Among the MCU’s biggest strengths is the attention to detail, especially early on, and some of those details even made it into phase four in the form of jokes, easter eggs, and subtle characterizations. The perfect example of combining humor and MCU characterization at its best is the shape of Bucky’s hand.

When the most infamous prosthetic thief in the galaxy saw the Winter Soldier’s vibranium arm at the final battle of Avengers: Infinity WarIt was love at first sight. The rocket simply had to have it.

Backstory of Bucky’s hand

Bucky Barnes tries to remember Steve Rogers

Bucky BarnesSebastian Stan) became not just a minor character in the story of Captain America, but rather an independent main character. During a failed mission in 1945, Bucky fell to his death, losing his left arm in a fall from a train. When he was cured by Hydra and brainwashed to become the Winter Soldier, he was given a titanium prosthetic arm, but did not last long.

The third part of the Cap trilogy. Captain America: Civil Warsaw Bucky’s recovery, which was the subject of heated debate during the climactic battle with Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). Although Bucky was just a means to an end for the villain Zemo (Daniel Brühl), break the already fragile alliance between Cap and Tony, his friendship with Steve (Chris Evans) has been resumed and his enslavement by the Hydra has been broken, meaning when Tony breaks the arm that the Hydra had built for him.

During Bucky’s recovery in Wakanda, a new future was being created for him. To symbolize his new identity as the White Wolf, as the people of Wakanda call him. It’s only fitting that Bucky will find clarity in Wakanda, a kingdom that values ​​peace but knows how to fight when needed. Here he was given a new hand made of vibranium by Wakanda’s own princess Shuri (Letitia Wright). Bucky has gone through several notable transformations and has a very deep personality.

How Guardians of the Galaxy enter the game

Avengers Bucky Rocket
Image via Marvel Studios

Switching to a completely different character arc literally through several planets, guardians of the galaxy is a group of misfits, or “losers” like Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) describes them. The talking raccoon (found family part guardians this is one of his strongest traits, besides humor). Despite being a group of outcasts, the Guardians have many happy moments.

For example, the reformed villain Nebula (Karen Gillan) has a nice moment with Rocket (Bradley Cooper), giving him Bucky’s vibranium hand as a Christmas present. How exactly she obtained (stole) the hand remains to be shown, but everyone agrees that Nebula took the hand from poor Bucky as an illegal but well-intentioned gift to Rocket after seeing how he reacted to Bucky’s hand during the battle. fight against Thanos. Rocket is clearly very touched by both the gift itself and Nebula’s care.

(There’s a lot more to be said about Nebula’s character and how she’s grown and changed over the years, but that’s another story. It’s really sweet that Rocket gives Nebula her own cool new hand after their first Christmas.)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 Rocket Raccoon
Image via Marvel Studios

However, Rocket has a backstory that is truly horrifying, aside from his pranks and selfish need to steal other people’s eyes and limbs. Its history, discussed in more detail in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, is traumatic to say the least, which is easy to forget considering he almost never brings up the subject. Back in the beginning guardians It is clear in the film that Rocket has trouble getting ridiculed and has some anger issues related to his current condition, with his scars from previous experiments being discreetly shown during the prison scene.

In a heated argument when the Guardians were still adjusting to their group dynamic, Rocket has a vulnerable moment when he says, “I didn’t ask to be forced. I didn’t ask to be torn apart and put back together again and again and turned into some little monster!” It is clear that he also remembers what people say about him, and although he rarely mentions it, he is aware of how his past still affects him.

That Rocket revels in chaos and petty theft (very petty, given his activities in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2); rather, attacking may be a good way for him to regain some control over his own life. As sort of the group’s mechanic, Rocket loves gadgets and especially tech prostheses, the latter of which may hint at a deeper need to collect things that make him feel whole after being “torn apart” many times.

Drawing parallels between two characters who barely interact with each other

Rocket Raccoon with Bucky's arm in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Image via Marvel Studios

Despite their looks, Bucky and Rocket have a lot in common: they’ve both been captives and gone through harrowing transformations before regaining control of their autonomy and their lives, and with the support of their friends and allies, find new ways to cope and heal. . Bucky’s brainwashing can be seen as his disassembled and reprogrammed mind, 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 made clear by how the MCU uses character humor and quirks to bring them together, hiding their heartbreaking parallels under the guise of one humorous interaction (and very cool, albeit very short, team).

When the MCU decides to use humor to its fullest, moments like this are really worth it, especially when re-watching movies. With a multiverse as rich and detailed as the MCU, there are many parallels to be found. guardians of the galaxy this is arguably the pinnacle of Marvel’s comedic yet layered work, in more visible ways (like major plot points) and in smaller, more subtle ways (like a simple obsession with collecting other people’s prostheses) proving that the MCU is at its peak. it’s best when he balances his humor with depth of character.

The story of Rocket and Bucky’s hand is the perfect mini-plot to look at when analyzing how tiny moments of fun can have an emotional impact, and it takes both humor and heart to tell a good story.