A teaser for Thunderbolts* confirmed that the MCU has retconned Bucky's arm. The mystery shrouding Thunderbolts* has lifted somewhat with the release of its first trailer, revealing a little behind the circumstances that bring the titular team together. It helps to draw a line beneath 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.
Custom image by Ollie Bradley
The teaser also shows how the Thunderbolts members will be pitted against one another before being assembled by De Fontaine. Yelena Belova, John Walker, Ava Starr, and Antonia Dreykov engage in a tussle before summarizing that "Someone wants [them] gone." Bucky is not a part of this particular crowd but is later seen pursuing Yelena, John, and Alexei Shostakov with lethal intent. While this gives rise to new questions about the clandestine figure hunting the Thunderbolts, these shots definitively answer one question that's been left hanging for two years.
Thunderbolts* Retcons The Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special
Bucky's Black And Gold Arm Was Recently In Rocket Raccoon's Possession
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was released on November 25, 2022, and depicts Nebula gifting Rocket Raccoon Bucky's black and gold vibranium arm in its festive final sequence. The scene pays off a line from Avengers: Infinity War where Rocket admires the arm before asserting that he will obtain it at some point, though this would not happen in Avengers: Infinity War nor Avengers: Endgame. Instead, the arm is apparently stolen by Nebula off-screen before she brings it to Knowhere, ostensibly leaving Bucky without his ace 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. Yet it appears that the Thunderbolts* trailer just definitively confirmed that Bucky does, in fact, still possess the Wakandan-made marvel, and is still utilizing it to its fullest extent as he uses it to topple a speeding Humvee. It is also front-and-center in another scene that shows Bucky cleaning his arm in a dishwasher, granting a glimpse into how Bucky lives his day-to-day life with the powerful prosthetic.
How Bucky's Arm Retcon Could Be Explained In Thunderbolts*
The MCU Might Employ A Timeline Excuse
While Marvel may purely retcon the fleeting scene in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, given how the arm carries far more narrative importance with Bucky than it does with Rocket, this could 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 rectify the fact that the festive scene now feels somewhat unnecessary and messy.
This may have been the plan all along, and perhaps James Gunn's suggestion that Nebula tore it from Bucky's "Body" carries a more macabre meaning if Bucky ends up dying in Thunderbolts*.
One of the more convoluted ways Marvel may 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, given how the Guardians' recent outings have been largely divested from the Multiverse Saga's mainline narrative. This may have been the plan all along, and perhaps James Gunn's suggestion that Nebula tore it from Bucky's "Body" carries a more macabre meaning if Bucky ends up dying in Thunderbolts *.
Alternatively, with the Multiverse Saga providing variants aplenty 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 agreeable solution is that Nebula simply gifted Rocket with a counterfeit arm - although Rocket's entire tech-savvy MO makes it extremely unlikely that she would be able to deceive him in this way. Instead, the arm may simply have been returned to Bucky in time for Thunderbolts*. If that is the case, then Thunderbolts* may have to address the sequence of events.
Will Thunderbolts* Address Marvel's Retcon Concerning Bucky's Arm?
Thunderbolts* Strikes A Very Different Tone To The Guardians Franchise
Despite featuring two characters that are prone to delivering comic relief, the Thunderbolts* trailer seems to be striking a particularly somber tone that is rarely seen in the MCU. Additionally, despite them sharing the same cinematic universe, Thunderbolts* seems decidedly more grounded than Guardians of the Galaxy, even if it does feature Marvel's answer to Superman. With these factors in mind, it seems highly unlikely that the movie will dedicate 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 became so trivial means that the movie will likely not waste time nor risk muddying the tone of the movie by addressing the retcon at all. Nebula's gift to Rocket was never followed up on in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, making it tantamount to a throwaway Easter egg instead of a consequential narrative beat. This may feel unsatisfactory for a franchise that is typically more conscious of these narrative developments and connections, but it may ultimately be for the best.
Bucky's Arm Could Be Important To Thunderbolts* In A Different Way
Bucky's Arc As A Disabled War Veteran Still Has Narrative Importance
It isn't as if Bucky's arm will go unaddressed in Thunderbolts*. The teaser already demonstrated how effective it remains as a tool while also going 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 from a mythical material.
This experience will no doubt be fleshed out in Thunderbolts*, which Red Guardian actor David Harbor recently asserted would deal with the mental health issues of its main cast. Bucky's new look is concerning, as he appears more disheveled than his recent appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and supports Harbor's comments. This backslide into mental determination may be upsetting, but it also stands to reason given he may now be cut off from his support network. The daily use of a prosthetic arm coveted by people who don't need it may even compound this.
Instead, the movie may 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.
Bucky's severe demeanor in the Thunderbolts* teaser suggests that the healing he underwent in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier may not have stuck. Instead, the movie may 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 of importance in Thunderbolts*, even if the movie does breeze over its recent jaunt into space.
