Yesterday a really dodgy image from Captain America was doing the rounds (see it below). You could barely see anything as it was a blown up scan from a magazine, but the reason it made it onto a lot of sites was because it was the first shot we’ve seen of Sebastian Stan as Captain America’s sidekick, Bucky Barnes. However hot on the heels of that came the much better resolution image above, which shows Bucky standing by Steve Roger’s side, with both looking a little miffed.
The picture accompanies an interview with director Joe Johnston in the LA Times, ahead of the release of a Superbowl Spot for Captain America this Sunday – which will be the first official footage seen from the film. Johnston talked about Bucky, and that while he was initially creates as a cheery and positive youngster (think 1960s Robin from the Batman TV series), Johnston says, “Sebastian Stan brought something really interesting and slightly on the dark side and really compelling to watch – when he’s on camera, you’re fascinated by watching him. In a great cast, I thought he really stood out and brought some unexpected things to the role. Everyone brought something to the movie and a lot of them brought something great but I was most pleasantly surprised by what Chris Evans brought and what Sebastian Stan brought in a much smaller role as Bucky.”
With Bucky originally created as a 15-year-old orphan brought in to fight alongside Captain America in World War II – an idea that wouldn’t fly in a modern superhero flick – the makers of the film realised they need to change things and viewed the character as essentially a blank slate, tweaking both Bucky and Steve Roger’s origins. We took some liberties with the relationship between the two guys, Johnston said. In our story, Bucky is already in the service, hes already joined up and is being sent overseas while Steve is still struggling to get in the army. Thats different than what you may have read in the comics. It adds a nuance to the relationship that pays off later. Theyre closer in age, too – theyre virtually the same age. Thats not the case at all if you go back to the old comics.
Indeed it sounds as if they’re almost reversing the dynamic at first. Steve and Bucky are both orphans who grow up almost as brothers. However while Bucky is a strapping young man who goes off to enlist, Steve is left behind, too sickly to fight. He then volunteers for the secret and dangerous experiments that turn him into Captain America. So is the dark side Johnston mention Bucky having a hard time with his sickly friend suddenly outstripping him and becoming the alpha of the partnership? Who knows, but we have been promised the character will be far toughter and more handy with a gun than the original comic book version.
