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User Name/Nick: Kate
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Character Name: James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes/The Winter Soldier
Series: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Age: 99 (3/10/1917)
From When?: Mid-Civil War, right after he, Steve, and the helicopter go into the river in Berlin.

Inmate/Warden: (Flawed) Warden. Setting aside Bucky's current mental state and his status as his world's longest serving POW, at heart he's a good person possessing strong morals, with both the confidence and means to back up those convictions. Although he committed atrocities while brainwashed, as soon as he broke free from that brainwashing, Bucky not only saved Steve from drowning, he did not follow orders and return to Hydra. Instead, he simply went into hiding without further large-scale bloodshed.

Buck served as second-in-command for Captain America's WW2 elite ops unit, which means he's accustomed to wrangling trained special forces of differing backgrounds, and grew up with Steve Rogers, which also means he's had two decades of experience looking after the most stubborn guy to ever exist.

However, he's not without his own problems. The fractured pieces of his mind and emotions will take time to heal, and Buck may never fully recover to be the man he was before HYDRA got ahold of him. His triggers are numerous and capable of temporarily derailing progress, on his own or with an assigned inmate. There is also ample opportunity to be taken advantage of, due to memory problems, but the flip side of that is that anyone who does mess with him will have an angry Winter Soldier to deal with after the fact.

As a Warden, he can offer tough love when necessary, compassion and a safe space to test boundaries and what it means to better yourself, and be willing to listen to inmates' concerns. Looking after hard knock cases is what he does best. Getting an inmate to graduate means putting in time and hard work. James Barnes has never been afraid of hard work.

Item: Burner cell phone circa 2014.

Arrival: N/A

Abilities/Powers: Bucky is one of two fully successful super soldiers in his world. Except he got the knock-off serum, rather than the pure strain, one probably developed from Johann Schmidt's blood and what he and Armin Zola were able to replicate from Erskine's original formula. This means, like Steve, he's got enhanced strength and senses (hearing, seeing, taste, touch, smell), super speed (to the point where he can outpace a car on foot), is durable enough to survive falling off a mountain, and the ability to go toe-to-toe with Captain America. And, oh yes, he's got a technologically advanced cybernetic left arm. Which sort of makes him a cyborg.

The full rundown of his abilities can be found here.

Personality: James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes has several dominant personality traits: he’s loyal, protective, ruthless, and very responsible. During his youth, he’s also charming and boisterous, a sunny counterpart to his shorter, surlier best friend Steve Rogers. He’s smart and athletic as well, earning top marks in school and in boxing, both counting only in that he’s quick on his feet and well-rounded as far as early 20th-century knowledge goes. In fact, it wouldn’t be untrue to call Bucky an All-American man. He’s good-looking, generous, kind, intolerant of bullies, doesn’t like to waste things, and has a strong work ethic. Sounds pretty close to Mr. Right, doesn’t it.

Here’s the thing about Bucky. He’s fairly self-aware of his own strengths and weaknesses, and isn’t afraid to utilize this knowledge for the greater good or his own interests. For example: Bucky is good-looking and knows it. He’s used his looks to try and get dates for his best friend, determined to find Steve a good dame of his own, but when that doesn’t work out, he’s perfectly fine with squiring two ladies around for the evening. He might even go home with one, displaying a slightly looser sexual morality than people might suspect from 1930/40s Brooklyn. He’s generous; with his time, with his friendship, and his space. When Steve is too old for the orphanage, he instantly jumps in to offer his own apartment as an alternative to going it alone, showing a tendency to provide for the people he considers his, especially family – he’s got three little sisters and one stubborn Irish brother, despite said brother being born to different parents. Bucky hates bullies just as much as Steve does, and their initial meeting happens when he wades in to stop local kids from bullying the guy when they were children.

Think about that. Bucky has been looking out for others -- primarily his sisters, mother, and Steve -- since he was a little kid. That urge to protect is so ingrained that it allowed him to break 70+ years of brainwashing by HYDRA. Quick summary: World War II happens, Bucky is drafted into the Army, and his best pal repeatedly tries to enlist despite a long list of medical issues. So he arranges for one last double date, tries to give himself and Steve a decent night out before shipping off, and it ends up being a partial bust, at least so far as Bucky knows. He ends up escorting two dames around and Steve breaks the law (again), attempting to enlist for the umpteenth time.

