What’s cool about that scene is that you can actually see the different kinds of baseline power and skill when each person fights against Bucky! It creates a situation where each superhero, just as they are, has to fight without warning.
Sam gets taken out immediately because the Soldier sneaks up on him. He didn’t get a chance to think or plan, which is how Sam operates in a fight – in CATWS, he came from behind and took out the HYDRA soldiers. But as soon as he’s conscious, Sam makes a tactical decision, just like a soldier: he goes after Zemo, because he knows he can’t take Bucky on without any gear. Sam recognizes the distraction for what it is – Zemo’s escape:
Tony fights intelligently, using the environment to his advantage. He sneaks up on Bucky, uses sonic and flash bombs, and anything he grabs becomes a weapon. He also twists the battle to always centre around his tech, which takes split-second calculations in a fight. But when that tech fails… physically, Tony is just a regular man, and he’s easily defeated.
Then Sharon fights. She’s FBI trained, bold and unafraid, and could easily take down a skilled fighter… but she’s only human, and she’s inexperienced in fighting enhanced beings. She’s also not skilled enough in her fighting style – her movements are more about force (which does nothing to Bucky, being inherently stronger). When she tries to bring Bucky down, Sharon puts her weight onto Bucky’s metal arm, and uses her fists to fight, so Bucky just shakes her off. It’s not enough.
Natasha takes over, and you can see the difference immediately: she’s exceptionally skilled in combat and has been trained to fight enhanced beings. She sneaks up on Bucky while he’s distracted with Sharon, hitting vulnerable areas and then backing out of his range. Natasha uses her Widow move, coming at Bucky from behind, using his human arm for leverage so he can’t toss her off, and she gets quite a few hits to Bucky’s head using her elbows, not her fists. Nat isn’t enhanced, but she’s holding her own… until Bucky defeats her with the metal arm. But I find their fighting styles to be eerily similar.
T’Challa then enters the fray. It’s now Enhanced vs Enhanced, and you can see how the playing field levels in terms of physical strength: T’Challa’s punches are more effective, and his hits cause Bucky to stumble. But T’Challa underestimates Bucky’s strength, likely because he’s never fought The Soldier before now. He’s also inexperienced compared to Bucky, because he’s young and new at this; you can see him experimenting in his attempt to subdue Bucky. It’s a time-consuming fight, but Bucky would have won in the end. So there’s potential – T’Challa thinks on his feet and is a skilled fighter – but without the suit, he’s not quite there yet.
And, like all of them, T’Challa is only trying to detain Bucky, not kill him… but the Winter Soldier is willing to kill them, and that makes a huge difference. The caged animal is always going to be stronger and more volatile, and that automatically gives Bucky an edge.
What the Winter Soldier doesn’t realize, though, is that Steve is in the same boat; he doesn’t care what has to be done, as long as he gets Bucky back. After he gets over the initial shock of Bucky’s mindcontrol, Steve is a formidable opponent: he’s enhanced, he’s skilled, he’s experienced, he’s familiar with the Soldier’s fighting style… but mostly, he doesn’t care if he lives or dies. He’ll go down with Bucky if that’s what it takes. And that’s where Steve wins over the Soldier: his love for Bucky gives him that upper hand.
(Okay, I went off on a tangent. But I just really like that scene!)
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