Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America (Chris Evans), has settled down in Washington, DC, two years after the events of Avengers Assemble (2012), working on S.H.I.E.L.D. field operations and getting used to modern life after spending seventy years in the ice.

Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), a retired pararescueman, is the first character Steve meets in the film as Sam goes for a morning jog around the Tidal Basin. Sam lags behind Steve for several laps before giving up and resting. Sam advises Steve to catch up on the last couple decades while recovering by listening to Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man" soundtrack. Along with Star Wars, Star Trek, and the Rocky flicks, Steve adds it to his list. In a text message, Steve is instructed to wait by the curb in front of the Capitol. Black Widow, also known as Natasha Romanoff, approaches in a vehicle (Scarlett Johansson). Steve enters the vehicle after she has greeted the two men.

As they fly over the Indian Ocean, the two join other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents under the command of Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo). The Lemurian Star, a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship, has been commandeered by pirates under the command of Georges Batroc (Georges St-Pierre). Maximiliano Hernández's character, Agent Jasper Sitwell, is one of the hostages they are detaining. Steve, dressed as Captain America, jumps out of the plane without a parachute and only carrying his shield. He jumps into the ocean and makes his way up aboard the ship, fending off any thugs that stand in his way. To assist Cap, Natasha and the other agents descend.

While Batroc tries to flee and is caught by Cap, the agents defeat the pirates and save the prisoners. On the ship's deck, they engage in combat, with Batroc immediately rising to his feet even after Cap tries to knock him to the ground. He smugly remarks, "I assumed you were more than a mask." Steve responds, "Let's find out," taking off his mask. He carries on the fight and uses his shield to permanently knock Batroc to the ground.

Steve discovers Natasha using a S.H.I.E.L.D. flash drive to retrieve files from the ship's computer. When Steve confronts her, she claims that Nick Fury has given her a different assignment (Samuel L. Jackson). Just then, a pirate runs by and throws a grenade at the two as she takes out the flash drive. Before it blows up, Steve takes Natasha and jumps out a window.

Being kept in the dark about Natasha's assignment infuriates Steve. Steve walks to Fury's office to confront him after arriving back to the Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters on Theodore Roosevelt Island in the middle of the Potomac River. Fury's explanation that Steve wouldn't be comfortable if he WERE in the loop does not appease him. Steve is reminded by Fury that he cannot rely on anyone, not even those with whom he works closely.

As part of Project Insight, an initiative that links the Helicarriers to spy satellites used to prevent potential terrorist attacks and enable them to eliminate threats to national security in advance, he takes Steve into an elevator down to the vast underground level where there are three Helicarriers being developed. Steve believes that this is more of an aggressive form of security, in part a response to the Chitauri invasion, and that it is in stark contrast to the kinds of concessions the Strategic Scientific Reserve made in order to win World War II. Fury exhorts him to join the team.

Steve goes to the National Air and Space Museum to see a display on his World War II achievements. When a child spots him in disguise, Steve asks them not to point him out by putting a finger to his lips. The young child is cognizant and quiet. In addition to costumes worn by Steve's fellow Howling Commandos and mannequins wearing his World War II outfit, there is also a small exhibit honouring Steve's childhood buddy Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), the only Howling Commando to have died in battle.

Steve watches a video in which Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), his former flame, pays tribute to him for his actions as Cap. Later, when Peggy had gotten married and had kids, he goes to see an elderly Peggy. Although she initially seems to know Steve, she quickly reverts to the belief that she is meeting him for the first time since he went missing, astonished to discover him alive. She is unwell. He simply states, "I was unable to leave my best friend. Not now that I owe her a dance."

Fury attempts to access the materials Natasha downloaded onto the flash drive, but he is unable to do so due to protection that was ostensibly put in place by himself. As Secretary of Defense Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) meets with the World Security Council to discuss the hijacking of the Lemurian Star, he goes to see Pierce. Pierce is informed by Fury that Project Insight needs to be postponed. Pierce replies "sure," but he wants Fury to arrange for Iron Man to visit his niece's birthday instead.

