What were the magic words used by Zemo and what's it referring to?
In Captain America: Civil War, Baron Helmut Zemo used some magic words to activate the brainwashing of the Winter Soldier. But these words seem a bit weird to me at first glance, I only remember one word which was "Homecoming", looks like a nod to the upcoming Spider-man film. But what were the whole list of activation magic words and what were they referring to?
Best Answer
The trigger words, translated/subtitled from Russian into English, were:
- Longing
- Rusted
- Seventeen
- Dawn
- Stove
- Nine
- Kind-hearted
- Homecoming
- One
- Freight car
No exact explanation has been given what the words actually reference, but hypnosis typically involves words and phrases in sequences that are unlikely to be randomly said in order.
You would think that "homecoming" is an out-of-universe nod to the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming, but the screenwriters dismiss that that connection being made as "fairly accidentally".
Terri Schwartz: There are some very obvious setting up for Spider-Man: Homecoming in this movie, which must have been really exciting for you guys. But maybe it was because the name Spider-Man: Homecoming was just announced right before I saw this movie. The word "homecoming" popped up a couple times in this film...
Stephen McFeely: Fairly Accidentally
Additionally, Bucky fell from a freight car when he was lost and presumed dead. Finally, Bucky was born in 1917 (one, nine, seventeen)
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What are the words Zemo says to Bucky?
Bucky attempts to resist the conditioning but when Zemo finishes reciting his trigger words - "Longing," "rusted," "furnace," "daybreak," "seventeen," "benign," "nine," "homecoming," "one," and "freight car" - his head bows and Bucky responds in Russian, "Ready to comply." Bucky's rehabilitation in Wakanda following ...What are Buckys 10 words?
In Civil War , the words are spoken in Russian, but are thankfully translated via subtitles. The sequence is as follows: Longing, rusted, furnace, daybreak, seventeen, benign, nine, homecoming, one, freight car.What do Buckys trigger words mean?
The 10 Russian words \u2014 which translate to "Longing, Rusted, Seventeen, Daybreak, Furnace, Nine, Benign, Homecoming, One, Freight Car" \u2014 might seem like a random collection, meant only to be used as a kind of hypnosis.What words do you say to activate the Winter Soldier?
\u201cLonging, rusted, seventeen, daybreak\u2026\u201d Those words are just the beginning of a string of phrases that activate the Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Magic Words - How Words Can Be Used as Magic Spells
More answers regarding what were the magic words used by Zemo and what's it referring to?
Answer 2
As phantom42 says, the words likely have no specific meaning other than being random words that are unlikely to be said in that exact order or in the same sentence.
Buckey has basically been brainwashed by Hydra, and when issued these ten specific words, in this order, will respond to whatever command he is issued next without question, and will die trying to carry it out.
This is a reference to the novel The Manchurian Candidate, which has been made into two films (1962, and a 2004 remake). In the story, a character has been brainwashed into being controlled when a triggering item or phrase is uttered.
Tony even makes a reference to this late in the film when he encounters Cap and Buck in Siberia, when Buckey continues to keep his gun focused on Tony, causing Tony to reply:
Tony: Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me. We're on a truce. Put the gun down.
The words may have some kind of meaning revealed in later movies and material related to the MCU, but for now it's simply reusing a plot device from older films as a means to explain why Buckey can be controlled by anyone saying these 10 words, whether they're part of Hydra or not. This further explains why Buckey opts to be placed in cryo at the end of the film until they can figure out how to "de-program" him, considering himself too much of a risk until such a time.
Answer 3
These were not magic words so much as more of a passcode. Winter Sldier is what we call a sleeper agent. He was brainwashed, trained by multiple government military groups, brainwashed some more, trained as a spy and then brainwashed some more. He is the single most highly trained military figure in the world. Although the first successful Winter Soldier was a good man, due to the circumstances of his training he is a neutral party, one who will only act on behalf of the individual who speaks the combination of trigger words (in any language) as Winter Soldier will respond in whatever language he is activated in.
Theoretically every Winter Soldier would have different activation words. And as was stated in previous comments these words have no meaning what-so-ever. They are simply an uncommon series of words used, by the people who brainwashed him, as a passcode to prevent others from controlling him. (Or her if you read some comics, I believe there was a female Winter Soldier in one or two of them.)
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