The MCU retcons Bucky’s arm in Thunderbolts*

A teaser for Thunderbolts* Confirmed that the MCU has re-consumed Bucky’s arm. The mystery shrouding thunderbolts* has picked up a bit with the release of its first trailer, revealing a little behind the circumstances that bring the titular team together. It helps draw a line under much speculation as rumors including Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s occupation of the Avengers tower are vindicated. It also all but confirmed that Lewis Pullman’s Bob is indeed Sentry, the latest impossibly powerful Marvel character to join the MCU, after depicting him surviving a barrage of bullets and showing a glimpse of his S-shaped buckle.

The teaser also shows how the Thunderbolts members will be pitted against each other before being assembled by De Fontaine. Yelena Belova, John Walker, Ava Starr, and Antonia Drykov have a conflict before summarizing that “Someone wants [them] goneBucky is not part of the special crowd, but is later seen following Yelena, John and Alexei Shostakov with deadly intent. Although this leads to new questions about the secret figure that follows the Thunderbolts, the shots finally answer one question that has been. Left hanging for two years.

Thunderbolts * Retcons The Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special

Bucky’s black and gold arm is recently in the possession of Rocket Raccoon

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was released on November 25, 2022, and depicts Nebula Talent Rocket Raccoon Bucky’s black and gold vibranium arm in its festive final sequence. The scene pays off a line of Avengers: Infinity War Where Rocket admires the arm before confirming that he will get it at some point, although it would not happen in Avengers: Infinity War Or Avengers: Endgame. instead, The arm is apparently stolen by Nebula off-screen before she brings it to KnoveApparently Bucky leaves his mouse in the hole.

The brevity of the scene and the fact that Bucky’s arm is so integral to his character led some to question the canonicity of the event. After it appears that The thunderbolts* Trailer just definitively confirms that Bucky, in fact, still possesses the Wakandan-made wonderAnd is still utilizing it to its fullest extent as he uses it to topple a speeding Humvee. It’s also front-and-center in another scene that shows Bucky cleaning his arm in a dishwasher, giving a glimpse into how Bucky lives his day-to-day life with the sturdy prosthetic.

How Bucky’s Arm Retcon Could Be Explained in Thunderbolts*

The MCU could use a timeline excuse

Although Marvel could clean up the fleeting scene in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Given how the arm has far more narrative importance with Bucky than with Rocket, this can feel cheap. Instead, there are multiple ways in which the MCU can justify its appearance on Knowhere and then back on Earth in the possession of its true owner. unfortunately, None of them will fix the fact that the holiday scene now feels somewhat unnecessary and messy.

One of the more convoluted ways that Marvel can do this is by manipulating the timelines, making it so that The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special And Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Both take place after the events of thunderbolts*. This should be relatively simple, as the recent outings of the Guardians have largely diverged from the main story of the Multiverse Saga. This may have been the plan all along, and perhaps James Gunn’s suggestion that Nebula ripped it from Bucky’s “Body” carries a more macabre meaning if Bucky ends up dying in Thunderbolts*.

Alternatively, with the Multiverse Saga providing many variants across universes, Nebula may have come into possession of an arm from an alternate universe. This seems unlikely, given how Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Hammered home the dangers of interfering in other universes. Transferring something as important as Bucky’s arm from one universe to another seems like an extremely pertinent example of this, turning the gift into a catalyst for an incursion.

A more suitable solution is that Nebula simply gifted Rocket with a fake arm – although Rocket’s rather tech-savvy Mo makes it extremely unlikely that she would be able to trick him in this way. instead, The arm could simply have been returned to Bucky in time for thunderbolts*. If this is the case, then thunderbolts* May have to address the sequence of events.

Will Thunderbolts* Address Marvel’s Retcon Regarding Bucky’s Arm?

Thunderbolts* strikes a very different note to the Guardians franchise

Despite featuring two characters prone to delivering comic relief, the thunderbolts* Trailer seems to be striking a particularly sad note that is rarely seen in the MCU. Furthermore, despite sharing the same cinematic universe, thunderbolts* Seems decidedly more grounded than Guardians of the GalaxyEven if it featured Marvel’s answer to Superman. With these reasons in mind, It seems highly unlikely that the movie will devote a line or two to explaining how Bucky’s arm is no longer in the possession of a spacefaring raccoon..

The fact that the appearance of Bucky’s arm in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Has become so trivial means that the movie will probably not waste time and not risk encouraging the tone of the movie by addressing the recon. Nebula’s talent for rocketry was never followed up on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3Making it a throwaway Easter egg instead of a consequential narrative beat. This may feel unsatisfactory for a franchise that is typically more conscious of narrative developments and connections, but it may ultimately be for the best.

Bucky’s arm could be important to the Thunderbolts* in a different way

Bucky’s arc as a disabled war veteran still has narrative importance

It’s not as if Bucky’s arm will go unaddressed thunderbolts*. The teaser has already demonstrated how effective it remains as a tool and also went so far as to show how Bucky maintains it in his day-to-day life. While throwing it in a dishwasher may seem like an odd choice to the casual observer (especially those who don’t own a vibranium prosthetic), it helps to ground Bucky’s experience in reality, even if his prosthetic arm is made of a mythical Material.

The experience will undoubtedly be fleshed out in thunderbolts*What red guardian actor David Harbor recently said that he will deal with mental health issues in his main workshop. Bucky’s new look is concerning, as he is more disheveled than his last appearance in The Falcon and the Winter SoldierAnd supports Harbor’s comments. This return to mental stability may be upsetting, but there is also a reason because he may now be separated from his support network. The daily use of a prosthetic arm coveted by people who do not need it may even compound this.

Bucky’s strict attitude in the thunderbolts* Teaser suggests that the healing he undergoes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Couldn’t have stuck. Instead, the movie could be about to delve further into Bucky’s struggle with being a disabled veteran, affording the complex and compelling character arc even More screen time. Regardless, Bucky’s vibranium arm is likely to be important in thunderbolts*Even if the movie breezes over its last set in space.