It’s easy to wonder how fans would view Bucky Barnes and what kind of a reaction we’d have to the character if someone other than Sebastian Stan brought him to life. Would we still consistently want more, even though we can understand that what we have is relatively substantial? Because, really, in more ways than one, it’s Stan’s performance that continually gives Bucky depth, layers, and scenes that convey a thousand words even while he audibly says very little.
After Thunderbolts*/New Avengers, I keep thinking about the first time we see Bucky again in Infinity War. The way he moves along the field as the camera pans to him, how he walks toward T’Challa, and how he looks at the arm they give him. I keep thinking about how bright and real his smile is when he sees Steve and how in those small moments, Sebastian Stan carefully reminds us of the weight and grief the character still carries, even as he allows himself moments of real, albeit ephemeral happiness.
By the time we get to the battles in Captain America: Civil War, every character knows the pangs of combat and grief to some capacity. But none of them have experienced the kind of decades-long torture that Bucky has, so his recovery understandably looks different. He’s a man who’s never going to be able to let his guard down fully. He’s never going to give people the opportunity to get inside his head again because he knows exactly where that leads. And the way that Stan shows this reservation is no small feat because the expression he wears in Bucky’s eyes is a mirror to all the pain that continues to haunt him. It’s an expression that never fades, even as he shows himself a moment to wholeheartedly feel excited that he’s seeing his oldest friend again.
That same look is almost always present in his expression, but how we see it in Infinity War is what sets the course for Bucky Barnes’ journey during the MCU. When he sees the arm T’Challa presents him, Bucky already knows what it’s for—another war, more heartaches, more loss. And with his expressiveness, Stan shows us that Bucky already feels the incoming pain on a visceral level. His reaction is quiet and subtle, but his expression shows us everything.
Redemption arcs aren’t always easy, but how we frequently see Bucky’s understanding of what he’s done makes the character that much more nuanced. I will always hate the damage that Civil War caused (in more ways than one), but it’s not hard to appreciate the fight for Bucky’s second chance. It’s not hard to see why Steve Rogers refuses to give up on him because he knows that no one in this world is more loyal. And Bucky’s loyalty is another piece of the character that Stan embodies so brilliantly through his expressions in this scene.
No one would ever fault him for staying behind and continuing to rest. No one would fault him for opting out of another battle that could cause cataclysmic damage, but he can’t sit back because it’s not who he is. No matter how broken, tired, and dejected Bucky Barnes is, he’s going to fight for the people who deserve it.
Few things are simple in what unravels in Infinity War, but the poignancy and heart that we see in Bucky Barnes is a small glimmer of hope that acts as a reminder that even if these characters come back changed, their journeys are bigger than what’s written on the page and the performances are to be fully credited. The MCU never gave Natasha Romanoff the type of arc she deserved, but Scarlett Johansson consistently gave her all. Florence Pugh makes Yelena Belova the nuanced and layered woman that she is. And often, these brief, fleeting scenes are the moments where we see the best of who these characters are. It’s in these quiet moments were we understand the weight of all that they carry and how they’re still so damaged by everything that’s come.
Infinity War is now streaming on Disney+. In case anyone needs to cry as well.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Disney