Bucky's identity was a major plot hole in The Falcon & the Winter Soldier. For decades, the Winter Soldier was just a myth. As Black Widow told Steve Rogers in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, "Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists... He's credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last fifty years."

It didn't take Captain America long to unmask the Winter Soldier, learning he was actually Bucky Barnes. That secret seems to have been kept for years, but the Winter Soldier's identity was blown due to Baron Zemo's actions in Captain America: Civil War. Zemo framed the Winter Soldier for the bombing of the signing of the Sokovia Accords, and Bucky became the world's most wanted. In the post-Blip world, you'd expect Bucky's face to be one of the most well-known because in WandaVision characters had incredibly detailed knowledge of Avengers: Endgame's final battle.

Related: What Bucky Finishing His Winter Soldier Book Means For His Future

Unfortunately, Falcon and the Winter Soldier wasn't exactly consistent. When Bucky visited Madripoor, Zemo felt he would be too recognizable to fake another identity, and he capitalized upon the idea the Winter Soldier's story - including his vulnerability to trigger words - was public knowledge. It's easy to understand why the Winter Soldier might be better known in Madripoor, though, because that corrupt nation has no extradition treaties, meaning it was probably a safe haven to Hydra loyalists from the end of the Second World War onwards. The Winter Soldier may well have even occasionally operated in Madripoor when he was brought out of the ice for a run of missions.

Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes Sniper

But it's much more difficult to ascertain how well-known the Winter Soldier is outside of Madripoor, simply because his fame and notoriety appear to have varied depending on the needs of every specific scene. Bucky was able to operate freely without drawing any attention, unrecognized by anybody in the street, and he could even develop friendships and go on dates without anybody being any the wiser they were spending time with an ex-Avenger. But Bucky's anonymity lasted right up until the moment the plot needed it to end, because he could then be recognized by random police officers and members of the U.S. military. It was all tremendously inconsistent.

It's hard not to see this as something of an awkward plot hole in the MCU's Phase 4 slate, reflecting an area Marvel simply hasn't quite thought through enough. Is every hero who participated in the final battle against Thanos something of a celebrity, including the Winter Soldier? Or is Bucky still able to walk freely through the streets, unrecognized as the man who was once the world's deadliest assassin? Falcon & Winter Soldier simply couldn't make up its mind.

More: All 14 Marvel Movies Releasing After Falcon & Winter Soldier

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