That's the last time they speak. Buck has had a lot of responsibility riding on his shoulders as the eldest child/only son of a Depression-era family. So he does his duty and heads off to war when drafted, instead of say, running to Canada. The next time he sees Steve is months later, after weeks of captivity, torture, and experimentation by both HYDRA and Nazi forces, when his now physically-changed best friend charges in to rescue the 107th on the slim chance Bucky wasn't dead. Against all odds, it works. He and the other prisoners of war win their freedom with Steve's help and march back to (relative) safety. Then, instead of packing up and heading home (and maybe dealing with his PSTD), Bucky falls right back to watching Steve's six, serving as the sniper for the Howling Commandos until his apparent death in early 1945, proving his protective streak is clearly a mile wide and twice as deep.

Then, of course, he survives a fall that should have killed him and is horrifically tortured, experimented on for seven decades, and brainwashed into becoming the world’s deadliest assassin. However, all it takes to begin breaking down that conditioning is to see Steve again. Between the fight on the causeway and the fight on Insight C, Buck tells his handlers that he knows Steve. Somehow, throughout all the wipes, he remembers Steve. Needless to say, he's punished and wiped mid-mission, once again reduced to a mindless weapon. Until he sees Steve on the helicarrier and, instead of taking a kill shot from a distance (WW2 sniper, remember), he engages in a fist fight, nearly kills his best friend, and then ends up saving his life. Which, frankly, is an enormous moment. Bucky's FIRST conscious act in 70 years is to save someone. Sure, it's Steve, but that says a lot about the man he used to be. Clearly, his loyalty is just as strong as his will, which is absolutely formidable, whether as the Winter Soldier or plain old Bucky Barnes. Ruthless in protecting his people or completing a mission, there is pretty much nothing he won’t do to ensure success. This is part of what makes him so feared as the Asset, and what made him second in command of the Howling Commandos.

While some remnant of the bright, charming man is presumably inside what’s left of Bucky post his regaining autonomy during the battle of DC, his overall demeanor and personality are much more serious in the modern era. Rather than commanding attention, he appears to reject it, body language closed off and not visually aggressive unless something sets him off. (The surest way to do this is threatening Steve, or anyone connected to Steve, in his presence. That will get a reaction.) Additionally, his PTSD is off the charts, considering the sheer number of years he was tortured and brainwashed, and anything from a firecracker to the tone of someone's voice is capable of disrupting what peace of mind he's cobbled together.

However, Bucky does try to keep tabs on his mental state and curb the potential for violence, lethal or otherwise, but there are times he may throw down in a fight (see: anyone shit-talking his friend(s)). Bucky's sense of humor is understandably dry and somewhat morbid, gallows humor to contend with what was done to him, and the things he did while in captivity. And here’s where the responsibility comes back into play: Bucky knows he was brainwashed and forced to do terrible things, but he doesn’t absolve himself of them. Sure, it wasn’t his fault, but that doesn’t mean his hands didn’t shed blood. Plus, only by taking responsibility for everything, regardless of state of mind, can he hope to atone for some of his crimes.

Ultimately, Bucky Barnes is one of the most terrifying and ruthless people in his world; one with some serious mental, physical and PTSD issues. He’s currently notorious as a ghost story come to life, with the appropriately grave demeanor to go along with it, and even master spies like Natasha Romanoff are understandably afraid of him. But he’s also loyal, brave, self-sacrificing, and not a bad friend, if you can get past the metric ton of problems to the guy underneath.

Barge Reactions: Bucky is here voluntarily, but he's accustomed to living on his own without much social contact. It will take him a while to trust anyone that isn't named Steve Rogers. The last seventy years of his life have been pretty horrific, and that will also play into events involving altered memories. During floods and the like, Bucky probably won't realize what's going on, but afterward, he'll have delayed negative reactions, since brainwashing is one of his major triggers.

Outside of forced changes, he'll probably go out of his way to keep an eye on those who get his attention, regardless if they're wardens or inmates. It's part of his personality to look out for others, and reinforced by initial Army training. As a sergeant, he's accustomed to trying to keep some order in chaotic situations. Other races and personalities won't bother him either. The Howlies were made up of three white guys, one African-American, one Japanese-American, one Frenchman, one British aristocrat, and Agent Peggy Carter, one of the most competent people he's ever met. What will matter is how people treat each other.


