Among the MCU’s strongest aspects is its attention to detail, especially in the early phases, and some of these details have even crossed over into Phase Four in the form of running jokes, Easter eggs, and subtle characterization. The perfect example of the MCU’s combination of humor and characterization at its finest comes in the form of Bucky’s arm.
As the galaxy’s most infamous prosthetic thief saw the Winter Soldier’s vibranium arm at the final battle of The Avengers: Infinity War, it was love at first sight. Rocket simply had to have it.
The Backstory of Bucky’s Arm
Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) has become much more than a side character in Captain America’s story, but rather a major character in his own right. On a 1945 mission gone wrong, Bucky fell to his assumed death, losing his left arm in his fall from a train. When he was recovered by Hydra and brainwashed to become the Winter Soldier, he was given a titanium prosthetic arm, but he didn’t keep it for long.
The third installment of Cap’s trilogy, Captain America: Civil War, saw Bucky’s recovery, which became a point of high contention during the climactic fight against Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). Though Bucky was simply a means to an end for the film’s villain, Zemo (Daniel Brühl), to break the already tenuous alliance between Cap and Tony, his friendship with Steve (Chris Evans) was renewed and his enslavement to Hydra broken — which is signified when Tony breaks the arm Hydra built him.
During Bucky’s recovery in Wakanda, a new future for him was being forged. To symbolize his new identity as the White Wolf, as he’s referred to by the Wakandans. It’s fitting that Bucky would find his clarity in Wakanda, a kingdom that values its peace but knows how to fight when needed. Here, he is gifted a new arm built out of vibranium by Wakanda’s own princess Shuri (Letitia Wright). Bucky has been through several notable transformations, and he’s a character with a lot of depth.
How the Guardians of the Galaxy Come Into Play
Switching to a completely different character arc literally planets away, the Guardians of the Galaxy is a group of misfits, or “losers” as Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) describes them. In a team that’s made up of creatures like a walking tree, a human far from home, and an empath mantis, a talking raccoon fits right in (the found family portion of Guardians is one of its strongest features, aside from its humor). Despite being a group of outcasts, the Guardians have plenty of sweet moments.
For instance, reformed villain Nebula (Karen Gillan) has a sweet moment with Rocket (Bradley Cooper) by giving him Bucky’s vibranium arm as a Christmas gift. How, exactly, she procured (stole) the arm has yet to be shown, but the consensus is that Nebula wrestled the arm away from poor Bucky as an illegal but well-intentioned gift for Rocket after seeing how he reacted to Bucky’s arm during the fight against Thanos. Rocket is clearly very touched, by both the gift itself and by Nebula’s thoughtfulness.
(There’s a lot more to be said of Nebula’s character and how she has grown and changed over the years, but that’s another story. In a very sweet turn-around, Rocket gives Nebula her very own cool new arm following their first Christmas.)
However, Rocket has a backstory that’s truly horrific when you look past his quips and selfish need to steal other people’s eyes and limbs. His history, explored in much more detail in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, is traumatic to say the least, which is easy to forget, considering he barely ever brings it up. Even as far back as the first Guardians film, it’s clear that Rocket has a problem with being made fun of and has some anger issues surrounding his current state, and his scars from previous experiments are quietly shown during the prison scene.
In a heated argument back when the Guardians were still adjusting to their group dynamic, Rocket has a vulnerable moment when he says, “I didn’t ask to get made. I didn’t ask to be torn apart and put back together over and over and turned into some little monster!” It’s clear that he remembers what people say about him as well, and though he rarely brings it up, he’s aware of how his past still affects him.
It isn’t just a fun character quirk that Rocket revels in chaos and petty theft (very petty, considering his actions in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2); rather, lashing out may be a good way for him to regain some control over his own life. As the group’s mechanic of sorts, Rocket loves gadgetry and especially tech prosthetics, the latter of which could hint to a deeper need to collect things that make him feel whole, after being “torn apart” numerous times.
Drawing Parallels Between Two Characters Who Barely Even Interact
Despite appearances, Bucky and Rocket have a lot in common: they were both held captive and went through tortuous transformations before regaining control of their autonomy and their lives, and, through the support of their friends and allies, find new ways of coping and healing. Bucky’s brainwashing can be seen as his mind being taken apart and rewired, much like what happened to Rocket physically.
Bucky and Rocket have only exchanged a few words with each other and exist in completely different worlds, but their similarities are clear from the way that the MCU uses humor and character quirks to bring them together, hiding their heartbreaking parallels in the guise of one humorous interaction (and a very cool, if very brief, team-up).
When the MCU chooses to use humor to its fullest, moments like these are truly worthwhile, especially when re-watching the films. With a multiverse as rich and detail-oriented as the MCU, there are plenty of parallels to find. Guardians of the Galaxy is, arguably, the peak of Marvel’s comedic but layered character work, in more noticeable ways (such as major plot points) and in smaller, subtler ways (like a simple obsession with collecting other people’s prosthetics), proving that the MCU is at its best when it balances its humor with underlying character depth.
The tale of Rocket and Bucky’s arm is the perfect mini plot line to look at when analyzing how tiny funny moments can have an emotional impact, and both humor and heart are needed to tell a good story.