Sam is offering trauma counselling to other veterans with PTSD when Steve stops by the VA. Sam tells Steve during the group meeting that Riley was killed in combat in Iraq after being shot down in the air by an RPG. Sam still enjoys flying even after losing his friend. What makes Steve happy, he inquires. He is unsure.

As he travels, Fury makes contact with Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) to arrange a meeting for Project Insight-related business. A police car approaches Fury's automobile on the passenger side as he hangs up and stops at a crossroads. Fury observes that the officers operating the vehicle are donning sunglasses and viewing him with extreme suspicion, presumably because he's a black man operating a pricey SUV. The driver briefly activates his siren before moving forward.

Fury's car collides with several bollards as another police car strikes it on the driver's side as it approaches the crossroads. Suddenly stopping, the first police car reverses right into Fury's vehicle. Fury's car is rapidly surrounded by other police cars after being struck from back by three at once. Then a full SWAT team arrives in a black van without windows. Assault rifles and submachine guns are drawn, and patrol and SWAT cops take up positions all around Fury's automobile. Fury learns through the onboard computer that there are no police units nearby, indicating that these officers are actually contract killers.

A few seconds later, the killers start shooting, dousing the car in bullets. They are ineffective since the car is armoured and has bulletproof glass at the windows. After that tactic fails, they go to trying to smash the glass out of the driver's side window with a hydraulic battering ram they have in their van. The assassins are largely killed, and some of their vehicles are destroyed, when Fury pulls out a hidden minigun as soon as the computer alerts him that the window's integrity level has reached 1%. After a drawn-out exchange of gunfire, he gives the order for the automobile to leave on its own. Fury accelerates away in his automobile while two police vehicles follow closely after.

A drawn-out chase takes place through the streets. Two of the assassins' vehicles eventually catch up to Fury and start exchanging paint with him after forcing their way through snarled traffic and another running shootout. Fortunately for Fury, at the subsequent intersection, his onboard computer notices a box truck approaching them. While the assassins' cars continue to travel and are struck by the truck, Fury slams on his brakes.

Fury accelerates and tells the car's computer to take him to a safe place. He notices a black-clad guy standing in the middle of the road before the computer has a chance to locate a safe place for him. The unidentified mercenary fires a magnetic bomb, which affixes to the underbelly of Fury's vehicle. The car is turned over when it explodes. The would-be killer approaches the car, prepared to kill Fury, but he manages to flee in time by using a laser weapon to burn a hole through the roof of the car and the ground below.

Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), his attractive neighbour, is doing laundry when Steve returns to his apartment. He offers to let her use his equipment, but she declines, saying she just spent a lot of time in the hospital's disease ward and doesn't want to expose Steve to any illness. She informs him that his stereo was left on.

As Steve warily approaches his home and grabs his shield for defence, he can hear music. On his couch, he discovers a hurt Fury. Fury publicly claims that his wife kicked him out, but he makes it clear to Steve that anyone could be listening by sending texts from his phone. Fury gets shot three times before he can continue. Steve searches for the shooter outside the window. As she delivers him the flash disc, Fury warns him not to put his trust in anyone.

With a revolver in hand, Sharon enters and attends to Fury. Steve chases the sniper down. To catch up with the assassin outside, Steve breaks down the walls. He hurls his shield at him, but the assassin quickly catches it in his left hand and tosses it back to Steve. When Steve grabs the shield and is slightly pushed back, he glances up to discover that the assassin has vanished.

At the hospital, Natasha and Steve meet up and observe the treatment of Fury by medical professionals. Maria follows suit. When the doctors attempt to revive him, Fury collapses and presumably passes away. Natasha then queries Steve about Fury's presence in his residence. Just as Rumlow informs him they need him back at S.H.I.E.L.D., he says he doesn't know. They break up when Natasha calls Steve a dishonest liar. We can see that Steve hid Fury's flash drive in the vending machine behind a pack of gum.

