The Falcon And The Winter Soldier is yet another MCU triumph. Between it and WandaVision, Phase 4 is shaping up to be something special. While the show delivered the usual blend of high octane action and humor that is the MCU's forte, it also did a lot for the characters in the show and the Winter Soldier is no exception. In the comics, Winter Soldier has had a lot of development, but in the MCU, he's kind of one-note.
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier grew the character, making him into a more well-rounded character, one with a big future in the MCU.
10 It Showed A Softer Side Of The Character
One of the interesting things about the way TFATWS was the way it treated Winter Soldier vis-a-vis his relationship with women. The first episode showed him out on a date with a waitress, it felt like there was more to his relationship with Ayo, and he flirted with Sam's sister. This was a side fans had never seen of the character.
The MCU makes a lot of mistakes and one of those is often the way it approaches romantic relationships. While it didn't pull any triggers on putting Bucky into a relationship in the show, it showed him doing what any single man would do and it felt realistic, a good step for the character.
9 It Showed His Remorse
Bucky's change from evil assassin to hero was kind of abrupt, with a lot of the development probably taking place in between movies during his time in Wakanda. However, one thing fans never really got to see was remorse for his actions. It was there to an extent, of course, but he never engaged with it too much.
TFATWS went out of its way to show this aspect of the character, the sadness of what he did finally hit him and it was the best thing for the character. Showing him dealing with this was interesting, as the trauma of his actions would have an effect on him.
8 His Relationship With Sam Showed How He Dealt With An Equal
In a lot of ways, the relationship between Steve and Bucky was one of differing power dynamics. As young men in Brooklyn, Bucky was the one in charge and then after Steve became Cap, he was the one in charge. After that, with the Winter Soldier situation, Cap took on the role of guardian that Bucky once had for him.
Fans had never really seen Bucky deal with an equal before and they got to see that in TFATWS. This was a nice step for the character. Seeing how he interacted with someone on the same level as him was very important to his development.
7 It Finally Gave The Character Things To Do
One of the disappointing things about Bucky in the previous movies is that he was mostly just set dressing. He was either an obstacle to be overcome, a McGuffin that moved the plot, or just another hero in a battle scene.
He wasn't given much to do beyond those things and fans really had no idea who he was outside of the limited context he was presented in. TFATWS actually allowed him to do things that made him into someone fans could care about.
6 It Showed Just How Funny He Could Be
One of the hallmarks of the MCU is the jokes. While it sometimes hurts the tone of the movies, seeing Bucky cracking jokes in his own way was a nice change of pace from the often stoic characterization that had defined him up until this point. While humor really isn't comic-accurate to the character, it showed another facet of Bucky.
Humor is an important part of a human being and seeing this new part of Bucky was great for fans. It made him more relatable than he was and that was a very big deal for the character.
5 By Showing Him Co-Existing With Zemo, It Made Him More Realistic
Zemo was an important part of the show and seeing just how Bucky dealt with the man who used him was extremely important to his development. It would have been cliché if he was mean to him the whole time but getting Zemo involved was his idea and while he wasn't exactly cordial at all times, he proved he could co-exist with the man.
Showing this is another great new facet to the character. Everyone has to deal with someone they don't like and Bucky should hate Zemo. However, by showing him putting his feelings aside for the mission, it made him more realistic.
4 It Gave Fans A Glimpse Of His Life Outside Of Being The Winter Soldier
Yet another added facet to Bucky was finally getting to see him as an actual human being. In all of the movies he had appeared in, fans only got a glimpse of his life as a soldier, Winter or otherwise, twice. Pretty much every scene he appeared in was in the context of his alter ego and not as Bucky.
From the first episode on, fans got actual glimpses of Bucky as a person, whether it be him going out for dinner with his neighbor, flirting with or dating women, or interacting with Sam's family and neighbors. It was something fans had never seen before and it was a great addition to Bucky's characterization.
3 It Showed He Wasn't Unstoppable
Up until TFATWS, Winter Soldier was almost like a force of nature. There was no mission he couldn't accomplish and he was always at the forefront of every fight he was involved in. He was an unstoppable boogeyman in the intelligence community as the Winter Soldier and his time as an ally of Cap was much the same.
TFATWS de-mystified the character, making him vulnerable. He actually lost fights and while this may not seem like character development, it was —as the Winter Soldier, he was an automaton, a killing machine. Re-connecting with Bucky made him more human and that changed how he fought. This was an important step in his development.
2 It Showed How Dedicated He Could Be
Up until this point, fans really hadn't seen much of Bucky's dedication to anything besides Steve, and even then it was more the other way around. In all of his other appearances, he was either brainwashed or just going along with Steve. TFATWS showed another side of him and how he dealt with missions.
Bucky stayed with the task at hand. He pushed Sam when Sam needed it and he came up with solutions that Sam wouldn't have thought of. He threw himself into the mission and gave it his all, showing just how dedicated he could be.
1 By Showing Him being Independent Of Steve, It Made Him His Own Man
Since his debut in the MCU, Bucky's entire character has been based on his relationship with Steve. The closeness of it launched a thousand ships but it also reduced him to little more than a prop in Steve's story. However, TFATWS changed all of that by showing Bucky outside of his friendship with Steve.
Showing Bucky as his own man is easily one of the most important character developments for him. Giving him things to do on his own, away from Steve, gave him his own story, one that he drove and it allowed him to grow in ways he never would have if he was still shackled to Steve's story. It made him a star in his own right, which was just what the character needed.