The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Concept Art Reveals Alternate Costume for Bucky’s White Wolf

Just like how Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) ascended to the role of Captain America, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier spent six episodes building Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) into a character much more than the Winter Soldier. Throughout the series, the beloved Marvel character did whatever he could to show people he has moved on from his murderous ways. After all that, Barnes was still called either by his real name or by Winter Soldier for the duration of the series.

While that may have been what shook out on-screen, Barnes’ superhero name may have been different at one point or another in the development process. Marvel concept artist Alan Villanueva has unveiled a pair of pieces in which Barnes’ likeness resembles more of the White Wolf moniker the Wakandans bestowed upon the character. You can see all of Villanueva’s work below.

Despite Barnes moving on from his life as the Winter Soldier, the show’s closing title card renames the series to Captain America and the Winter Soldier, opting to give Bucky the very name he’s tried his hardest to separate himself from. In a chat with ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis last week, The Falcon and the Winter Solder showrunner Malcolm Spellman confirmed Barnes is most certainly no longer the Winter Soldier.

“I hope people will forget that end title card as being an indicator of a commitment from Marvel,” Spellman told ComicBook.com in an exclusive interview. “I think he has slayed that dragon, personally, and I don’t think I’ll be in trouble for that. So when Bucky enters the series, he’s never ever shaken what he believes, which is, ‘I remember everyone, murders, which means that part of me was there, which means a part of the Winter Soldier is me.’ And if even a fraction of Winter Soldier is you, you are an awful person. You know what I’m saying?”

“That was Bucky’s identity coming in here, loaded with trauma on top of the fact that he doesn’t feel like a citizen of any era,” the writer explained. “We took him on this journey of trying to find ways to redeem himself and learning that avenging right is not the same thing as redemption. It is not the same thing as sort of a making amends or whatever, right?”

Watch The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+.

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