Pierce is given a chance to speak with Steve. In an effort to learn more about who killed Fury, he also queries Steve as to why Fury was in his apartment. After discovering Batroc in a safe place the night before, they suspect him. Pierce makes the implication that Fury paid the pirates to infiltrate the ship so he could obtain sensitive information, and was later assassinated when the arrangement went south. Steve rejects the assertion. Pierce queries him once again about Fury's presence. Steve's lone claim is that Fury warned him not to believe anyone.

Along with Rumlow and a few STRIKE team members, Steve boards the elevator. Steve realizes he's fallen into a trap as the elevator begins to descend because Rumlow and his crew have their hands on the firearms. Two suit-clad guys board the bus at the first stop, and Steve observes that one of them is visibly perspiring. At the following stop, a few strong men board the bus and take positions in front of him, blocking the other passengers.

At this time, Steve makes the decision to inform them that he is aware of their plan, which causes the guys to attack him. They grasp an electric stunner and attach magnetic shackles to his wrists, but Steve overwhelms them and instantly renders them all unconscious, with Rumlow being the last to pass out.

Sitwell directs the STRIKE team to the elevator after spotting the altercation on a surveillance video in the elevator. With the use of his shield, Steve removes the handcuffs and notices the STRIKE team approaching him. To send the elevator down to a lower floor, he cuts the elevator wires. Steve smashes through the elevator's glass as the team continues to approach, plummeting numerous floors before landing on his shield in the square. He sprints to the garage and exits on his motorcycle while dodging the S.H.I.E.L.D.-placed barriers. A Quinjet appears and fires at Steve. In order to ground it and give himself the chance to jump over it and flee, he hurls his shield at its engines.

Sitwell instructs S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel to search for Steve. Sharon demands to know why Captain America is the target of a manhunt. He is labeled a fugitive by Pierce when he enters the room for withholding information about Fury's passing.

The flash drive is gone when Steve returns to the hospital to get it from the vending machine. Natasha shows up, chewing gum and indicating that she found it first. She is pushed into a room by Steve, who asks her what information she has regarding the enigmatic assassin. The assassin is only known to her and intelligence services as the Winter Soldier. He apparently carried out more than 200 assassinations over the previous 50 years, including the murder of the victim she was sent to guard during a mission she almost died on in Iran. They decide to use the flash drive to learn as much as they can about the whereabouts of the Winter Soldier.

Pierce meets with the WSC members once more, defending Fury as a martyr despite their perception that he was killed while attempting to hide his own criminal activities. They all decide to start Project Insight again.

In the guise of a normal couple, Steve and Natasha visit a mall. The signal is coming from Wheaton, New Jersey, so they take the flash drive to an Apple Store and plug it into a MacBook Pro to find it. They have nine minutes or fewer before S.H.I.E.L.D. agents discover them, Natasha warns Steve. The two see Rumlow and his men searching the area as they are leaving. In order to deflect attention from themselves since public shows of affection make people uncomfortable, Natasha pulls Steve in for a kiss on the escalator (and make faces harder to see). The ruse is successful, and Rumlow misses them.

The signal directed Steve and Natasha to Camp Lehigh, which is where Steve previously served as a training facility. Steve imagines his former, smaller self racing past him as they approach the gates.

He walks inside with Natasha, and they find what appears to be an original S.H.I.E.L.D. office. They discover framed pictures of Col. Chester Phillips, Peggy, and Howard Stark. Steve notices a room full of computers when he peeks behind a bookshelf. A tiny port for the flash drive is the sole modern technology in the space. Natasha places it in and turns on a computer. The two are discussed and analysed by a German voice. Dr. Arnim Zola (Toby Jones), the HYDRA scientist in charge of creating Red Skull's many weaponry, provided the voice. After receiving a fatal illness diagnosis in 1972, he entered his consciousness into a computer.

In Operation Paperclip, the US government hired Zola and other HYDRA members, where they plotted against their new employers. Zola reveals that HYDRA was founded on the premise that mankind could not be trusted with its own freedom. Since that time, S.H.I.E.L.D. has only served as HYDRA's cover, enabling them to carry out their operations and sway history under the radar, influencing everyone from politicians to Howard and Maria Stark. As a final shocker, Zola confesses that the entire purpose of his exposition speech was to delay Steve and Natasha, allowing HYDRA to kill them in less than 30 seconds with a missile.

