Bucky’s 10 Trigger Words – Explained

If you have seen the recent Marvel movie, Captain America: Civil War, then you will remember those 10 words that turned Bucky Barnes into the deadly Winter Soldier.

Longing.

Rusted.

Seventeen.

Daybreak.

Furnace.

Nine.

Benign.

Homecoming.

One.

Freight car.

To us, these are just random words strung together that don’t mean anything. But to Bucky, those words are fragments of his past, his memories, and I’m going to help explain them.

Longing (желаниe)

It’s the first of the trigger words, but its meaning is more difficult to understand. We can assume that it can relate to his longing to go back in the past before he fell from the train or the longing he feels from the memories before he’s transformed into the Winter Soldier.

Rusted (pжавый)

Rusted is one of the words that seems to have no meaning. It could potentially relate to the state of the facility he was kept in or an item from his past, but at this point, we can only guess.

Seventeen (семнадцать), Nine (Девять), One (Один)

These three numbers are not all together, but they all connect to have one meaning. They form the date 1917, the year Bucky was born.

Daybreak (рассвет)

The word “daybreak” wouldn’t seem to have any significant meaning to Bucky. Daybreak introduces a new day, so we can assume that it might relate to Bucky’s new life as the Winter Soldier after the fall from the train or the beginning of something big to come.

Furnace (Печь)

When we hear the word “furnace,” we often think of fire and heat. Both would be helpful when melting an enhanced super soldier after cryogenics, or cryonics, or falling from a train into the snow.

Benign (Доброкачественные)

The seventh trigger word is an ironic one. Benign means gentle and harmless, but the Winter Soldier is a lethal assassin who has the capability of killing a man with nothing but the pinky finger of his metal arm. It could relate to his views on Steve Rogers or even what he wishes he could be.

Homecoming (Возвращение домой)

Many thoughts on this trigger word are about the new Spiderman: Homecoming movie coming out in 2017. My thoughts went to the scene of Captain America: The First Avenger when Cap led the missing troops home, Bucky at his side. That moment was when Steve proved himself to be worth something, and as his best friend, it made Bucky feel proud.

Freight car (грузовой вагон)

As the last of the trigger words, this one holds the most significance and is the most obvious. As we all know, Bucky Barnes fell from a freight car into the snow. It was the last time he saw Steve, the last moment he had before becoming the Winter Soldier. This last word completes the trigger words and turns our beloved Bucky into the deadly weapon Hydra made him to be.

If you have any other theories on Bucky’s trigger words, feel free to leave a comment!