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Even if you know the name Captain America, it’s possible you’re not terribly familiar with his comic book sidekick Bucky… despite the two of them hitting the funnybook scene together.  Back in 1941, Cap and Bucky took on Hitler and his goons in one issue after another.  But when Cap was retired and brought back in the 1960’s to the more popular Marvel Comics universe, Bucky vanished for a bit.  Some people made the comparison that he was the Robin to Cap’s Batman, and just didn’t make sense to keep in the continuity.  Marvel has managed to do some interesting things with the character in recent years, thanks largely to comic writer Ed Brubaker.  The character of Bucky will in fact be seen in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, and played by Sebastian Stan – we talked in April of 2010 about Stan being cast in the part.   However, the portrayal may be a lot different from what classic comic book fans might expect.  According to HeroComplex, director Joe Johnston had some interesting things to say about the role of Bucky in the film:

“Sebastian 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,” Johnston said. “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 brought and what Sebasatian brought in a much smaller role as Bucky.”

I stopped Johnston and asked him to back up a bit — a dark side to Bucky? That’s not what most fans think of when they reflect on the traditional portrayal of the character during his wartime-era adventures. “Yeah, that’s true, but Sebastian has a dark, slightly quirky side to him — and that’s the case when he’s in character or not — and he brought that to this movie. “

“You know, he was originally up for the lead, for the Steve Rogers role, but he didn’t have quite the same earnest, I-want-to-fight-for-my-country aura that Chris has for this role. Sebastian has a little bit of the bad boy, he’s a little bit of the James Dean type and that goes somewhat counter to the general perception of Steve Rogers. He wasn’t quite right for Captain America, but I think he’s perfect for Bucky because, really, he can have a little bit of that dark side.”

Johnston continued to explain the differences between the on-screen characterization of Bucky, and the comic book counterpart.

“We took some liberties with the relationship between the two guys,” Johnston said. “In our story, Bucky is already in the service, he’s already joined up and is being sent overseas while Steve is still struggling to get in the army. That’s different than what you may have read in the comics. It adds a nuance to the relationship that pays off later. They’re closer in age, too — they’re virtually the same age. That’s not the case at all if you go back to the old comics.”

”Our Bucky isn’t a sidekick and there’s a darker edge. This is a much more interesting relationship.”

It’s said that in the movie, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are orphans who grow up like brothers. Rogers is supposedly too ill to enlist in the service, but volunteers for a top secret experiment that might make him the first of an army of super-soldiers.  It’s that action which alters the dynamic of his relationship with Bucky, creating great tension.  Not sure how you guys feel about it, but this film just sounds better and better the more I hear about it.  Being a huge fan of Cap, I’ve got big hopes for this one, and I love Joe Johnston as a director.  Let’s pray this thing delivers the way we all want it to.

Source: HeroComplex

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