When the rocket strikes, Steve and Natasha dive into a hole, eradicating the computers. As the building collapses, Steve defends himself and Natasha. When Rumlow and his men arrive, they investigate the area but discover that the two have fled.

Just as the Winter Soldier enters his kitchen, Pierce says farewell to his housekeeper Renata (Branka Katic). He never says anything. When Renata returns with her phone, Pierce begins to speak to him. Pierce says he wishes she had knocked and fires twice at her after learning that she overheard him and the Winter Soldier conversing.

As they can trust Sam, Steve and Natasha hide out at his house. Natasha expresses regret for her association with HYDRA personnel. Sam chooses to assist them, but they must first acquire the EXO-7 Falcon flight suit for him. He asks Natasha and Steve if they can get the suit for him, but they scoff and claim it'll be simple.

Sitwell leaves a meeting with Senator Stern in Washington, D.C. (Garry Shandling). Stern leans in and says, "Hail HYDRA," to Sitwell before they part ways. He then receives a call at that point. Sam gives Sitwell the order to board a car and head around the corner to meet with him and his companions while standing in Sitwell's line of sight.

Sitwell is taken to the roof of a tall building by Steve and Natasha. Sitwell is being held over the edge by Steve, who is dangling him. Steve's style is not this, as Sitwell is aware. Natasha is allowed to kick Sitwell off the roof once Steve agrees. Sitwell is caught by Sam, who then drops him back onto the roof. Sitwell says that Zola devised the algorithms utilised by Project Insight to locate specific persons globally based on identifying information or data as he now fears for his life.

Because the targets are chosen based on their prior behaviour, HYDRA can quickly find and eliminate anyone who might be a threat to them before they have a chance to defend themselves. Sitwell agrees to comply and accompany them because he knows that Pierce will probably have him killed for leaking information.

The Winter Soldier ambushes Steve, Sam, and Natasha as they are taking Sitwell to a safe spot. Sitwell is thrown into a truck's path as the assassin from HYDRA leaps onto the heroes' vehicle. The STRIKE team members quickly ram their automobile into the inside railing after joining the assassin. The Winter Soldier and Natasha exchange gunfire while Steve and Sam fight off the HYDRA agents in the ensuing shootout.

The Winter Soldier fires a rocket at a position where he believes he has located Natasha lying behind a car at one point, but it's actually simply a phone recording being played back. Natasha attempts to garrote the Winter Soldier from behind by jumping on his back, but he outmuscles her. The Winter Soldier shoots her in the left shoulder from behind as she makes an attempt to flee. Steve assaults him as he gets on a car and gets ready to kill her.

After a protracted struggle, Steve finally defeats the Winter Soldier with a judo throw that takes the faceplate off. Steve is horrified to discover that the Winter Soldier is Bucky Barnes, who is still alive and has lost all memory of who Steve is. As the Winter Soldier stands up.

During Steve's brief hesitation, Bucky pulled a revolver on him, but Sam timed his assault perfectly to knock him down. After regaining his balance, Bucky attempts to shoot Steve once more, but he is forced to sidestep as Natasha fires a grenade at him from his grenade launcher that destroys a neighbouring car. Bucky flees as the smoke clears, but Steve, Sam, and Natasha are taken prisoner by Rumlow and his remaining troops.

Steve and his pals are loaded into a van by Rumlow and his men with the intention of driving them to a remote place where they would be executed and interred in unmarked graves. Sam alerts the security officers that Natasha is critically bleeding from her shoulder as they come to a stop in a tunnel. One of the guards nods in agreement, then pulls out an electric rod to kill the other guard before removing her helmet to identify herself as Maria Hill.

She makes a hole in the van's floor to aid them in getting out. When the STRIKE team stops in a storm drain and opens the back doors to transfer the detainees, they are unaware that their prisoners have vanished.

