Longtime followers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are well aware of the fact that Marvel Studios loves long-term storytelling and paying attention to continuity, and it's something James Gunn took advantage of when he did The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. The Phase 4 epilogue had a major callback to Avengers: Infinity War with Rocket Raccoon finally getting his wish of acquiring Bucky Barnes' vibranium arm in a full-circle moment.
And it's not just any arm, it's the detachable version the Wakandans made for the former Winter Soldier Rocket has long been eyeing. Just recently, Gunn explained how Nebula got a hold of the said arm and his description left many questioning whether or not he was actually serious.
When one fan insisted that there was no way Nebula actually stole the arm from Bucky, even calling the sequence "force inclusion", the director and new head of DC Studios said that MCU followers must now deal with his controversial decision. He responded: "I’m not sure how a cyborg with advanced alien technology tearing off a human’s arm because of an overabundance of Christmas-Spirit is forced inclusion, but now it’s canon sorry." Check out the exchange below:
Also Read: Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special: James Gunn Addresses Supposed Grogu Easter Egg
As it stands, Marvel Studios has yet to confirm if it's in fact Bucky's actual vibranium arm but if Gunn tells it like it is, then I guess there's no two ways about it. If that's the case, it seems to be a tease that Sebastian Stan will get himself another upgrade in Thunderbolts although the idea of him taking his arm back from Rocket isn't exactly out of the question.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney+.
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