Path to Redemption: N/A

Deal: Bucky's deal is initially very simple: escaping from Zemo, a nutcase who knows his trigger words and wants to use his alter ego to tear apart the Avengers. At his canon point, this will be his overriding concern. However, once settled on the Barge, it's not inconceivable that he might change his deal, either for himself or someone else (like an inmate).

History: wiki link.

Sample Journal Entry:

[ The video feed flicks on, showing Bucky in his quarters. They're surprisingly clean. Nothing on the floor, bed's made, the few things he owns are on shelves. Actually, maybe that's the problem. Everything is pristine and. Less of it, empty spaces where there should be something. Books and trinkets to make things more homey. He's slumped against the wall, toying with an origami frog. It's a little crumpled in places, but more or less in the shape it's supposed to be.

He looks up after a minute. ]

Do any of you ever wonder about memory? Or memories. Is that all we are? A collection of thoughts about past actions. How do we know if those are even real?

[ His hair is currently hanging in his face, but when his head tilts, Bucky's eyes might be a little red-rimmed for the exceedingly observant. ]

Or do we exist separate from what we remember. I got so much in my head, you know. Half the time I'm not sure it's -- they put shit in there. Taught me things that I don't remember learning. So how is that real if I can't. If I can't access the physical memory. Makes me think I'm not real sometimes. That's fucked up.

[ Someday, James Barnes is going to remember to watch his mouth. Keep swear words out of polite society. Today is not that day. ]

... It is fucked up, right? I'm not hallucinating all of this.

Sample RP:

The first thing he notices is the quiet. And peace, maybe. No shrieks, no screams. No thirty-foot tall dinosaurs with far too many teeth trying to fit themselves into the (relatively) small hallways, or lurking around the bigger spaces, waiting for unsuspecting people to wander in. Bucky's lying under some rubble, drywall and wood, and concrete, on a lower deck where he was trying to keep a couple of baby raptors from trapping and eating anyone who happened by.

He can't hear either of them clicking and chirping now, not in the immediate vicinity or beyond. It means one of two things: either the flood has ended and the dinosaurs are gone, or they're smarter than everyone thought and that's just too depressing to consider. He's not ready to relinquish humanity's place at the top of the food chain yet. And that possibility is enough to keep him there another five, then ten, minutes, waiting and ready to fight at a second's notice.

Eventually, though, Bucky decides lying under a pile of lumber is not the way he wants to go out. It takes a few minutes to move individual pieces of wood and rubble, then wriggle his way out. When the assassin finally escapes his temporary, very small prison, he's greeted with the sight of an empty hallway. Frankly, it's one of the nicest he's ever seen. Even the traces of blood from an altercation earlier in the week can't completely dampen his rising spirits. Buck dusts himself off and takes a few steps in one direction, listening intently for trouble, then takes another few steps, and a few more.

By the time he makes it to the kitchens, he's downright cheerful. Not one reptile has tried to kill him, and there are other people moving around now, including an injured recent arrival that he took to medical. Part of his brain is still waiting for the other shoe to drop, but considering what he's been through, Bucky doubts he'll ever not be paranoid. But it is enough to know most everyone has survived another round of insanity. He nods to a couple of inmates currently taking stock of food supplies and settles down at an empty table.

In a minute he'll go round up a party of able-bodied volunteers and search for casualties. Right now, though, he needs to stuff his face, get some water, and enjoy a few minutes of peace. Before the next emergency happens.

Special Notes:

Bucky has multiple PTSD triggers, including non-consensual body modification, mass murder, torture, brainwashing, wartime violence, and growing up in Depression-era Brooklyn. He's also one of the best snipers and assassins in his world. Any or all of these may come into play, especially during floods or events.

Additionally, Bucky is returning to the Barge approximately a year and a half after his last stay, and will remember most of the wardens and inmates he interacted with before. He will be less prone to violent outbursts this time around and generally try to avoid violence. All the warnings about picking on Steve still hold, though. The punk's his biggest weakness.