“The Winter Soldier” and how Christ offers us new life

Steve Rogers’ buddy “Bucky” Barnes has had a rollercoaster of a life: a life that he was, at times, not fully in control of. From World War II playboy to terrorist-spurred, brainwashed assassin, Bucky knows well what violence costs. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe character (played by Sebastian Stan) presents an interesting dilemma concerning the culpability for one’s sinful actions, his turn from villainy and his progress toward an inner life of peace are equally worth our consideration.

What Barnes longs for, in part, seems to be peace from the terrors of his past actions and the ramifications contingent on those violent acts. As we see in the Disney Plus series Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Barnes is a troubled man and, significantly, quite remorseful. This attitude echoes the regret his character voiced in Captain America: Civil War as well. What’s important is that he seems open to a new way of life. He is simply struggling with how to go about claiming it with all the moral baggage left over from his past life.

As we’ll see, the new life offered to us by Christ through His missionary life, Crucifixion, and Resurrection, offer a path away from the sense of social and spiritual stagnation with which many of us, like Bucky, are occasionally faced with.

Dark Night of the Winter Soldier

Captain America and the Winter Soldier (the code name for Bucky Barnes) started out as friends in the first half of the 20^th century and – via a series of separate but correlated events – found themselves plunged into the tumultuous landscape of the 21^st century with its culture, society, and economy vastly different from those they had left. Cap had been in a state of suspended animation, lost and locked in ice for decades on end. Meanwhile, his pal, whom he had believed to be a fatality of war, turns up as well. Steve confronts his old friend now “resurrected,” so to speak, in a wholly unnatural manner. Manipulated into a lethal cybernetic minion by HYDRA, Bucky becomes a formidable foe. But Cap is able to break through to him, through all the brainwashing, to memories of more innocent times.

While Bucky is no longer a tool at the disposal of the tentacles of terrorism, he isn’t entirely off the hook. He’s a wanted man. At his own hand, both the cruel and the innocent, the young and the old, had been killed. In Civil War, Tony Stark holds a grudge against him, as does Black Panther initially. Both Avengers believed the Winter Soldier had eliminated one or more of their parents. In the case of T’Challa, this was untrue. But, unfortunately for Bucky and Tony, the Starks had been murdered by the infamous Winter Soldier. It is partially because of this incident that an internal feud breaks out among the Avengers. Iron Man wants Barnes to pay for what he did. Yet, in the midst of this, the former HYDRA slave admits that he remembers every single kill he was tasked with making. The deaths of innocents seem to haunt him, always resurfacing in his mind.

Turning Over a New Leaf

Since his assassin days, Bucky has taken to a change of scenery and of occupation several times in the MCU. In the aftermath of Civil War, he finds an element of peace in the land of Wakanda. The atmosphere of this country of rolling green pastureland, of tradition and technology, allows Bucky to find some time to himself, to recede into a silence that ushers in an element of peace, to reflect on his past and prepare a path forward. Of course, he is inevitably caught up in the turmoil produced by the tyranny of Thanos.

Once again, after this, as we see in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he tries to face what life has given him going forward. But it’s an uphill struggle. As far as society at large is concerned, he is of little importance. While we do see him conversing with a therapist, and it’s noticeable that he puts in the energy to try to make friends, he seems a bit off-put. He finds himself in a rut of remorse for his past wrongdoing. He is paralyzed by his fears, a sense of hopelessness, and perhaps even depression. There is a feeling of stagnation that grips his whole being.

Anyone can tell you this isn’t a good sign. As Christians, we can look on this and see some clear areas for improvement. The case of Bucky Barnes becomes a case that we should take personal – because it addresses something we’ve all dealt with at some point of our lives. Back in Wakanda, there had been spaces of silence in which he could take refuge, in which he could begin to make out some clarity. Many of the great mystics and saints have noted the need for silence. In The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis writes with conviction that:

“In silence and quiet the devout soul advances in virtue and learns the hidden truths of Scripture.”

While I don’t think Bucky was necessarily sitting back and reading the Gospels or Psalms, there is something to be said of silence presenting a dimension of learning or of growing to greater understanding. In both the physical and the spiritual senses, silence allows for things to be heard. And hearing is the first step to better understanding that which is revealed. So we can’t stop at silence alone.

Christ: God of the Living

Silence can lead to a more sure understanding of reality and of what means the most to us in life. But for the Christian, life takes on a new outlook when we genuinely believe in the truths of our faith. Through His life, death, and Resurrection, our Lord offers a path forward not just for reaching our eternal reward of light and peace, not just for the promise of a glorified body in an eschatological resurrection of the dead. But in the here and now, His own Resurrection has implications on our state of living.

Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

In essence, this is what all of Christ’s teachings are geared toward: the abundant life. He is not the God of the dead but of the living. If we live in accord with the law provided by Christ, we are on the way to life everlasting. As we see from all the Gospels, interaction with Jesus does not leave anyone’s life stagnant. Christ’s calling evokes action on the part of all who experience Him. We must respond.

We are, like Bucky, often in a position where we need to be shaken awake and to be more proactive. Sometimes this simply means finding new direction or a new mission in life. It might mean exploring how you can better serve those around you. This seems to be a big concern on Bucky’s mind. He has hurt some of the people around him, however inadvertently it could have been. But he is also sorry for his former sins. This is a crucial mark of the truly repentant sinner, allowing him to cling to God’s forgiveness and to be open to new life.

St. Paul communicates that the Resurrection has dramatically changed the picture of life. He writes:

“We were buried therefore with him [Jesus] by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:4, 10-11).

Now, as followers of Christ, we have a moral obligation to Christ’s teachings. Jesus Himself is the life. He offers Himself as both source and example of the new way of life. It means being committed to Him and to helping others rather than following selfish paths that, ultimately, do not take us any closer to our deepest longings.

Bucky displays a frequent trait seen in fallen human nature: reluctance to give in to Christ. He knows his life needs to change and that he needs to be a proactive part of that change. Christ’s invitation is extended to all of us, but we must be willing to act – to live anew. But we, like Bucky, might need a little inspiration.

In this case, we may glean an idea of what the new life should look like from the following quote, attributed either to St. Ignatius or to St. Augustine:

“Pray as though everything depended on God; act as though everything depended on you.”

A change of heart and meditating in silence are important, but by themselves they are not enough. The newness of life that we are called to means that, by our very actions, we show how much we care about our faith. The Resurrection invites us to life and to have it abundantly.

 

 

*Quotes from Sacred Scripture come from the RSV Catholic Edition.