Black Panther Almost Gave Bucky a New Arm

With Black Panther looking to dominate at the box office in its third straight weekend, new details have surfaced from producer Nate Moore, who shed some light on one of the Black Panther post-credit scenes. Like most Marvel movies, there were two end-credits moments, one of which offered a new glimpse at Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes. While this scene didn’t come as much of a surprise to many Marvel fans, since Bucky was last seen in Wakanda at the end of Captain America: Civil War, this Black Panther post-credit scene almost showcased a new addition for Bucky.

During the Civil War scene, Bucky Barnes tells Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) that he can’t trust his own mind anymore, and until they can fix him, it’s best if he stays hidden in Wakanda. The new Black Panther scene features Bucky Barnes emerging from a tent in a Wakandan village, where he is approached by Shuri (Letitia Wright), who tells him that he has “much more to learn.” During an appearance on an Empire podcast, producer Nate Moore reveals that there was a version of this scene where Bucky actually gets a new metallic arm, although that was scrapped in favor of the version seen in theaters where Bucky is limbless, for now. Here’s what Nate Moore had to say below.

“We did discuss (giving him a new arm). There was a version when it was in, there was a version where it was out. The truth was, he felt more human when he wasn’t whole in Winter Soldier. He could just be Bucky and that’s why I think it was important for him as a character to go, ‘not Sergeant Barnes, my name’s Bucky. I am a person, I am no longer a soldier.'”

It seems they saved the new arm for Avengers: Infinity War, since he’s seen in the trailer fighting with a new metal arm that may or may not be constructed of vibranium, the mystical metal that is native to Wakanda that was also used to construct Captain America’s shield. It remains to be seen if there is actually a scene in Avengers: Infinity War where we see the Wakandans giving Bucky a new arm, or if he just simply shows up with the metal appendage in place. The scene in question where Bucky is seen fighting with this metal arm is in Wakanda, where Bucky, Steve Rogers/Nomad and many more are seen fighting off the Outriders.

That post credit scene also featured another interesting tidbit, with the young Wakandan children calling Bucky the White Wolf, a much different character in the Marvel comics. White Wolf was a child named Hunter, who was taken in by T’chaka after surviving a plane crash, and ultimately given Wakandan citizenship. There have been theories that Marvel may in fact be merging the Bucky Barnes character with the White Wolf character for the MCU movies, but that has yet to be confirmed, and hopefully we’ll find out when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4. You can head over to Empire to listen to the full osdcast with Nate Moore and director Ryan Coogler.