The MCU is filled with characters that have had inspiring redemption stories, but redemption doesn't come without failure. Due to the recent success of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TFATWS), Bucky and his path to redemption have become favorites among fans.
Bucky may have recently redeemed himself and become a new man in the process, but he has failed many times over the years in more ways than one. For these rankings, it's important to remember that while some of these failures may not seem that egregious, if they hadn't happened, none of the others would have even been possible.
10 Nearly Beat His Friend Steve To Death
After he started to learn more about his past, Bucky was conflicted over whether or not he should complete his mission of killing Steve as the helicarrier they were on fell out of the sky. Steve refused to fight him, telling Bucky that he was his friend. Bucky responds by telling Steve he's his mission, before delivering some powerful metal-armed punches to Steve's face.
However, Bucky stops when Steve passes out. His mission was to kill Steve, but luckily, Steve got through to him enough to keep Bucky from actually finishing the job. Bucky proceeds to go into hiding, but not before pulling an unconscious Steve out of the water.
9 Tried To One-Up Sam But Just Fell Out Of A Plane
During TFATWS, Bucky and Sam start a partnership, begrudgingly, before it eventually blossoms into a full-blown bromance. However, while they were still confrontational with each other, Sam jumps out of a plane with his Falcon suit, kind of showing off in the process.
Not to be outdone, between the Super Soldier Serum and his Vibranium arm, Bucky thought he too could show off by jumping from the plane without a parachute. However, the tree line soon becomes an issue as it swallows Bucky and embarrassingly spits him out on the ground.
8 Bucky Waited Way Too Long To Seek Help
Bucky is an independent individual and after decades of torture and brainwashing, he assumed he couldn't rely on others to help him get past his life as the Winter Soldier. Bucky always felt the need to handle his problems on his own and that he couldn't trust others or let them get close to him and learn about his past.
However, Bucky doesn't realize that Steve, the Wakandans, and others, truly do care for his wellbeing and want him to be better and feel better. Had Bucky been able to ask for help when he needed it, rather than wait for court-appointed therapy, he may have been able to avoid a few other failures down the line.
7 Informed His Handlers That He Remembered His Past
While this may be viewed as a mental breakthrough for Bucky, had he been able to compartmentalize and keep it to himself, there is a chance he could have broken free from the Winter Soldier programming much sooner. Once he started having flashbacks of his past he lashed out at the scientists and even told Pierce that he recognized Steve.
Pierce managed a quick lie explaining that he knew Steve from a previous mission and prompted the team to rescramble his mind and prep him for the next mission. No one could possibly blame Bucky given his mental trauma, but if Bucky had been able to keep quiet, they likely wouldn't have rescrambled his brain. This may have allowed him to connect the dots earlier potentially preventing events such as the bombing of the UN.
6 He Couldn't Avoid Being Noticed in Bucharest
While Bucky was keeping a fairly low profile after the events of Cap 2, once his picture made the papers it didn't take long for people to recognize him. Considering Bucky found out about his arrest warrant fairly early on, it's a little surprising that he didn't do more to conceal his identity.
This failure, while seemingly simple, leads to several other failures down the line due to his apprehension by the authorities. However, given his tragic past, Bucky may have wanted a fight, hoping he would finally be put out of his misery. He doesn't even put his hood up to cover his face for crying out loud.
5 He Couldn't Ignore His Internal Programming During Civil War
Even after so much time removed from the Winter Soldier Program, Bucky was still a slave to the words burned into his mind by the Russians. After Zemo strategically earned himself an audience with Bucky, he proceeds to recite the Russian words used to activate his sleeper agent persona.
Unfortunately, Bucky was too slow to escape the cell before Zemo finished the phrase, activating the Winter Soldier for his next mission. The ensuing fight is troublesome for building trust with the other heroes. If Bucky had started to break free on word one instead of word three, perhaps he could have stopped Zemo in time.
4 Bucky Betrayed The Wakandans By Freeing Zemo
While Zemo was crucial to taking down the Flag-Smashers (and the remaining Super Soldier Serum), the Wakandans didn't quite see it that way, especially after everything they had done for Bucky. T'Challa used Wakandan resources to fix Bucky's brain as well as craft him a new Vibranium arm.
Bucky also managed to get past the hold that those ten Russian words held over him for so many decades with the help of Ayo and the Dora Milaje. After the Wakandans had done so much to help Bucky improve his life, it felt like a huge slap in the face for him to release the man that murdered their King. Bucky and Wakanda will likely cross paths again, though it's been made clear that he is not welcome for the time being.
3 Got Himself Captured During World War II
Bucky's first real failure in the MCU came during World War II when Bucky and his men were captured by Hydra and subjected to minor yet heinous experimentation. Bucky may have been the only one to survive the initial round of experimentation before Steve liberated the P.O.W.'s, making him someone Hydra would like to get back.
Unfortunately for Bucky, this wouldn't be the only time he was subjected to Hydra's scientists. After being captured and experimented on a second time, Bucky was converted into the Winter Soldier, thus sending him down the path of all of his other failures.
2 Fell To His Presumed Death From A Hydra Train
Shortly after Steve entered the army, he managed to lead a rescue mission all on his own resulting in over 400 men being set free, including Bucky. Afterward, Steve was permitted to do actual military work and Bucky was his right-hand man through it all.
That is until Bucky was blasted out of a high-speed train, eventually falling hundreds of feet to his presumed death. He tried to use Steve's shield and being so unskilled with it, an incoming blast shot him out of the side of the train. While not dying may be looked at as a blessing, the resulting outcome of becoming the Winter Soldier makes surviving the fall quite bittersweet for Bucky.
1 He Kept The Stark Murders A Secret From Tony (Which Broke Up The Avengers)
Bucky's history as the Winter Soldier is painted with a lot of blood from innocent lives. While Bucky was still a long way off from making amends for his past, keeping the truth about the Starks' deaths from Tony was a terrible idea. Bucky may not have known, but Steve was well aware of Tony's daddy issues and should have helped bridge the gap between his friends before it was too late.
However, as fans know, bringing it up in Siberia was far too late and the resulting fight was enough to dissolve the Avengers from the inside out, just like Zemo had planned all along. Perhaps the worst part is that Bucky, after eventually making amends for all of the other misdeeds on his list, will never have the opportunity to reconcile with Stark (probably).