Bucky Barnes' 10 Most Impressive Displays Of Power In The MCU

Bucky Barnes has slowly become one of the most represented characters in Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, accruing an impressive catalog of powerful feats along the way. Way back in Phase One, Bucky"s MCU journey began when he was captured by HYDRA and transformed into the Winter Soldier, thus making him one of the deadliest humans in the history of Marvel"s Earth. Bucky has accrued some terrifying displays of power over the course of his 8 (soon to be 9) MCU title appearances.
Although the MCU"s Bucky may be missing some comic powers, he still manages to ride the blurred line between street-level hero and city-scale powerhouse like Iron Man, Thor, or Hulk. However, he still enjoys all the benefits of HYDRA"s knock-off super soldier serum, dramatically increasing his strength, speed and durability, on top of his left arm being even more exponentially powerful as a cybernetic prosthesis sometimes made out of vibranium. On top of all that, Bucky"s skills with marksmanship, martial arts, and espionage are second-to-none, making him a truly impressive hero and villain.
10 Bucky Punches Through His Cell's Reinforced Door Captain America: Civil War

For a long time, Bucky"s biggest weakness was the Winter Soldier activation phrases, a series of seemingly random Russian words that could instantly activate his HYDRA programming, turning him into an unthinking killing machine. Though he is eventually cured of the words" control over him thanks to his time in Wakanda, hearing the first of the phrases is a terrifying enough prospect to send Bucky into a panic. This heightened state of adrenaline has caused him to do some incredible things, as shown in Captain America: Civil War.
Infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. and using an EMP to give himself several minutes alone with Bucky, Baron Zemo begins reciting the Winter Soldier"s activation phrases to a captured Bucky. This causes Bucky to rage hard enough to tear free of his restraints and even punch through a reinforced door specifically meant to contain him. When he"s really making an effort to bust out, Bucky is next to impossible to contain with his cybernetic arm.
9 Bucky Survives A Deadly Fall Captain America: The First Avenger

Before he even received any sort of super powers, Bucky Barnes was already an impressive soldier, even if he was only human. A special forces sniper, Bucky was certainly a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield in the 1940s, joining Captain America on numerous raids on HYDRA. But the story of how he even became the Winter Soldier in the first place is a testament to his unbreakable will, even as a regular person.
Falling off of a train, Bucky plummets hundreds of feet into a snowy chasm and somehow survives. Even if he does lose his arm because of the injury, the fact that Bucky is still breathing at all afterwards is telling as to how tenacious he truly is. Bucky suffers another brutal fall in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, jumping out of a plane for sheer convenience with only a few measly tree branches to break the impact. The fact that this is played off for laughs is truly telling as to how far Bucky"s durability has come.
8 Bucky Blocks Bullets And Kicks A Soldier Into A Jet Engine Captain America: The Winter Soldier

As the Winter Soldier, Bucky is a ruthless killer who is nigh unstoppable, even via gunfire. While Bucky could presumably get shot in the head and die despite his super soldier serum, in most instances, firearms pose little threat to him thanks to his enhanced reflexes. Even if he may not have Captain America"s shield to protect himself, the Winter Soldier is able to make do with his arms alone.
During the brawl on the flight deck in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Bucky tears through an entire squadron of S.H.I.E.L.D. pilots all by himself. At one point, he not only manages to block the incoming fire of a hapless pilot with only his arm, but he then proceeds to kick him into an active jet engine, resulting in one of the MCU"s grisliest deaths. The fact that the Winter Soldier is confident enough to wade into flying bullets and emerge without a scratch is a terrifying testament to his speed and skill.
7 Bucky Outruns Cars In The Vienna Tunnel Captain America: Civil War

Due to all of the atrocities he committed while still brainwashed by HYDRA as the Winter Soldier, Bucky spends much of his time in the MCU being one of the most wanted fugitives in the world. As a result, he"s used to being on the run, but this is taken quite literally when it comes to his incredible speed. Like Captain America and Black Panther, Bucky is fast enough to keep up with and even surpass literal cars without too much trouble.
In Captain America: Civil War, Bucky, Steve, and T"Challa are all shown to be able to outrun commuters speeding along the Vienna tunnel in their cars. This speaks volumes as to Bucky"s pure unmitigated speed, truly a superhuman when it comes to closing distances. He puts this incredible athleticism to use again in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, catching up with the Flag Smashers" truck on foot and even managing to board one of them.
6 Bucky Dual-Wields A Light Machine Gun And Rocket Raccoon Avengers: Infinity War

