Bucky has been through so many changes and his actor has had to portray all of them. The ladies man who was Steve Rogers best friend in WW1, the mindless assassin, the confused assassin learning he was brainwashed, the assassin on the run, and eventually the Avenger. I don't see how anyone can see Steve is a better character. Maybe better acting but that isn't the question. Bucky is a way deeper and more fleshed out character, Steve is actually pretty generic.
This. From the First Avenger, we see Bucky as Steve's best friend and protector, more like an older brother figure. Like others , he's ready to fight and give everything he has for his country. When Steve finds him again, he has been at the mercy of the enemy and has been experimented on. We visibly see how Bucky is shook by this. Yet, despite it, he is still willing to fight. We also see a new dynamic between him and Steve, as he his forced to take a back seat. You can tell Bucky is a bit jealous, but nevertheless, gives his unflinching loyalty to Steve; the kid from brooklyn, not Captain America. This is important, as Bucky is one of the only few who still sees Steve as a regular person, and is someone Cap can confide in. I like Stan's portrayal of Bucky. He doesn't broadcast what he's feeling, but you can tell from his subtle body language that he was never quite the same when Steve finds him again, but kept it bottled up, as he didn't want to be a burden to his best friend.
By Winter Soldier, he has become a mind controlled Killer, and has little to no autonomy. We see glimpses of the old Bucky here and there, but he has become completely subservient to Pierce and Hydra. In the final moments of the movie, we see that Bucky is still in there as he drags Steve to safety after the helicarriers crash.
In Civil War, Bucky is a shell of his former self. He is struggling to piece his life back together, and seeks solitude away from the world. And despite not being in control of his actions, we see that Bucky is struggling with the guilt from all the crimes he's committed. He tells Tony that he remembers every single victim when confronted by him. The film also shows how little self worth Bucky has himself, as he questions why Steve would go through so much to save him, and wonders if he's even worth it. On the flip side, Bucky makes it a point that he's still following his best friend, not Captain America. It shows that Steve and Bucky still see each other as people, not their respective titles. By the end of the film, Bucky has agreed to go back into cryo, as he doesn't trust himself.
At his core, Bucky is a victim who has become a broken man, and is struggling to find some semblance of normalcy again. I can see why people would pick Trevor. He was my favorite part of Wonder Woman, and goes through a journey himself. But with three films, Bucky just seems like the more fleshed out character imo. He broods a lot, but he kind of has a reason for it.
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