notoyax17:

ribbonsflyingoutthewindow:

so @walkingstardust had this great thought about Bucky that I’m just gonna leave here for you guys

Wait, wait, wait, WAIT A SECOND!

It goes even further than that. Bucky is not only responsible for the Avengers, he’s responsible for SHIELD too. 

Because Bucky was the catalyst of Steve’s story in TFA. Yes, Steve met Erskine on his own and joined the army/earned the serum on his own but after that, it’s all Bucky.

There’s a good chance that, had Bucky not been captured, Steve would have just continued on with the show circuit. Maybe he would have defected for a small, singular heroic deed (pushed by Peggy’s inspiration) before ending up court marshaled. 

But he wouldn’t have been Captain America: The First Avenger.

Steve would not have gone gallivanting off for random soldiers at this point in his life. He would have considered it vaguely, sure, but he wouldn’t have gone. But the moment he heard it was the 107th, that it was Bucky, suddenly it was Time To Get Shit Done, everything else be damned.

Which meant that Steve, in his stubborn-ass glory, now a goal and no one was getting in the way of that.

And, in saving Bucky, he saved a literal shit-ton of people, making his skill and potential completely impossible to ignore. No way would the brass be willing to put him back on the circuit after hearing about what he could accomplish.

In saving Bucky, he saved the future members of the Howling Commandos (who would go on to being instrumental in winning the war). 

In saving Bucky, and in his work with the HC, he inspired Howard to form SHIELD, inspired Howard and Peggy to help a lot more people in his name.

Bucky is indirectly responsible for every single life saved by the members of SHIELD.

Bucky may actually be the single most important character in the MCU.