WARNING: This article contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's first episode.
While Steve Rogers was able to get that fairy-tale ending he's always wanted in Avengers: Endgame, Bucky Barnes has some pallet cleansing to do before he can retire happily ever after.
Spending decades as a brainwashed assassin clearly took a toll on James Buchanan Barnes, who notes that he remembers all of his victims in Captain America: Civil War. His days as Hydra's puppet may be behind him, but the trauma still exists in that cyborg brain of his. As seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's first episode, Bucky is laser-focused on his redemption tour.
BUCKY'S LIST
He's far from perfect, but at least he's trying to make things right.
In the premiere episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes attends one of his recurring therapy sessions. Buck explains that he "crossed a name off the list of [his] amends yesterday," citing a Senator Atwood as a Hydra pawn that the Winter Soldier helped get into office. After giving Atwood up to authorities, Bucky crosses her name off his list of amends.
Bucky's list makes another appearance later in the episode when he ponders crossing Mr. Nakasima's name off it.
YOU HAVE FAILED THIS CITY
Bucky's mental clarity crusade is an appropriate narrative for the ex-assassin.
If James Buchanan Barnes is to live in this "New World Order," he needs to bury the Winter Soldier. Bucky's list includes a variety of people, including crooked politicians and family of deceased college students. While some of the list's names are insignificant (as of now), a number of them point to the page.
A. Rostov - Andre Rostov, aka the Red Barbarian
In the comics, Rostov worked as the warden of a gulag that Bucky served time in. During that time, Rostov made enemies with Barnes. Rostov would eventually retire to the Bahamas, where he would be assassinated by a mysterious sniper. Considering his name is still on the list, Rostov could be introduced and quickly removed from the MCU in a future episode.
Rostov is heavily-tied with Iron Man. On the page, the Red Barbarian got mixed up with Stark Industries. After a failed plan to steal blueprints, Rostov sends a communist agent after Stark but ends up on the losing end of that mission as well.
P.W. Hauser - Paul Walter Hauser, real-life actor and comedian
This one appears to be less of a storyline implication and more of a wink towards our world. Paul Walter Hauser is most known for his work on Richard Jewell, a Clint Eastwood-directed biopic that starred Hauser in the titular role.
Hauser is a close friend of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Sebastian Stan, which would make his appearance on Stan's character's list all the more amusing. The two previously worked together on the award-winning I, Tonya.
H. Zemo - Helmut Zemo
This one's the most obvious and direct nod to the MCU. Zemo's DNA was infused in the entire Captain America: Civil War storyline, and he is primed to make his long-awaited return in this series. The fact that he's on Bucky's list gives reason to believe Buck is actually going to hunt him down rather than Zemo make his presence felt unprovoked. Trailer footage shows Bucky confronting Zemo at a Sokovian memorial, pulling a gun on him, and emptying a clip of bullets in front of Zemo's stoic face.
Future trailer footage indicates a Zemo/Falcon/Winter Soldier alliance. While Bucky may be prompted to bring Zemo to an immediate end, there's reason to believe this amends effort will actually end on good terms.
L. Kaminski - Len Kaminski, writer and editor on Marvel Comics
The MCU loves to pay homage to those who birthed these fantastical characters, and that continues with the inclusion of Len Kaminiski's name. Kaminski previously worked on Iron Man and War Machine runs and is responsible for creating Rebecca Barnes, Bucky's sister.
C. Kusnetsov - Dr. Kusnetsov, Soviet scientist
Bucky really mixed it up with the Russians, huh? On the page, Dr. Kusnetsov is responsible for creating a sentient robot known as Udarnik. This artificial intelligence did not have European meteor showers on its mind but rather was built to help the USSR win the space race. Kusnetsov was told to destroy Udarnik but refused, secretly sending it to the moon. This caught the attention of one Tony Stark, who goes toe-to-toe with Udarnik in the comic series Iron Man: Fatal Frontier.
There's no telling if Bucky will cross every name off this list this season, but expect Zemo to be the next in line.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's first episode is streaming now, exclusively on Disney+.
MCU Writer, Editor, Podcaster
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