Why Bucky’s MCU Technology Plot Hole Actually Makes Sense

Although Steve & Bucky were both WWII vets who had to adjust to modern times, the Winter Soldier had a very different experience than Captain America.

Though Bucky's familiarity with technology seems to form a plot hole in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, his military aptitude is actually accounted for in the MCU's Winter Soldier backstory. Like Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes is a man out of his era in the contemporary MCU timeline, owing to their super-soldier serum and respective periods "on-ice," whether under HYDRA conditioning or submerged in the literal Arctic. In each of their arcs, they encounter a learning curve while adjusting to modern times, which would suggest that Bucky's seemingly innate ability to handle the sophisticated weapons he uses in the Disney+ show makes for a plot hole. But in fact, this ignores another key component of his story.

At the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers first reckons with his massive leap forward in time, and he can be seen making efforts to catch up on what he missed via his notebook in the early parts of the sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier. At the end of that sequel, the titular character, revealed to be Bucky Barnes, also begins to come to after years of brainwashed service to HYDRA. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, that notebook is referenced when Sam and Zemo confront Bucky about his being out of touch with the times—evidence to the fact that Bucky has a similar disconnect to Steve's. But he handles the modern weaponry with ease, weaponry whose complexity is a far cry from the WWII era guns he ought to be used to.

Related: Bucky’s Identity Was A Massive Phase 4 Plot-Hole

But to assume Bucky is still clueless is to forget where he was leading up to the Disney+ show. Bucky spent what he calls "a moment of calm" in Wakanda, where he is brought back into the fold during the events of Avengers: Infinity War. During this time, the Wakandans worked to undo the Winter Soldier programming that still had a hold on his mind. Wakanda is also a society of advanced technology—tech which Bucky must have come in contact with during his recovery period there. Perhaps it was in this way that Bucky became comfortable with the contemporary—or even futuristic—weaponry that built his skillset in preparation for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Then again, it's not as though Steve and Bucky had identical stints "on ice." Where Steve was literally frozen and inactive, Bucky's intermittent period was less physical and more mental. He was very much active as the Winter Soldier, even retaining the horrific memories of his work in the line of duty for HYDRA. In this way, Bucky's familiarity with weapons technology evolved as did the technology itself: in the Korean War when Isaiah Bradley fought the Winter Soldier, Bucky worked with the weapons of that era, and on subsequent missions, he worked with the weapons of those periods. By the time of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he might subconsciously understand modern technology from memories of his Winter Soldier days.

At first glance, Bucky's innate familiarity with modern technology—particularly the weapons he wields—makes for a plot hole in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but it's important to remember his time in Wakanda that shapes who Bucky Barnes is as a character in the current MCU. His immersion in that culture of advanced technology, not to mention the own improvements Wakanda made to Bucky's arm, prepared him for his displayed aptitude in the Disney+ series. And if not that, his Winter Soldier training built a subconscious foundation that may well have lingered even after his programming was removed.

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