Who the Hell is Bucky

In the middle of assassination attempts, false death, one very real resurrection, and some nasty political intrigue, with the Fate of the World™ hanging in the balance (as per usual), Captain America: The Winter Soldier manages to do something quite remarkable: it hinges the resolution of these major plot points on the conflict between two friends.

And somehow, bringing things down to earth, back to a more human level, raises the stakes rather than lowering them. Because, yes, while the possibility of HYDRA taking over the Earth from the heavens is objectively terrifying, we as viewers experience the events of The Winter Soldier primarily through the perspective of Steve Rogers. This is, after all, Captain America’s movie, and when you get right down to it, Captain America is just as invested in saving his best friend as he is in saving the world.