WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 4, “The Whole World is Watching,” now streaming on Disney+.
While The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has showcased how Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) adjusted to life after being the Winter Soldier, his actual transition period took place pre-Blip in Wakanda. Bucky’s recovery process was alluded to in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, but now, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier devotes time to explore what this process entailed, including revealing more of his time in Wakanda.
After the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), Bucky was willingly taken to Wakanda to help undo his Hydra programming. Black Panther (2018) hinted at such care when Shuri (Letitia Wright) mutters about fixing “another broken white boy,” and the post-credits scene of that movie showed Bucky seemingly tranquil and recovering in Wakanda, having gained the moniker of “White Wolf.” Then, when Avengers: Infinity War (2018) arrived, Bucky was given a new bionic arm and was ready to greet Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and face the incoming invasion.
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Previous episodes of Falcon and the Winter Soldier have referenced Bucky’s time in Wakanda, but not actually shown it. Episode 2, “The Star-Spangled Man,” has Sam (Anthony Mackie) mention Bucky’s time in Wakanda and jokingly call him “White Panther,” to which Bucky mutters in response, “actually it’s White Wolf.”Episode 3, “Power Broker,” then saw Zemo (Daniel Brühl) attempt the same brainwashing codewords on Bucky he used in Civil War — albeit more out of curiosity — which only confirmed the former Winter Soldier had been fully deprogrammed. Still, Bucky freed Zemo from prison to help track down the Flag-Smashers and find the rogue Super Soldier Serum. But this led Ayo of the Dora Milaje (Florence Kasumba) to track down and confront Bucky, demanding that he turn over Zemo for the murder of Wakanda’s King T’Chaka in Civil War.
Now, “The Whole World is Watching,” picks up with Ayo and Bucky, but in a flashback. The cold open shows Bucky in Wakanda six years ago, facing the final stages of his deprogramming. Sitting around a campfire, Ayo recites the Winter Soldier activation words, and Bucky’s face strains as his time as the Winter Soldier flash before his eyes. However, he is able to, tearfully, resist the pull of his former programming, making Ayo conclude that he is “free.”
Similar to how WandaVision filled the gaps in Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) story only previously hinted towards, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier shows the implied final stages of Bucky’s deprogramming breakthrough. Of course, Falcon and the Winter Soldier has also demonstrated how such trauma is not so easily overcome, showing Bucky’s attempts to make amends with the wrongs he was forced to commit. The moment in Wakanda reveals Bucky’s debt towards the country’s people, and Ayo specifically, which conflicts with him using Zemo as “a means to an end” to resolve the issue of the Super Soldier Serum — another ghost from the past he’s trying to overcome.
Created by Malcolm Spellman and directed by Kari Skogland, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Noah Mills, Carl Lumbly and Daniel Brühl. New episodes debut on Fridays on Disney+.
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