengers, despite many turning against him inCaptain America: Civil War.Where his overall story arc is concerned, this was a defining moment as it proved Bucky has truly overcome his past as the Winter Soldier and is being trusted - and trusting himself - to protect Earth in a time of need, propelling him into his post-Avengers: Endgamestorylines.
5Bucky Barnes Becomes A Member Of The Thunderbolts
From Thunderbolts* (2025)
Stemming from Bucky becoming an Avenger, another defining moment of his MCU journey is becoming amember of the Thunderbolts team. As I alluded to, his stint with the Avengers defined Bucky’s transition from the evil Winter Soldier to his heroic reclamation moving forward. The story ofThunderbolts*proves this, with Bucky joining his own team in the absence of the Avengers in the Multiverse Saga.
Marvel’s Thunderbolts*: Everything You Need To Know
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AlthoughThunderboltshas not yet been released, outside elements relating to MCU projects prove how much it will define Bucky’s journey. The film will lead him into the overall story of the Multiverse Saga, with the Thunderbolts confirmed for an appearance inAvengers: Doomsday’s climactic story.Thunderboltswill be the catalyst of this next stage in Bucky’s story, marking a truly big step for him.
4Bucky Was A Prisoner Of Arnim Zola During World War II
From Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Moving into the most defining scenes of Bucky Barnes' MCU journey, his imprisonment by Arnim Zola kickstarted the second phase of his life. Before the scene in which Steve frees Bucky from Zola’s compound, Bucky’s life was relatively normal as a regular soldier. As revealed inCaptain America: The Winter Soldier, though, Zola injected Bucky with supersoldier serum during this scene. Therefore,this scene defined the next 70+ years of Bucky’s life, with the serum and Zola’s other plans changing a normal life into one of torment and healing.
3Bucky Barnes Fell From The Train & Became The Winter Soldier
The third-most defining scene in Bucky’s entire MCU journey stems from the fourth: his fall from the train inCaptain America: The First Avenger. During a mission, Bucky falls into a chasm and seemingly dies. However, the supersoldier serum given to him earlier by Zola causes him to survive the fall, leading to Bucky’s re-imprisonment as a subject of HYDRA.
The fall is what allowed HYDRA to get their hands on Bucky once more and turn him into the deadly assassin known as the Winter Soldier. Much like the scene in which Zola imprisons Bucky,the fall defines the next several decades of Bucky’s life, which leads to Steve finding him inCaptain America: The Winter Soldier. For this reason, the train fall ranks on the podium as a defining moment on Bucky Barnes' MCU timeline.
2Bucky Barnes Is Freed From His Winter Soldier Programming
One of the most emotional scenes in Bucky’s entire MCU journey is also one of his most defining. The scene comes inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierepisode 4 and shows a flashback to Bucky’s healing journey. In this scene, the Dora Milaje warrior known as Ayo recites the words that HYDRA used to trigger Bucky’s Winter Soldier programming.
Bucky’s aforementioned post-credit scene in Wakanda fromBlack Pantheris ranked lower than this scene as it does not delve as deeply into the extent of Bucky’s emotional state during his journey.
Bucky is shown struggling to contain the near-century of torture and brainwashing but manages to resist. Ayo states"You are free,“causing Bucky to emotionally break down in relief. The scene is truly beautiful and Sebastian Stan gives one of his best performances in the MCU, with the moment truly defining when Bucky’s life takes a turn for the better. While earlier moments, like those ranked fourth and third in this list, defined Bucky’s life going from normal to tortured, this moment emotionally outlines the specific point of reclamation of his life that leads intoAvengers: InfinityWar.
1The Winter Soldier Saves Steve Rogers From The River
From Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Although it would have been easy for me to place Bucky’s scene with Ayo first on this list, one fromCaptain America: The Winter Soldierdefines Bucky’s journey above all else. In the film’s climax, the Winter Soldier is tasked with killing Captain America and ensuring HYDRA’s Project Insight goes ahead. Steve tries to break through to Bucky beneath the Winter Soldier’s programming, yet seemingly fails. However, Bucky is shown remembering his line about being with Steve till the end of the line, later pulling him out of the river and saving his life.
In a way, this scene ranks first as a defining MCU moment for Bucky as it encapsulates everything about his character. For one, it is what truly began his journey to healing himself and being free of HYDRA, despite moments like Ayo’s scene finalizing this. Also, it typifies his character’s decency given that he saved Steve’s life. Finally, it moved Bucky beyond the decades of torture and mind control and led him tothe reclaimed future he is continuing to experience as a hero in theMarvel Cinematic Universemovies of the Multiverse Saga.
