When Sebastian Stan made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Captain America: The First Avenger, it wasn’t as a costumed hero. Instead, it was as the friend to Steve Rogers who was going off to war. Bucky Barnes eventually lost his life thanks to Hydra experimentation and became the assassin known as the Winter Soldier, not unlike his comic book counterpart. The MCU, however, always puts its own spin on characters the audience knows from the page. Bucky is no exception.
A trip to Wakanda gives Bucky a place to lay low when the rest of the world is looking for him. It also gives him access to people who can help remove the Hydra influence from his brain. The credit scene in Black Panther reveals that is exactly what happens as Shuri greets Bucky, calling him White Wolf. Children playing nearby use the name for him as well. White Wolf is not one of his codenames in the comics, but it is an important one, and as Bucky heads to the small screen in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, it seems forgotten.
In Marvel Comics, the White Wolf maintains a connection to Wakanda. Much like the MCU’s Bucky Barnes, he ends up in Wakanda, but he’s not from the secretive country. A little boy named Hunter survives the plane crash that kills both of his parents. King T’Chaka finds Hunter in Wakanda and cares for him.
T’Chaka, despite his country being apprehensive about outsiders, takes the little boy in and raises him alongside his other children. Hunter grows up loving Wakanda and wanting to help rule it someday. He even becomes a military leader in the Hatut Zeraze, the secret police of Wakanda. His leadership earns him the title of White Wolf. Hunter, unfortunately, becomes extremely jealous of T’Challa. T’Challa becomes king by birthright instead of the adopted Hunter. He also disbands the secret police.
That leads to a lot of animosity between the two. They’re willing to work together for the good of the country, but the White Wolf becomes a mercenary when the secret police are no longer part of Wakanda’s forces. He alternately appears as an antagonist for T’Challa and a fighter for Wakanda. The character has never appeared in the MCU, and with Bucky having his comic book title, it seems unlikely he will.
The White Wolf codename isn’t only used in Black Panther. It’s interesting to note that publicity materials, like posters and photos released to promote Avengers: Infinity War in various entertainment magazines, also listed Bucky Barnes as White Wolf. Considering he’s mostly called “Bucky” or “Barnes” by his teammates in battle, however, the name didn’t get used on screen. Avengers: Endgame doesn’t see Bucky reappear until the final climactic battle. Now, the Disney+ series that is set to give much needed character development to Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson is still titled after their original codenames.
While that is likely due to the names Falcon and Winter Soldier being more commonly known amongst the audience, it might speak to a larger issue. The Winter Soldier is primarily known as a villain. His name, as Black Widow points out in Captain America: The Winter Soldier is one born of rumors and perfect assassination plots. He’s also a fugitive on the run at that point. Because the name is so closely tied to a dark past, it stands to reason that Bucky would want to use a different name in the future.
Then again, using the name might also be a reminder of just how far he’s come. Breaking out of Hydra’s hold means Bucky Barnes, nearly a century later, lives his own life.
Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson both step into new roles in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. The title references names given by others, but they move beyond the sidekick role here. Sam is the one Steve Rogers passed the Captain America shield to, but that doesn’t mean he’ll immediately call himself by the same name. Captain America, after all, exists as an ideal for heroes to aspire to. Hints of that appear in trailers for the series with John Walker’s US Agent. Sam choosing to be Falcon or Captain America is likely something that’s going to come up in the series.
Perhaps the same is true for Bucky and the White Wolf. In the comics, Hunter earns White Wolf as a title in Wakanda. The audience hasn’t seen any indication that the same is true in the MCU. There’s no way to know for sure unless the writers specifically explore that idea. If the series fails to address potential name changes, it appears the writers forgot all about the White Wolf.
It’s not like MCU writers to forget about seeds planted in other projects. Issues of continuity arise with a movie universe spanning a decade and hundreds of screen hours, but a name change can be a big part of a hero’s search for identity. It’s time for both Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson to step out of Steve Rogers’ shadow and figure out who they are. Addressing the White Wolf in the room is one way to do that.
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