How Phase 5 Can Redeem Bucky’s Wasted Winter Soldier Storyline

The MCU’s Phase 5 can give Bucky’s wasted Winter Soldier storyline from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier a proper resolution. The character has been a major staple in the franchise, particularly in the Captain America trilogy and the aforementioned Disney+ series. However, the conclusion to his story in Falcon And The Winter Soldier was an unsatisfying resolution to his long-spanning arc. Fortunately for the MCU, there’s a simple solution that Phase 5 could use to help rectify this.

Bucky Barnes’ time as the Winter Soldier and his gradual rehabilitation since is one of the key storylines running through the first three phases of the MCU. It is also his main plotline in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where he’s trying to make amends for his past. This plotline ultimately takes a backseat once Sam Wilson becomes Captain America and the conflicts with the MCU’s John Walker and the Flag Smashers kick into gear. As a result, fans have been mixed on Bucky’s story and find that the MCU hasn’t done justice to his tenure in the franchise.

Despite The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s ending, there’s still hope for Bucky Barnes to have a proper conclusion to his story arc. After all, Sam’s codename switches from Falcon to Captain America in the closing credits of the series, but Bucky’s remains the same. This could mean that even though Bucky is in a better place by the end of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he’s still not where he needs to be. And that could be something that Phase 5 can utilize to its benefit.

In The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, Bucky lets go of the guilt over his past actions as the MCU’s Winter Soldier, proving that he has taken a step in the right direction. However, the codename Winter Soldier not changing in the closing credits indicates that he’s not completely ready to let go of his old mantle. Even if he lets go of the guilt, it’s likely that Bucky still feels that he’s not the hero he should be. By emphasizing that Falcon And The Winter Soldier‘s ending is only a midpoint in his story, Phase 5 can give Bucky’s story the ending it deserves, which will likely happen in either Captain America 4 or a solo project where he embraces his new hero persona, the White Wolf, entirely.

At the moment, there is no indication of Bucky’s future in the MCU. For now, it appears Falcon And The Winter Soldier is the current conclusion to his story arc. Given Bucky’s storied history, it would be a huge mistake for the franchise to not give his story a proper ending. Hopefully, fans of the character will get their wish by the time Phase 5 rolls around.