The Winter Soldier Might Get A Big Upgrade In Avengers: Infinity War

Despite losing an arm in Captain America: Civil War, Bucky Barnes could be better than ever in Avengers: Infinity War.

Co-director Anthony Russo told Sina Weibo (via ScreenRant) that the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) could have a high-tech replacement arm courtesy of the good people of Wakanda.

"For everyone who's seen Captain America: Civil War, they know Bucky was taken in by T'Challa in Wakanda," Russo said. "I think that, you know, we catch back up with him after he's been there for a while, and if there's an influence on his arm, it may perhaps have to do with that country that he's been spending time in."

If you're behind on your Marvel backstories, Barnes was an old friend of Captain America (Chris Evans) before he was captured by Hydra and turned into an assassin. As part of that process, he was outfitted with a metal arm strong enough to shatter Cap's shield. Tony Stark's Iron Man suit ripped off the arm during Civil War, but we later learned Barnes had been sent to Wakanda to recover. 

As we'll see in Black Panther, Wakanda is an African nation that hides its supply of vibranium. That fictional metal is the second-strongest in the Marvel universe (behind adamantium), and it has the ability to absorb kinetic energy into itself. It's the same stuff Captain America's shield is made out of, which is why it doesn't obey the laws of physics. If Bucky's new arm is vibranium, he'll probably be far more dangerous than he was before, and that's really saying something.

We'll find out when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4.