Bucky is a huge massive fucking nerd and Steve is the punk rock radical, not the other way around.
Steveās identity revolves entirely around fighting. Fighting for the oppressed, fighting against oppressors, fighting just because. He actively wants to die fighting, thatās why he does what he does. Heās polite, sure, but never confuse that for being nice or civil. Thereās a big difference. Steve was probably applying for the draft BEFORE Pearl Harbor, heās very politically engaged, even before he became Captain America. He might wear old clothes, but rest assured he would be an actual punk if he was born today.
Bucky, on the other hand, somehow got a hold of a copy of The Hobbit when it first came out in ENGLAND. Thatās an insane feat. You couldnāt even really special order it that fast. He would have had to be aware of JRR Tolkien (likely finding him through CS Lewis and short stories in nerdy fandom spaces) to have heard about it in the first place, then got a copy sent to him by mail from someone he knew in England. Thatās levels of dorkery that we donāt even have the technology for anymore. Closest thing would be traveling to a different country to collect a specific unknown book. Then, he chose to go to the Worldās Fair on his last night in Brooklyn. Sure, post Winter Soldier, he likes to wear black, but he listens to like. Swing music from the 40s. Heās not cool. He just doesnāt talk enough for everyone (but Steve and Sam) to discover what a huge dork he is. If he was born today, heād be into comics and d&d