To treat Natasha, Maria brings the heroes to a secure location. Fury is also there, getting better from his wounds. The anti-stress serum that Banner created—originally to treat his Hulk problem but with the ability to also enable self-faking—helped him survive the assassination attempt. He and Natasha meet with the other heroes to plan an attack when they are a little more refreshed.

There isn't much time left. The three Helicarriers will form a triangle and lock sights on their targets around the world when Project Insight launches in a few hours. The range of those who will be targeted includes dangers to HYDRA that are both very trivial and highly substantial. Three chips that they will use to override the Helicarriers' systems are removed by Fury. He gives Steve command and cedes power to him.

The HYDRA agents are in a bank repairing Bucky's arm after it was hurt during the fight with Steve. He experiences fleeting flashbacks to his past, including his fall from the train and the moment Zola and his HYDRA goons discovered him. The bionic metal arm was used to replace his lost left arm. When he started to panic, Zola had him put under anaesthesia and afterwards put on ice. He was only ever defrosted when HYDRA required him to carry out an assassination.

When Pierce enters, he compliments Bucky's work and invites him to return to complete it once more. Bucky claims to know Steve and inquires about him. Pierce instructs the agents to return Bucky to his original killing frame of mind after realising that he could be regaining some of his memories.

Steve is sitting on a bridge thinking back on his time with Bucky. In a flashback, Bucky and Steve may be seen together following Steve's mother's funeral. Steve accepts Bucky's offer to remain with his family on the one condition that he shines Bucky's shoes. Sam approaches, ready to join Steve in the struggle. Before going to the Captain America display to retrieve his old World War II outfit, Steve advises him to get dressed. When the suit goes missing, the old security guard (Stan Lee) predicts that he will be dismissed.

Pierce serves as their guide as they make their way to the Triskelion. He provides them with electronic pins that will allow them to enter the building from anywhere. Sam and Steve force entry into the structure. Steve uses a microphone to connect to every speakers. He informs the S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives that Pierce is a traitor who is collaborating with HYDRA and that they need to halt Project Insight. The control room is broken into by Rumlow and his thugs.

Sharon steps in to stop him from releasing the Helicarriers when he coerces an agent. Rumlow is made to put down his gun by her. After doing so, he takes out his knife and slashes Sharon's arm. The majority of the SHIELD technicians are slain in a shooting that ensues. In the midst of the gunfire, Rumlow is able to release the Helicarriers by himself.

As the HYDRA agents fire at them, Steve and Sam move towards the Helicarriers. Sam flies about to provide cover as Steve places the first chip into one Helicarrier. He is successful in causing a heat-seeking missile that was directed at him to strike a helicarrier, which opens a door for him and enables him to implant the second chip there. While concurrently keeping an eye on their progress, Hill eliminates any HYDRA agents who try to obstruct her.

Pierce seeks to persuade the members of the World Security Council to approve Project Insight by portraying it as a cooperative effort to thwart potential global assaults. He offers Councilman Singh (Bernard White) a glass of champagne, but Singh shrugs and throws the glass away. Singh is the target of Pierce's gunshots when Councilwoman Hawley (Jenny Agutter) kicks Singh away, kills the other HYDRA thugs in the room, and then seizes the weapon. Natasha used specialised equipment that enables her to exactly duplicate a person's face to take Hawley's place, it turns out.

Pierce is surprised when Fury emerges from a helicopter as her support. Fury takes off his eyepatch to reveal his scarred left eye, which also includes a retinal scan. Knowing Pierce presumably altered the retinal scan, he is able to bypass Project Insight with Pierce since they are the only two agents of the highest degree required for it. The pins Pierce gave the council members ignite, burning deeply into each one's sternum. Natasha is compelled to leave with him as he threatens to set off her alarm. Natasha turns it on by herself, burning herself little less severely than the others. This presents Fury with the opportunity to kill Pierce with two shots. He ends by saying, "Hail HYDRA."