It"s rare that Bucky gets to interact with the more bizarre side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Avengers: Infinity War finally provided him that chance. During the Battle for Wakanda, Bucky finds himself back-to-back with a talking Racoon who just so happens to have a lustful affinity for powerful firearms. A marksman himself, Bucky ends up executing an amazing team-up attack with Rocket as Thanos" Outriders pour down upon them.
Hoisting his M249 light machine gun in one hand and Rocket in the other, Bucky spins around, allowing the two of them to mow down an approaching horde of Outrides in a tornado of gunfire. It"s amazing that Bucky has the strength and accuracy to fire a machine gun meant to be used with a bipod and handle Rocket with his own weighty firearm at the same time. Of course, this moment also allows Rocket"s obsession with prosthetic body parts to fix its lustful eye on Bucky"s prized cybernetic arm.
5 Bucky Pulls Falcon Out Of The Sky And Clips His Wings Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Every superhero or supervillain seems to come equipped with their own grappling hook in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from Black Widow to Hawkeye to Captain America himself. Bucky is no exception to this rule, and seems to have a powerful grapnel gun as part of his standard kit when out and about as the Winter Soldier. He uses this device to terrifying efficacy during a scrap with Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
As Falcon tries to escape into the air, Bucky manages to fire his grappling hook fast enough to snag the line on one of Sam"s wings. Yanking Sam to the ground, Bucky then neuters his ability to fly by tearing off the jetpack"s wing altogether, leaving the Falcon grounded. Not only does this demonstrate how strong Bucky is, able to both overcome the force of Sam"s jetpack and take it apart like a toy, but it"s also an impressive feat of accuracy, nailing a difficult moving target with a narrow line of cable.
4 Bucky Punches Captain America Through Elevator Doors Captain America: Civil War

It"s somehow fitting that most of Bucky"s most impressive feats of raw strength happen while he"s on a rampage as the Winter Soldier. After being sprung and re-activated by Zemo, the Winter Soldier terrorizes the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility he was captured in, making short work of Falcon, Black Widow, and Steve himself. The way he"s able to put down his old friend is particularly indicative of just how strong his cybernetic arm is.
As the Winter Soldier, Bucky is able to take Steve out of the fight by punching him through two closed elevator doors, sending him hurdling into the empty shaft below. What makes his punch so impressive is the fact that Steve catches his initial blow, meaning Bucky had little room to actually build the momentum of his punch. Yet still, the Winter Soldier was able to send Captain America through two solid steel doors, putting him in contention for one of the physically strongest MCU characters.
3 Bucky Pulls A Man Through A Solid Stone Wall The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier sees a cured Bucky wracked with guilt and trying to make amends for the many lives he took as the Winter Soldier under HYDRA"s control. In a flashback, the show treats viewers to yet another of Bucky"s most jaw-dropping spectacles of strength, once again while fully taken over by the Winter Soldier persona. Sent to eliminate yet another group of targets for HYDRA, the Winter Soldier unleashes some of his most powerful feats of strength yet.
Bucky starts off the fight by tearing through a solid stone wall like it was made of tissue paper, literally pulling a poor security guard through the stone with one hand. He then goes on to show off more indomitable combat skills, taking out an entire building full of armed soldiers with fists, guns, and throwing knives. It"s shocking to see what Bucky"s physicals are capable of when he"s not restrained by emotion.
2 Bucky Snatches A Moving Car And Flips It Over Thunderbolts*

Far from being done with the franchise, Sebastian Stan has already added yet another MCU film to his resume with a brief appearance in Captain America: Brave New World, where Bucky is revealed to have become a congressman. But Bucky will be back in action again soon with the upcoming Thunderbolts*, which will see him team up with a motley crew of former villains and anti-heroes. In the action sequences the trailers have already shown off, Bucky will seem to be getting a whole new suite of strength feats.
At one point in the trailers, Bucky is shown picking up a winch cable that seems to be attached to a runaway car of some importance, specifically a hefty military Humvee. Heaving on the cable, Bucky is able to flip the car over itself like the semi-truck in The Dark Knight, stopping the speeding vehicle in its tracks. It"s nice to see that a career in politics hasn"t dampened Bucky"s strength as a superhero.
1 Bucky Pulls Open The Door Of An Armored Van The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

It almost seems as though Bucky has some kind of personal vendetta against armored vehicles and reinforced doors. Yet another staggeringly impressive display of the strength of his cybernetic arm comes up in the final episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, shortly after Bucky"s battle with Batroc. Displaying the new lows she"s willing to stoop to to accomplish her goals, Karli distracts Bucky by lighting an armored van full of hostages on fire.
To save the hostages, Bucky starts battering the high-tech lock Karli places on the van"s rear doors. With some effort, he"s then able to force open the locked doors of the heavily armored vehicle, freeing the hostages trapped within. The fact that Bucky is able to overcome the locks of a police van meant to withstand literal explosives speaks to just how strong him and his arm are, making him one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe"s most inimidating Earth-based characters.
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