10 Superpowers Bucky Barnes still hasn’t used after 13 years in the MCU

Bucky Barnes is one of the most gripping and capable heroes in operation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe today, but still only scratches the surface of his potential from the comics. First introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger, Bucky is one of the few Phase 1 characters still active in the MCU. With the powers of military and assassination expertise, a lesser version of Steve Rogers’ super soldier serum, and an advanced cybernetic arm.

In the comics, Bucky originally did not have any inherent powers other than those given by his arm, being a top man with an impressive array of gadgets and weapons. While his comic arsenal provides some interesting options, Bucky never gets into the movies, his eventual ingestion of the Infinity Formula turns him into a super soldier similar to Steve Rogers, giving a suite of improvements more powerful than those shown in the MCU. Between his upgraded serum enhancements and his more expansive gadgetry, comics Bucky is much more intimidating.

10

EMP blasts

Bucky’s arm does more than just punch and grab

Bucky’s most defining characteristic as the Winter Soldier is his trademark cybernetic arm. Bucky was decorated with the Red Star of the Soviet Union, and was outfitted with the prosthetic during his deployment as the Winter Soldier in both the comics and the films. Where the two differ, however, is in the arm’s capabilities, which are much more expansive in the comics.

One of the most recurring abilities Bucky channels through this arm is the use of powerful directed electromagnetic pulses that can temporarily disable electronics. bucky can use this effect in wide areas or direct it to short-range, instantly breaking technology even as fancy as Iron Man’s armor. The perfect tool for clandestine assassination missions, Bucky’s EMP blasts may finally see use in The Winter Soldier’s appearance in thunderbolts*, With the majority of the film’s action probably taking place under the radar of public perception.

9

Extended reach

The arm is so much more than a simple prosthesis

Powerful EMP blasts aren’t the only trick the Winter Soldier literally has up its sleeve in the comics. In some cases, Bucky’s arm is also able to extend and stretch similar to Mister FantasticMore than doubling his reach and threat radius. The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe AZ #2 Lists Bucky’s arm as having an extended reach of up to at least several yards.

here, Bucky’s bionic arm is able to unfold into many strips of prehensile cable, allowing him to hook enemies into or destroy them with a powerful strike of wading tendrils. Perhaps Bucky’s new vibranium arm in the MCU can be revealed to have some hidden properties such as this, beyond remote deactivation at the hands of the Dora Milaje in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

8

Electric touch

The arm’s lightning-command powers go further than AMPs

Considering Bucky’s arm is capable of generating a powerful EMP, it stands to reason that his arm should be capable of producing dramatic bursts of electrical power. Sure enough, the power can also be channeled in a much more straightforward way through a disarming electric touch. Bucky gets a lot of mileage out of this functionality in the comics, right down to the likes of super-spy villain The Man With No Face

Cybernetic tendrils aren’t the only thick functionality of the Winter Soldier’s arm to be utilized in Bucky’s kit in Wonder rivals. His electric shocks also found their way into the game, with Bucky able to fire charged balls of dazzling lightning at his enemies. Meanwhile, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, electricity is actually a weakness of Bucky’s, being able to travel through his arm and electrocute him badly as shown in his fight with John Walker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

7

Remote arm operation

Bucky’s comics arm can work on its own

As if telescoping to increase in length didn’t make the range of Bucky’s terrifying arm expansive enough, in the comics, the device is able to function even when removed from his shoulder. In one case, when stolen and experimented on by a group of scientists, Bucky’s confiscated arm was able to take out a whole lot of people literally single-handed. It has also been shown to be able to activate its electric functionality while detached from Bucky, zapping one of his helpless foes into submission with a touch.

It is later revealed that Bucky controls his arm through a “cyber-link”, an implant allowing him to control his movements with thought alone. It turns out that link isn’t necessarily severed when the arm is popped off of Bucky’s torso, allowing him to stay in the fight over impressive distances.. In practice, this gives Bucky similar powers to DC’s quirky character Arm-Fall-Off-Boy, rebranded as Nathan Fillion’s “TDK” in The Suicide Squad by James Gunn.

6

Teleportation

The cybernetic arm isn’t Bucky’s only tech asset

For a long time, Bucky was a normal human with no superpowers outside of his bionic arm, albeit a highly-trained one who operates at the fictional cutting edge of training as depicted in the comics. This has somewhat pigeonholed him into a role as a more gadget-based hero in most stories, Leading to it acquiring an impressive suite of advanced technology over the years. One of his most cutting-edge pieces of gear is his teleportation device.