With over 700,000 agents and counting, the HYDRA agents start to lock on their targets. At this point, Bucky is released and kills the S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives who were trying to help Steve and Sam destroy the final Helicarrier. He throws Sam from the helicarrier after ripping off his wings. Sam succeeds in using his chute to arrest his fall. He immediately returns to the Triskelion after landing to battle Rumlow.

Inside the Helicarrier, Steve meets Bucky in an effort to persuade him that millions of people could perish. Bucky doesn't want to listen and keeps attacking. Bucky steals the chip from Steve as he tries to replace it. After wounding Bucky's arms on both sides, Steve places him in a headlock until the chip is released. When Steve tries to insert the chip into the system, Bucky grabs a gun, shoots him, and seriously injures him. With only a few seconds left, Steve manages to install the chip despite his wounds by dialling Hill to override the Helicarriers.

The targets disconnect, surprising the bewildered HYDRA agents. Hill orders the Helicarriers to exchange gunfire after the systems have been overridden. Under the Triskelion, a dam is struck by one Helicarrier. Rumlow is caught in the second's collision through the Triskelion. Natasha and Fury fly their helicopter in time to intercept Sam as he tries his damnedest to jump out of the window.

Steve and Bucky are stuck inside the third Helicarrier, which is slowly falling. Steve drops his shield out of the helicopter and decides not to fight his friend. Even when Steve decides to fight it out with Bucky until the bitter end, reiterating Bucky's assurance to him that "he's with him to the end of the line," Bucky savagely hits him repeatedly in the face. As Bucky prepares to deliver the deadly blow, this appears to awaken him from his brainwashing because he pauses and recalls the moment when he shouted those words.

Steve is launched into the water below after the Helicarrier crashes, pushing him out into the open. He sees a hand reaching out for him before falling to the ground and becoming unconscious. Steve is dragged to shore by Bucky, who then departs permanently.

In the aftermath, Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man" is playing while Steve is getting better in a hospital. Sam is keeping a bedside vigil for him when he awakens to the sound of music. In the meantime, Sharon submits an application to work for the CIA as a field agent. Hill attends a job interview with Stark Industries. Senator Stern and other corrupt government officials who accepted payments from HYDRA are detained by the FBI.

Rumlow is also found in the rubble, still alive but suffering from severe facial burns. A committee hearing is held to question Natasha about her connections to S.H.I.E.L.D. The council members realise they need her and her allies, so even if they wanted to imprison her, they couldn't, she claims in defence. She makes a nice exit. Fury, meantime, burns all traces of his identity, including his passport and eyepatch, to completely erase his existence.

Sam and Steve are greeted by Fury at his own grave in a cemetery. Fury's name and the verse from Ezekiel 25:17, "The road of the righteous man," are inscribed on the gravestone. Sam and Steve are instructed by Fury to go to his grave if anyone needs to find him.

Natasha tells the lads that Fury is leaving as she is about to remark that this is his way of saying "Thank you." She gives Steve a file he requested before advising him to approach Sharon. Steve examines the document, which is about Bucky's development into the Winter Soldier. Sam is aware that Steve will search for Bucky. He is told by Steve that he is not required to accompany him. Sam answers, "I know. When will we begin?"

In an underground HYDRA facility in eastern Europe, Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) is having a conversation with Dr. List, another HYDRA scientist, about recent occurrences. Even though the American HYDRA divisions have disbanded, the organisation still has many supporters all around the world who continue its mission. Strucker in particular is in charge of experiments using Loki's sceptre and other alien weapons on humans.

Strucker and Dr. List decide to check on the fraternal twins Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff, two successes that their work has generated, as they converse (Elizabeth Olsen). She has telekinesis, while he has superhuman speed. As he observes them, Von Strucker says, "The world of spies is no longer prevalent. even a world without heroes. Doctor, we live in a miraculous age. A miracle is the most terrible thing of all." As Wanda uses her abilities to smash a pair of cinder blocks together, the screen goes black.

In a post-credits sequence, Bucky discovers a display of himself while exploring the Smithsonian's Captain America exhibition. He looks at it thoughtfully, trying to recall his previous existence.