Bucky Almost Had His Black Eye Makeup in Falcon and the Winter Soldier

For Sam Wilson, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was about his journey to becoming Captain America, wrestling with the legacy of the mantle and our nation's oppressive history. For Bucky Barnes, it was about breaking free from his time as the Winter Soldier, moving on in the knowledge that he is a good person despite what he did under Hydra's control. Sam's journey turned out to be a little more realized as the series came to a close, as evidenced by the final title card, which has since been maligned by Marvel fans for its insistence on continuing to refer to Bucky as the Winter Soldier.

Despite Bucky's attempts to free himself from his own prison, the series found ways to incorporate the Winter Soldier into his interactions and wardrobe. Thankfully, some of these things didn't come to fruition. There was some toying with the idea that Bucky could wear the classic black eye makeup at some point in the series, even though he only donned it when he was working for Hydra as an assassin.

The above concept art comes from the new edition of Marvel Studios Assembled, the documentary series that shows how Marvel projects are made. Released on Friday, the latest installment of Assembled goes behind-the-scenes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, peeling back the curtain on the acclaimed Marvel series. At one point, the concept art is shown, featuring Bucky in his black eye makeup.

There isn't any context for the concept art from any of the creators who speak on the doc, but it pops on the screen during an exploration of the scenes in Madripoor, from the show's third episode. That does provide a little relief, as it could be that the idea for Bucky's makeup would have come from Zemo, who tricked other criminals into thinking that Bucky was still the Winter Soldier. That's possibly the only scene in which the makeup would have made any sense for the character.

Still, it's a good thing the idea was ultimately passed on. For Bucky, it would have been just one more reminder of the things he'd done, a reminder that he certainly didn't need considering the series never really gave him much else to hang on to.