MCU What If...? - 10 Biggest Takeaways From Episode 5
9. A Better Bucky
The premise of having many different realities changed by the ripple effect of one tiny detail has allowed for different versions of the same character to appear across different episodes. The second and fifth entries in the series have shown Star Lord T’Challa and Black Panther T’Challa respectively, but he is not the only character to appear multiple times.
Back in episode one, Bucky Barnes fought alongside Captain Carter and Steve Rogers in World War II, while episode five saw him in his post-Winter Soldier state, back fighting the good fight as an Avenger. He even had to fight Steve Rogers at the end of their line.
One of the biggest criticisms of the first episode was the inconsistent voice acting, with Sebastian Stan surprisingly being one of the worst culprits. His character was reduced to a wooden, usually sarcastic remark here and there, and it simply didn’t do Bucky justice.
The same can’t be said about this version of Bucky. He was given substance, he actually had something to do, and Stan put in a far better performance behind the animation. Thankfully, it would appear that episode one was just an off day for the actor.