By the end of the third episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier , “Power Broker,” many fans became curious about Bucky Barnes' relationship with Wakanda and his title as White Wolf. The moniker was first mentioned in the post-credits scene of Black Panther , and fans expected Sebastian Stan's character to adopt the name officially by the end of the series.
That was actually the original plan with the title change at the end of the final episode , but according to head writer and executive producer Malcolm Spellman, it didn't go through because “they wanted the impact of Captain America and the Winter Soldier to land.”
New concept art for the show points to this moniker being even more apparent in the story, but it didn't move forward for whatever reason.
BUCKY BARNES AS THE WHITE WOLF
Earlier this month, concept artist Alan Villanueva uploaded two pieces from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Art Station depicting Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes with outfits more closely echoing the title given to him by Wakanda.
The first piece of concept art, titled “Bucky's Wakanda-crafted Rehab Wrap,” shows Bucky Barnes wearing a completely white wardrobe during his stay in Wakanda. As seen in “The Whole World Is Watching,” this outfit is used when Ayo showed Bucky his rehabilitation results.
Villanueva commented that while the design is only “very close” to the design in the show, with the white not being nearly as prominent, he still had fun playing with the designs established by Marvel's Visual Development department:
“This concept of Bucky's Wakanda crafted rehab wrap is very close to the final design in the show. It was really fun to play off of the design language established by the talented artists in Marvel's Visual Development Dept.”
The second piece shows what Bucky's standard outfit would have looked like in the show with one key difference. Barnes is seen adorned with a white and gold prosthetic instead of the black and gold one seen in Avengers: Infinity War , which was inevitably kept into the show.
Another comment was left by Villanueva, who admitted that this design “mostly” made it into the show, minus the color scheme for Bucky's jacket and arm:
“This is (mostly) the final design in the show. Had a blast working on this alternate Winter Soldier look. Collaborated with Costume Designer Michael Crow. Very grateful for being brought on board!”
FUTURE OF WHITE WOLF
Bucky Barnes' future in the MCU is currently unknown, but Anthony Mackie hopes to work with Sebastian Stan again in Captain America 4 . So it would actually be a great opportunity to see Alan Villanueva's unused concept art out to good use.
Barnes appearing with a new white and gold arm, seen in this concept art, could also symbolically show the progress that Bucky has made while he fully embraces the title of White Wolf. While it's doubtful that Barnes would be wearing the full-blown costume for White Wolf seen in the comics, him having this new arm would be a very cool nod to his Wakandan moniker.
Marvel Studios' Assembled: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is currently streaming on Disney+ .
