If Bucky Does Fully Become The Winter Soldier Again In Thunderbolts* I Don't See It As "undoing" Anything

if Bucky does fully become the Winter Soldier again in Thunderbolts* I don't see it as "undoing" anything and I'm getting annoyed with all these articles and posts about that "ruining" or "undoing his character arc". People in recovery do relapse, relapses happen, and demonizing them doesn't help. We haven't failed because a relapse is not a failure and it's not undoing anything: it's a natural part of recovering. No one is a robot that magically bounces back and never falters again.

If done right it's important to show a character getting back up from a relapse. I've had a couple relapses over the last ten years and it hurts to see people act like that's some kind of character failure or bad narrative/writing choice, when it's sadly just realistic. Relapses can be devastating and it's vital to depict a character pulling through one and finding that consistency towards recovery again.

Granted I don't think Marvel will do it any justice at all if that is the case since they've glossed over pretty much all of his recovery already, but I can dream

I don't go here but I'm calling it now that Joe Locke's character can't say his name is because names have power especially if you're the demiurge, and the moment he does Wanda across the universes will hear it and use it like a homing beacon

Bucky has to be under some kind of blackmail from Val or whoever because there's no way you can look me in the eye and say honestly that Bucky would choose to work for the government that screwed over Sam (and Steve's wishes along the way), and did to Isaiah and his troop what Hydra did to him by experimenting on them; dehumanizing them, unknowingly and unwillingly turning them into super powered weapons of war, then punished and imprisoned Isaiah for doing the same shit they made Steve a hero for.

Bucky is one universe-hopping visit from Hobie away from becoming a punk rock anarchist, come on now.

I've now seen a fair few posts about Bucky's change in appearance and seen people offer up in-universe explanations such as it's first time in his entire life he's been getting consistent food and water etc. I need to say one thing.

I find it abhorrent that people feel the need to critique/comment on the body of a real life person considering all we now know of what these super cut beefy actors go through (which btw includes extreme dehydration which is life threatening) just so a movie can have a "sexy shirtless scene" and what Sebastian Stan has said in the past about his body dysmorphia. And in the context of Bucky as a character, it's disgusting considering he spent almost a century with no autonomy over what he looks like or what he did with his time, he's not cattle to judge.

So yeah we can think up all the in universe explanations we like and post the most backhanded compliments in support of him, but the thing is we shouldn't be commenting at all. This isn't like what they did with Thor where it was part of a poor taste storyline and a costume that Hemsworth donned, this is a real person's body and after the horrible treatment the late Chadwick Boseman received for his body's changes undergoing treatment, I would've hoped people had learned that even "complimentary" comments about body weight changes can be inappropriate and unwelcome. Just don't say anything?? It's so easy to shut up.

I feel like if the actors read the script and think it's a joke then the writers in charge of the storyline in question should be contractually obligated to rethink that shit

Is it just me or does no one seem to remember that Bucky is an orphan? It's not even on the fandom wikis. I don't just mean the comics but in the MCU too, Bucky's always been an orphan, it's even mentioned in an interview. It paints him being the eldest of four and his protectiveness of Steve in a new light and generally how good Bucky is with kids too. The guy has serious "big brother who had to become a parent to his younger siblings" energy