The MCU Just Revealed How Powerful Bucky's Vibranium Arm Really Is

Notice! This post contains SPOILERS for What If...? Season 3, Episode 3

Bucky Barnes' iconic metal arm performs an unprecedented feat of power in the MCU And if...? Season 3, Episode 3. And if...? Season 3 features a final wave of alternate timelines where various events play out very differently from the main MCU universe. From Hydra failing to steal the Super Soldier serum from the Starks in 1991 to the Avengers building mechas to fight kaiju Hulks, And if...? Season 3 shows just how lucky and unlucky the MCU's Earth-616 has been compared to other realities in the Sacred Timeline.

And if...? season 3 episode 3, What if... Red Guardian stopped the Winter Soldier?shows what would have happened if Alexei Shostakov, aka Red Guardian, had intervened in the infamous 1991 Winter Soldier mission. Although Red Guardian arrives late to save Howard and Maria Stark, he manages to stop Bucky Barnes from stealing the Super Soldier serum . What is more, Red Guardian neutralizes the Winter Soldier's programming with just his charisma and joins forces with him to escape S.H.I.E.L.D.battling none other than Bill Foster, aka Goliath, along the way.

Bucky's vibranium arm is one of the coolest artifacts in the MCU

Bucky Barnes' Two Bionic Arms Are Incredibly Powerful MCU Weapons

Bucky Barnes' injuries from falling off a train allowed Hydra to create an incredibly powerful weapon. Taking advantage of Bucky's amputated left arm, Hydra built a state-of-the-art, ultra-strong, bulletproof arm made from titanium that made the Winter Soldier nearly unstoppable. Bucky's original titanium arm was strong enough to stop Captain America's shield effortlessly. Yet, the vibranium arm that the Wakandans gifted Bucky after the events of Captain America: Civil War is even more powerful than the original, as it is practically indestructible and absorbs vibrations, meaning Bucky is less affected by the momentum of the attacks he gives or receives.

What if Season 3 shows how powerful Bucky's arm is

The Winter Soldier's arm can knock out a giant

In And if...? Season 3 Episode 3, Bill Foster corners the Red Guardian and the Winter Soldier outside a Las Vegas casino. Foster activates his suit's size-changing capabilities to transform into the giant Goliath. Bucky nearly breaks Goliath's ankle with a punch from his bionic arm, and Red Guardian then launches Bucky into the giant hero's face, allowing Bucky to knock out Goliath with a single punch.. Considering it took the combined efforts of Spider-Man, Vision, Iron Man, and War Machine to take down Giant-Man in Captain America: Civil WarBucky's feat in And if...? Season 3 Episode 3 is nothing short of stunning.

Before knocking out Goliath, the Winter Soldier also shows the versatility of his metal arm in other moments And if...? episode 3 of season 3. For example, Bucky saves the Red Guardian from a hail of gunfire from Obadiah Stane, slides through a building while carrying the Red Guardian, and takes the full impact of a police van crashing into him - all using his metal arm and aided by his super strength, speed and reflexes. Even though the Winter Soldier's arm doesn't have a vibranium enhancement in And if...? season 3 episode 3, is still an extremely powerful and multifaceted MCU weapon.

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  Release date

  February 14, 2025
  

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  July 25, 2025
  

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  Release date

  July 24, 2026
  

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