Bucky acquires this piece of technology, along with a litany of other powerful equipment, during his tenure as “The Man on the Wall”, a superhero identity used by Nick Fury in Marvel Comics. With this piece of equipment, Bucky is able to summon crackling portals of lightning a la the time travel devices in The Terminator Series he can step into, teleporting vast distances in an instant. Considering the MCU has yet to give even Deadpool his iconic teleportation belt, it’s unlikely that Sebastian Stan’s Bucky will receive this piece of gear during his film run.

5

Undersea suit

Comic Bucky is ready for combat in all environments

For the most part, in the Marvel Comics, The Winter Soldier is somewhat limited to being a street-level hero, even if he is near the top of the food chain. That said, when push comes to shove, he’s able to operate in unfamiliar and downright dangerous environments thanks to the help of SHIELD’s advanced technology. Hostile forces from the sea itself.

Bucky wears the suit during a joint operation with Namor in the comics, together in order to take down a group of​​​​ medicine smugglers trying to transport their goods through the cover of the ocean. Amazingly, the suit withstood the immense pressure of the Mariana Trench, the single deepest-known undersea place on the planet. Not only that, but Bucky is quite adept with his movements while in the suit, able to effortlessly dodge gunfire while moving through the water.

4

Planet-boosting guns

The man on the wall is quite threatening

Bucky has worn quite a number of different superhero personas in the comics, from being Steve Rogers’ sidekick to the deadly Winter Soldier to even taking on his own tenure as Captain America himself. However, his most dangerous persona is easily the Man on the Wall, an identity he assumes from Nick Fury. The title was originally given to Fury by Uatu the Watcher, commissioning him to silently protect Earth from countless alien threats in space through morally questionable means.

Part of being the man on the wall includes access to an absurd armory of world-killing guns, used to take out powerful beings or even entire populated planets at once. Some of the weapons include a Gatling gun capable of taking down Ego the Living Planet, gamma bullets capable of damaging the likes of Thorand the prized Kazurr rifle, a sniper that uses vibranium bullets and can accurately pick out targets on Earth from the moon. Paired with Bucky’s natural talent for marksmanship, these weapons make him a deadly man on the wall.

3

Enhanced longevity

The Infinity Formula has done wonders for Bucky’s age

In both Bucky’s Marvel Cinematic Universe journey and his original comic appearances, cryogenic stasis during his time as the Winter Soldier kept him from aging normally, keeping him physically only slightly older than Steve Rogers during his modern day operations. In the MCU, it seems like Bucky is aging normally, even if he loses five years of age compared to half the population as a victim of Thanos’ Snap. In the comics, he eventually gains powers that prevent this from being the case.

Bucky finally gains proper powers in the comics after Nick Fury revives him from near-death using the Infinity Formula, a powerful concoction first created by Isaac Newton (walking figure) with mysterious restorative properties. Acting as his own super soldier serum, this formula not only restored Bucky to health, but enhanced his strength, speed, reflexes and durability typical of a Captain America. As an interesting side effect, the formula also dramatically slowed down his natural aging, keeping Bucky spry for (theoretically) decades into the future.

2

Regenerative healing

Bucky’s comic powers are decidedly stronger

There is one more aspect of the Infinity Formula’s effects on Bucky’s physiology that is not represented by the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s copycat super soldier serum made by HYDRA. For one, the level to which Bucky’s physique is boosted in the comics is much more dramatic than in the movies, meaning that the original Bucky is actually stronger than his film counterpart. In addition, Bucky enjoys a regenerative healing factor not shown as one of the serum’s effects in the film.

Although the healing factor is not on the same level as that of Wolverine or Deadpool, it can still get Bucky back in a fight much faster than his movie self could after a similar injury. Captain America’s comic powers also give him the advantage not seen in the MCU, putting the two on equal footing after years of Bucky remaining as a top man. This allows him to bounce back from broken bones, deep cuts, and gunshot wounds in a matter of days rather than months.

1

Environmental mapping mask

Bucky’s arm and costume work in tandem in the comics

One of the coolest aspects of Bucky’s arm that isn’t fully explored in the movies that is present in the comics is its integration into his standard superhero suit. Unlike in the films, comic Bucky wears a classic Domino mask during his escapades as the Winter Soldier, hearkening back to his days as Captain America’s chipper sidekick in World War II. Not just for show, the mask actually has a genius piece of tech integrating it into Bucky’s arm.

The classic red star on Bucky’s cybernetic shoulder is shown in the comics to be able to emit a radar ping that uses echolocation to map out the surrounding area. The arm can then feed that information back into the lenses of Bucky’s mask, giving him an instant 3-D awareness of his surroundings via a digital map. This is one power that would be appropriate for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to give Bucky BarnesAnd hopefully he can use it at some point in Thunderbolts*.