Captain America & the Winter Soldier: Why Bucky's Name Didn't Change

Warning: SPOILERS for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finale episode 6 - "One World, One People," and Bucky Barne's story.

In light of Sam's new superhero persona, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has been retitled to Captain America and the Winter Soldier, but interestingly, Bucky's name didn't change — why? Steve Rogers' two closest pals reunited for their own adventure in a post-Infinity Saga world. Faced with their collective and separate issues, they both came out of their experience fighting the Flag-Smashers with new perspectives, ready to take on any future missions sent their way. However, while Sam's journey was reflected in the series' new title, Bucky, on the other hand, maintains his Winter Soldier persona.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier wrapped up after six episodes, fulfilling the promise from Avengers: Endgame that Sam will eventually wield the shied. Despite his initial reluctance due to several factors, he finally embraced the responsibility, debuting a new Vibranium costume complete with wings courtesy of the Wakandans. Meanwhile, Bucky remained ever supportive, providing assistance to the new Captain America as they foiled the Flag-Smashers' attempt to wreak havoc in the name of their goal. Outside of their superhero mission, he also finished making amends to all the people on his list as part of his Winter Soldier rehabilitation, including Yori Nakajima as he came clean about how his son died.

Marvel Studios officially retitles the recently-concluded Disney+ series to Captain America and the Winter Soldier during the final moments of episode 6, "One World, One People." This hints that, while Sam gets to operate as the new Star-Spangled Avenger, effectively passing on the Falcon mantle to Joaquin Torres, Bucky's past as Hydra's ruthless assassin will continue to play a part in his arc moving forward. Throughout the show's run, Bucky had been working on leaving his murderous past behind him; via his experience in the show coupled with new revelations about his time in Wakanda, it's clear that it hasn't been an easy journey. Despite successfully blocking the activation words for the Winter Soldier thanks to Ayo's help, the Captain America and the Winter Soldier title indicates that there's still more work left to do for him.

In hindsight, this makes sense. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had been mostly focused on Sam's heroic story to become the next Captain America. The introductions of Isaiah Bradley and John Walker fit into his narrative as the new wielder of the shield as emphasized in the Smithsonian exhibit that now includes both of the aforementioned character's stints as Captain America on top of Steve's journey. Tackling the legacy of the superhero mantle was what the show was advertised as, and as someone who technically doesn't really have a direct personal stake on the matter, Bucky was more of a supporting character rather than a leading player — at least in this initial run of the Disney+ project.

The good news is, this title change also means that a second season of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is now inevitable, and chances are that it will focus heavily on Bucky's story instead. Assuming that this is the case, the Wakandans might also be more involved considering that they did give him the "White Wolf" moniker. Aside from that, it's also possible that Bucky also finally makes amends for the death of the Starks — something that wasn't addressed in the show despite him going through the list of everyone he wronged as the Winter Soldier. Only then will his name can finally change as the series' title changes once more to Captain America and the White Wolf.

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