Sebastian Stan defended one of the most talked about moments of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - when Dora Milaje member Ayo disarmed Bucky's vibranium arm. Marvel's second original Disney+ series had plenty of talked about moments during its six episode run. From the introduction of Wyatt Russell as John Walker to Sam Wilson finally becoming Captain America, there were plenty of twists and turns in the series. Alongside the larger plot points, though, were quieter stories being told about two of the MCU's most embattled characters.
When Falcon and the Winter Soldier begins, Bucky still finds himself on a path to redemption, crossing out names on a list as he seeks out forgiveness for his past actions as the Winter Soldier. For Bucky, part of that redemption began in Wakanda, as shown in a flashback when he is working with Ayo in the fictional African country to regain control over his mind. One thing he ultimately didn't have control over, though, was his mechanical arm.
In one of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier's most riveting fight scenes, Ayo and the Dora Milaje face off against Bucky and Sam over the fact that the pair have released Baron Zemo from prison. During this fight, as Bucky defends Zemo, Ayo removes Bucky's vibranium arm and Stan believes she was justified in doing so. The actor tells THR that, at this moment in the series, Bucky knew he had gone too far by working with his arch-nemesis Zemo. Stan also touches on the fact that Bucky owes so much to Wakanda and that this betrayal made the fight all the more emotional.
The Wakandans were the only ones who could rein in Bucky in any way, shape or form. That’s where his whole loyalty and allegiance is at that point in the series. When that scene happens, it’s him trying to feel out his perimeters and life again. He owes everything to the Wakandans. But in a way he is growing up again and breaking out again and trying to find how he can take charge of certain situations. [In that fight scene,] he is well aware that he’s gone too far, [teaming up with Daniel Brühl’s Zemo, a mortal enemy of both Bucky and Wakanda]. I always said to Kari, “Why would he ever stop them?” But it’s really Sam asking him, “Hey, we’ve got to put a stop to this altercation right now.”
When the scene from Falcon and the Winter Soldier initially aired, fans took to Twitter to lament the fact that the Wakandans had put a failsafe in Bucky's arm. Many thought this was unfair to the Winter Soldier, especially as he tried to recover from the various traumas he had faced over the years. Still, the situation Bucky and the Dora Milaje found themselves is reason enough to justify putting the failsafe in his arm.
Not only was Bucky still potentially at risk from reverting back to his old ways, but the fact that he was willing to work with Zemo, the man who killed King T'Chaka in Captain America: Civil War, shows that the Wakandans were right in ensuring their safety. Fans may have had issues with the failsafe, but it's easy to forget that Bucky's vibranium arm is also property of Wakanda and extremely valuable property at that. Luckily, by the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Bucky has not only grown even more, but he also reconnected with the Wakandans by ensuring they were able to take Zemo into custody on their own terms.
Source: THR