I think it’s a possibility. smarter, more observant people than me have worked out meta on this. A few weeks ago I saw a post about Bucky’s bruising/bleeding after Steve rescues him in ca:tfa
and how it compares to Winter Soldier in the chair:
It’s certainly a compelling argument. Whether or not they tested a rudimentary version of mind wiping technology on him, there’s a lot to be said for the way Bucky dresses before and after his capture. There’s a deliberateness to everything he wears, both from the directors/costumer designers in the movie to Bucky himself, because his clothing certainly does tell a story. There’s been fantastic meta on Bucky’s clothing, too. Let’s take a look at the Bucky we first meet:
what a dapper motherfucker. So pristine, and (mostly) to regulation with his tie and collar just so, with just a little bit of charm and personality shining through with the jaunty angle of his hat. This is why most people agree that Bucky Barnes cares about his appearance, that he cares about it so much that he used his hat to set himself apart.
The next time we see him before he’s captured is the deleted scene where he’s wearing his helmet. Again, it’s at an angle, but whereas the hat choice is deliberate, I would argue the helmet was donned rapidly. The fact that it isn’t buckled bothered me (like he was being cavalier with his safety/had to look good in the middle of a war zone) until I saw American Sniper, where there was a very similar moment where the sniper finished sniping and then moved to put his helmet on, very quickly with the emphasis on getting it on rather than fitting it properly, and I went ‘ooooh, that could explain it’. Bucky might need to get it on and off quickly so it isn’t obstructing his shooting. I’m sure there’s also a possibility both are for movie purposes too, blocking and face shots etc.
This is the last time we see something on his head until he’s in the mask as the Winter Soldier.
Let’s take a moment to compare Bucky before he’s shipped off, to Bucky post-capture.
First of all, no hat. Second, compare this to Bucky done up in full uniform from the first scenes. We’ve all read the fantastic meta that talks about his mental state in this scene, and I agree with that. This is a Bucky who can’t bring himself to wear his full regulation uniform.
But take a look.
what
other
similarity there is
Bucky no longer wears anything tight around his neck.
Bucky no longer wears anything tight around his neck.
And suddenly, his outfit in the bar scene becomes more of a focused, deliberate lack of regulation uniform. He literally cannot bring himself to do up his collar or tie, and it doesn’t get better.
His jacket is never done up fully, just tucked in. It LOOKS dapper as fuck, and I’m sure he’s aware he looks good in it, but if he picked it out himself as we enjoy speculating, he also picked something he’d be warm in but could also get it away from his neck with a quick tug. Is this so he can breathe easier? Is it because he actually had something around his head and neck while tortured? We could get into the possibilities indefinitely.
brb crying over Bucky again
I just want to add that every scene we see him in after the rescue, he’s holding something he can use as a weapon. On the battlefield, it’s the guns. Specifically the big one he has taken to carrying like a baby, which I have no doubt he intends to use on Zola next time he sees him (he seems the poetic type to kill Zola with a gun taken from the place that tried to destroy him). In the bar, it’s the glass, which he only lets go of when Steve is present. He doesn’t want to ever be in a situation where he is bound down and shackled like an animal again, so he takes pains to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to get to him that way again.
Ye gods, this is perfect. And he’s so low-key about it that even though we see Steve carefully taking in the state of Bucky’s dapper uniform in the alley (“You get your orders?”), he spends very little time checking Bucky over once they’re away from the factory. Even in the bar scene, if I remember right, Bucky looks at Steve WAY more than Steve looks at Bucky. Steve doesn’t feel the need to examine Bucky closely—he’s always busy with something else—even as Bucky keeps his laser-focus on Steve.
Bucky slipped the extent of his trauma right past his best friend. Steve doesn’t seem to have any idea how fragile Bucky is, even though Bucky’s practically hanging a neon sign on it with these wardrobe changes.
Tumblr Exodus 