First off, this blog deals with the events of Fear Itself numbers 3 and 4. If you have not read those comics, then I advise you do not continue reading this post until having done so.
 
I'll be honest: Barnes is the most intricate character that I've loyally followed since Daredevil's FBI-outing. Yes, I was shocked by his death in FI, but I did nonetheless see it coming with all the arrows of Brubaker's run pointing to Steve reclaiming the shield. For the record, I don't like calling him Bucky, because he has outgrown that name and mantle. Notice that all the other heroes call him Bucky, but Natasha calls him James? I like that. It's noting that he's no longer that kid he used to be, but has become a man in his own right. With that out of the way, I have to say that the way they handled his death in FI was completely and utterly disrespectful to the beautiful character and personality that Brubaker has crafted over the time since Steve's death and the mantle passing. 
 
Don't agree with me? Think I'm just tooting my Barnes horn? Keep reading.
 
Firstly, I liked how he died. Barnes is a tough nut. He doesn't go down easily. He had a rather massive hole blown through his chest and had his cybernetic arm ripped off. If that won't put you down, then Logan called; he wants his healing factor back. I liked that.  That was about the only thing I liked about his death.
 
I will firstly address the dialogue. Having loyally (almost religiously) been following Barnes' run as Captain America since Steve's death (I only really read Brubaker's work, as Barnes is pretty much HIS character), I am disgusted by the completely out of character final words he gave. "Nat...the serpent is coming...." Might as well add on "with a cup of tea and some christmas cake..." What the heck is that? That is not the character Brubaker crafted. If Brubaker was running the dialogue show, I would have expected something much, much more meaningful. Hell, he probably wouldn't speak to anyone but  Natasha. If Brubaker had the show, I would, no doubt, have expected something along the lines of "Thank you, Nat." Aw, isn't that just lovely and soppy? Yes, but it's also context-sensitive. Natalia was, really, the thing that held him together during his time as Captain America. Seriously, if you don't believe me, I encourage you to re-read the Death of Captain America, The Man With No Face and the Trials of Zemo (or whatever it was called). She was the one constant thing that supported, encouraged and held him in check. It's context-sensitive. He would undoubtedly thank her for that. My side peeve is also that the dialogue writer had Nat yell "BUCKY NO!!" Again, I must have missed the part where the FI writers tossed out previously cemented personalities. I get seriously irritated just thinking about it. 
 
Barnes' death was over in two seconds. Everyone took a few seconds to stop, notice his bloody and limb-missing corpse, and then suddenly it's back to normal. It's those moments you get in a retail store, when the power goes out for a couple of seconds, then comes back on. People stop and note "that was strange", then proceed to shrug their shoulders and continue on with monochromatic activities. Really, Marvel? I mean, really? This is the guy who brought so much more life back to the Captain America story, the guy who stood up to Thor during the Secret Invasion and basically told the God of Thunder and mighty Mjolnir to get over the fact that he's Captain America now and Steve isn't. I wanted more reactions from those closest to Barnes. Sure, I understand that the book is focusing on the FI storyline. But come on! Goliath got more attention when he died during the Civil War. Goliath. I also understand that tie-ins and actual running series' loyal to that character will deal with the effects, but for someone like Barnes, he deserves more. Far more. I know that Natalia had her own tie-in with the Secret Avengers, hunting down the newspaper that is slandering Barnes' name. But I want more emotional reactions. 
 
Which brings me to my next point: does Marvel hate Widow? Seriously. They have really gone overboard in establishing her as carrying the widow's bite (meaning she seduces and kills with her bite). They've had her pursue far too many romances, some ridiculous, some legit. What annoys me is that the Barnes/Natalia relationship seemed permanent. Look at Liu's Black Widow run, Liu had Natalia drop the 'I love you' line multiple times in that run. Brubaker outlined pretty clearly that there wasn't anyone James cared for more. ...you know what? I'm going to stop there. I could write another flipping blog on this subject. I just might. 
 
Finally, and no doubt a controversial topic, killing Barnes for profit. They killed off Barnes because of the Captain America movie. Yes, from a marketing point of view, it's a logical decision as movie-goers will pick up some Captain America issues and wonder why Bucky is Captain America and not dead. You would think, after decades and decades in the comic business, Marvel might see the logic in creating a movie spin-off series instead of killing Barnes.  Oh wait! They did. Fantastic. Killing two birds with one stone, eh Marvel? If I was Brubaker (which will never happen as that man is unimaginably talented, and probably a gentleman), I would introduce the marketing team to this fantastic concept named character development. Brubaker has made this picturesque sand castle since Steve's death, and the marketing team has come along and kicked it to crumbles. Bullying doesn't stop when you leave school, apparently. 
 
In closing, I am ashamed of the decision Marvel made. I don't know what hurts more: the horrible defacing of Barnes' character development, or the fact that Captain America will no longer be an attractive buy (I'm sorry Ed, with all your writing talents, Steve Rogers is the most two-dimensional character since Ryu from Street Fighter). 
 
Here's to the memory of one of the most appealing characters of this decade.