In Cacw, what are your thoughts on Bucky being held in a chair with an electric pulse similar to the one he was brainwashed with? Ptsd and all? Also your thoughts on Tony "compromising" and saying he'd get Bucky help when in fact thats clearly not what was happening? And to emphasize, this was BEFORE, Tony even found out about his parents. Tony can feel rage and vengeance and be hypocritical because of guilt, but Bucky's still more accountable for deaths he didn't even wanna commit?
Let me start off by saying there are no clear villains in this movie (aside from Zemo), and there are no clear heroes either.
No one was completely in the right in this movie, and that is what is so great and interesting about it. There is no argument or stance for any of the characters or their motives that is completely foolproof, unflawed or unbiased. Even T’Challa acts out of vengeance and anger for most of the movie, on his murderous hunt for Bucky to avenge his father’s death (which Bucky was framed for.)
Now, with that out of the way–
I assume this is the scene you’re referring to, at the beginning of the movie. This is obviously the procedure for every time the Winter Soldier comes out of cryostasis (as we see him coming out of a cryochamber seconds earlier):
This ‘freeze and shock’ method was likely used as a reset button as well as a very cruel kind of alarm clock. To make sure he is a blank slate and ready to comply, as we hear the trigger words spoken after the pulse procedure.
As far as Bucky’s PTSD, I would like to note a few differences in this scene (which takes place in the past, presumably on or near December 16th, 1991) and the similar torture scene from TWS:
Unlike the ‘older’ scene (from Civil War back in 1991), Bucky is strapped in by his arms. He also has a mouth bit to minimize his screams (HYDRA likely got tired of hearing him be so loud, despite how some of the members probably took some sadistic pleasure out of seeing him break like that), his chest is heaving, and he’s shaking; his hand is trembling and his jaw is clenched. You can see his anxiety, his fear; he knows what’s coming. He’s learned through his repeated tortures what this chair and equipment does to him; not even the brainwashing and cryostasis can make him forget. It’s muscle memory now. So you can literally see how his PTSD developed in just how he reacts to his torture (though you don’t need PTSD to be afraid of this thing, seriously.)
Here’s a thorough comparison:
Posture. ‘91 WS is sitting up, relatively straight, with arms bent but not incredibly tense or clenched. Legs are likewise straight, feet presumably positioned flat on the floor / in stirrups. Shoulders are straight. He looks prepared, enduring, despite how he’s screaming. Present-day WS though? He’s slouched, leaning into the chair as if trying to shrink into it and escape those pulsars. Legs are splayed out, fists and jaw are clenched, shoulders are raised defensively or in fear (likely both). Every muscle in his body is rigid and tense, unlike in ‘91 WS, where while he’s certainly not relaxed, he’s not tight as a string either.
Reaction. ‘91 WS has no mouth bit, and he screams. Loudly. He doesn’t hold back on volume, and he doesn’t bite back the pain. His breathing rate is normal, in fact a bit held back (likely due to screaming so much). He doesn’t look afraid or anxious, and he isn’t shaking in fear. Present-day WS has a mouth bit, and he does scream, but it is lessened and muffled. His breathing is fast, heavy and labored. Very likely sweating from the ordeal as well. He tries to hold back his screams as much as possible, he’s shaking, swallows multiple times in succession, and is clearly in a state of fear and distress.
Expression. Just look at his face. ‘91 WS doesn’t look afraid (he goes through the scene without really any identifiable expression at all, aside from brief flashes of suffering). His jaw is clenched but he’s in pain, that’s natural. Present-day WS looks fucking terrified. His eyebrows are drawn in, you can see the muscles of his throat bulging in and out, his eyes are squinted and nostrils flared. Every part of his expression literally SCREAMS ‘make it stop’. He looks like he wants to cry.
You can see how he changes over the decades from the torture. Even in ‘91, HYDRA still had Bucky for– what, about 35-40 years already? But during that torture segment, he still looks like a soldier; like someone getting a beating but taking it. They even treat him more like a soldier in this part. In CA:TWS, which takes place in 2014, 13 years after? Bucky looks like a prisoner; a victim. He’s always been one with HYDRA, but now he actually looks like one; he ACTS like one. And HYDRA treats him like one too; Pierce slaps him and HYDRA operatives crowd him.
NOW as for Tony and his emotional issues, the main point is that his feelings are relatable. Understandable. He is angry and hurt and in pain for a REASON. Bucky’s murders were not emotionally charged or motivated; they were the orchestrations of HYDRA. Bucky was a tool, and while he did not choose to be one nor do what he did, there are still lasting consequences because of his actions. If Bucky killed your parents, or literally anyone that mattered to you, as the Winter Soldier, could you so easily forgive and forget based on the fact that he was brainwashed by HYDRA?
Understand there is a difference between being AT FAULT, and being RESPONSIBLE. Bucky is RESPONSIBLE for the blood on his hands, because despite how much he was used as a tool and a weapon, he’s not literally one; he’s a human being. To treat and see him as a weapon (and thus remove all responsibility from him) would be the same view of HYDRA. But the fault of his actions, because there was no choice behind them, does not rest with him.
Tony compromised at the time because I think he legitimately went in that compound with the genuine idea of helping Steve and Bucky without issues. He wanted to help, because he saw the bigger threat and he missed it before, so now he wants to make it up to Steve. Things didn’t start going down south until Tony saw the video recording of his parents’ murder.
Tony, despite all of his emotional issues and suffering, despite the pain he had to go through to see his parents murdered and to find out Steve hid the truth from him– he still had a choice. He CHOSE to attack Bucky. He CHOSE not to listen to Steve (just like Steve chose not to listen to him earlier in the movie). He CHOSE to make matters worse and play into Zemo’s hands. Do I blame him? No, of course not. It’s a course of action that, in that very moment where everything comes crashing down on you, it makes sense. Is it right? Again, no. Two wrongs will never make a right. Murdering Bucky will not bring his parents back.
Rather than attempt to punish and get vengeance on a man who never chose to bring any harm to your loved ones in the first place, instead they (everyone, not just Tony but the world at large) should work on finding ways on preventing more scenarios like this from happening again. Find ways to let the man help now that he has the ability to choose again. Because I guarantee you no matter how much or in what ways they could punish Bucky for what he did, he’s punished himself far more and in far worse ways than they ever could.
And at the end of the day, Bucky is just one more of the Winter Soldier’s / HYDRA’s victims, just like Tony’s parents. He doesn’t have to be dead to be a victim.
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