Summary
- Bucky Barnes' original prosthetic arm is created by Hydra when they save his life after he falls from a moving train. Bucky uses various versions of this titanium arm until Iron Man blasts it off at the end of Captain America: Civil War.
- Wakanda provides Bucky with an upgraded prosthetic arm made out of vibranium, which apparently gets stolen by Nebula and given to Rocket Raccoon as a Christmas gift.
- As suggested by set photos and concept art, Thunderbolts* might ignore the Christmas gift gag and Bucky will retain his vibranium arm during the Phase 5 movie.
The the MCU's timeline. Bucky has fought Hydra, Captain America, Team Iron Man, and Thanos' army — all aided by his original army training, his Hydra brainwashing, and his emblematic metal arm.
In the comics, Bucky Barnes' story is slightly different from the Winter Soldier's MCU journey. For instance, it was the Soviet Union who turned him into the Winter Soldier, and Bucky took up the Captain America mantle long before Steve Rogers ed on the torch to Sam Wilson. The MCU made a few major changes to the Winter Soldier, but his prosthetic arm continues to be one of his signature characteristics. As symbolic as the metal arm is, however, Bucky Barnes' prosthetic has gone through several different changes throughout the decades.
Bucky Loses His Left Arm In World War II
Bucky Barnes Falls Off A Train Before Steve Rogers Crashes In The Arctic In Captain America: The First Avenger
As shown by Captain America: The First Avenger, Bucky Barnes' prosthetic arm has its origins in 1945, when Captain America, Bucky, and the Howling Commandos intercept a train containing Arnim Zola. The heroes succeed in fighting off multiple Hydra soldiers, but Captain America and Bucky get caught with their guard down by an armored guard armed with a Tesseract-energy-powered weapon, which destroys a wall and leaves Bucky hanging on a rail. Despite Captain America's attempts to reach Bucky, Bucky is unable to keep holding onto the train as the rail breaks, and he plunges into the freezing cold river below.
Hydra Gives Bucky A Powerful Titanium Arm As He Becomes The Winter Soldier
Hydra Retrieves Bucky Barnes And Turns Him Into A Killing Machine
Bucky Barnes' flashbacks reveal that Hydra rescue him as he lays dying after the train incident. Arnim Zola orders Hydra's top scientists to begin treating his wounds. Given the damage it suffers from the fall, Bucky's left arm has to be amputated. Of course, Hydra takes this opportunity to replace his arm with a state-of-the-art titanium prosthetic, which becomes his main weapon. They also erase Bucky's memories and reprogram his mind in order to force him to follow their commands, and turn Bucky into a compliant killing machine — the Winter Soldier.
Hydra upgraded and created multiple versions of the prosthetic throughout the years.
For the next seven decades, the Winter Soldier fulfills every mission that Hydra assigns him. The Winter Soldier's enhanced skills and reprogrammed mind make him the perfect assassin. However, he wasn't infallible. During the Korean War, fellow Super Soldier Isaiah Bradley manages to destroy the Winter Soldier's arm and escape unscathed. Hydra builds another arm for the Winter Soldier right afterward. In fact, it's possible that Hydra upgraded and created multiple versions of the prosthetic throughout the years.
Iron Man Destroys Bucky's Titanium Arm
Tony Stark Blasts Bucky Barnes' Hydra-Designed Arm At The End Of Captain America: Civil War
The Winter Soldier uses his classic Titanium arm prosthetic to fight Captain America, Nick Fury, Black Widow, and Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and he uses it again to fight Team Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War. By the end of the conflict, Bucky Barnes tries to rip out Tony Stark's arc reactor from his suit of armor. In retaliation, Iron Man engages his armor's powerful uni-beam, blasting Bucky's metal arm off at the shoulder. As a result, Bucky remains incapacitated for the rest of the battle.
Bucky Gets A Vibranium Arm From Wakanda
Shuri Designs A Vibranium Arm For Bucky Barnes Prior To Avengers: Infinity War
After the events of Captain America: Civil War, Bucky Barnes feels regret over his actions as the Winter Soldier. Fortunately for him, Bucky doesn't need to keep escaping from vengeful enemies or the authorities thanks to T'Challa a.k.a. the Black Panther, who agrees to safeguard Bucky in his kingdom. Bucky, in turn, chooses to stay in cryogenic sleep in order to prevent himself from hurting more people. Meanwhile, Shuri and her fellow Wakandan scientists investigate how Bucky's mental reprogramming can be reversed.
MCU Gives Bucky's Vibranium Arm Black Panther's Most Impressive Power
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 3 suggests that Bucky Barnes' Vibranium arm also features Black Panther's latest tech upgrade.
Some time afterward, Shuri and Ayo test Bucky by repeating the trigger words that Hydra programmed into his mind. When Bucky doesn't react, they all understand that Bucky's Winter Soldier days are finally over. Bucky's deprogramming arrives just in time for his next battle, as T'Challa presents him with a brand-new, all-vibranium prosthetic arm so he can participate in the battle against Thanos. Bucky continues to use this version of the arm after Thanos' defeat, and he's last seen using it at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier during his daily activities.
The Wakandans built a detaching function into Bucky's vibranium arm, which the Dora Milaje are instructed in activating in order to neutralize Bucky Barnes, as shown in the warriors' fight against Bucky, Sam, and John Walker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Nebula Somehow Gifts Bucky's Arm To Rocket
Nebula Surprises Rocket Raccoon With Bucky Barnes' Vibranium Arm On Christmas In The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special
Although Bucky Barnes is last seen using his Wakandan-made vibranium arm at the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, his arm is featured in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, where Nebula gifts Bucky's arm to Rocket Racoon as a Christmas gift. Rocket previously showed interest in the arm in Avengers: Infinity War, where he tried to negotiate a price with Bucky. It's unknown whether this arm is in fact Bucky's vibranium prosthetic or if Nebula acquired (or built) a perfect replica just to please Rocket. The arm doesn't make an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
According to James Gunn on X, Nebula "took a trip to earth and tore it off his body because she was feeling so Christmasy." However, this may have been a joke.
Which Arm Will Bucky Have In Thunderbolts*?
Bucky Barnes May Have Received Spare Arms From Wakanda Before Thunderbolts*
Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes will return in Phase 5's Thunderbolts*. Little is known about Bucky's role in the movie apart from his co-starring role with Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, Wyatt Russell's U.S. Agent, David Harbour's Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen's Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko's Taskmaster. Concept art for the movie shows Bucky Barnes using the same vibranium arm the Wakandans gave him in Avengers: Infinity War, suggesting that the arm's brief appearance The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be retconned.
Another argument in favor of a retcon is a Thunderbolt* set photo featuring Sebastian Stan, which shows a production member carrying a glove prop with the same pattern as Bucky' vibranium arm. Curiously, Sebastian Stan sports medium-length hair, which would suggest this scene is a flashback to Captain America: The Winter Soldier or Captain America: Civil War if not for the vibranium glove. Considering how unlikely Thunderbolts* is to include a flashback that connects to the Guardians of the Galaxy, the most likely option is that Thunderbolts* will ignore The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special's arm gift gag.
MCU Movies |
Release Date |
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July 26, 2024 |
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February 14, 2025 |
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May 5, 2025 |
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July 25, 2025 |
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November 7, 2025 |
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May 1, 2026 |
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May 7, 2027 |
