10 Superpowers Bucky Barnes Still Hasn"t Used After 13 Years In The MCU

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Bucky Barnes is one of the most gripping and capable heroes in operation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe today, but has still only scratched the surface of his potential from the comics. First introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger, Bucky is one of the few Phase 1 characters still active in the MCU. With the powers of military and assassination expertise, a lesser version of Steve Rogers" super soldier serum, and an advanced cybernetic arm.
In the comics, Bucky didn"t originally have any inherent powers other than those granted by his arm, being a peak human with an impressive array of gadgets and weaponry. While his comic arsenal presents some interesting options Bucky never gets in the movies, his eventual ingestion of The Infinity Formula turns him into a super soldier similar to Steve Rogers, granting a suite of enhancements more potent than those shown in the MCU. Between his upgraded serum enhancements and his more expansive gadgetry, comics Bucky is far more intimidating.
10 EMP Blasts Bucky's arm does more than just punch and grab

Bucky"s most defining characteristic as The Winter Soldier is his trademark cybernetic arm. Emblazoned with the red star of the Soviet Union, Bucky was outfitted with this prosethetic during his deployment as The Winter Soldier in both the comics and the films. Where the two differ, however, is in the arm"s capabilities, which are much more expansive in the comics.
One of the most recurring abilities Bucky channels through this arm is the use of powerful directed electromagnetic pulses capable of temporarily disabling electronics. Bucky can use this effect in either wide areas or directed at short-range, instantly bricking technology even as fanciful as Iron Man"s armor. The perfect tool for clandestine assassination missions, Bucky"s EMP blasts might finally see use in The Winter Soldier"s appearance in Thunderbolts*, with the majority of the film"s action likely taking place under the radar of public perception.
9 Extended Reach The arm is so much more than a simple prosthesis

Potent EMP blasts aren"t the only trick The Winter Soldier literally has up his sleeve in the comics. In some instances, Bucky"s arm is also able to extend and stretch itself similar to Mister Fantastic, more than doubling his reach and threat radius. The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #2 lists Bucky"s arm as having an extended reach of up to at least several yards.
Interestingly enough, The Winter Soldier"s appearance in the upcoming video game Marvel Rivals relies heavily on this aspect of his cybernetic arm. Here, Bucky"s bionic arm is able to unfold into many strips of prehensile cabling, allowing him to hook enemies in or devastate them with a powerful strike of writhing tendrils. Perhaps Bucky"s new vibranium arm in the MCU can be revealed to have some hidden properties such as this, beyond remote deactivation at the hands of the Dora Milaje in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
8 Electric Touch The arm's lightning-charged powers go further than EMPs

Considering Bucky"s arm is capable of generating a powerful EMP, it stands to reason that his arm would have to be capable of producing dramatic bursts of electric power. Sure enough, that power can also be channeled in a much more straightforward way via a disarming electric touch. Bucky gets a lot of mileage out of this functionality in the comics, instantly taking down the likes of super-spy villain The Man With No Face
Cybernetic tendrils aren"t the only obscure functionality of The Winter Soldier"s arm to be utilized in Bucky"s kit in Marvel Rivals. His electric shocks have also found their way into the game, with Bucky able to fire charged balls of dazzling lightning at his foes. Meanwhile, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, electricity is actually a weakness of Bucky"s, able to travel through his arm and electrocute him badly as shown in his fight with John Walker in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
7 Remote Arm Operation Bucky's comics arm can operate on its own

As if telescoping to increase in length didn"t make the range of Bucky"s terrifying arm expansive enough, in the comics, the device is capable of functioning even when removed from his shoulder. In one instance, upon being stolen and experimented on by a group of scientists, Bucky"s confiscated arm is able to take out a whole room of people literally single-handed. It"s also shown to be able to activate its electric functionality while detached from Bucky, zapping one of its helpless foes into submission with a touch.
It"s later explained that Bucky controls his arm through a "cyber-link", an implant allowing him to control its movements with thought alone. It turns out that this link isn"t necessarily severed when the arm is popped off of Bucky"s torso, allowing him to stay in the fight over impressive distances. In practice, this gives Bucky similar powers to DC"s bizarre character Arm-Fall-Off-Boy, rebranded as Nathan Fillion"s "TDK" in The Suicide Squad by James Gunn.
6 Teleportation The cybernetic arm isn't Bucky's only tech asset

For a long time, Bucky was a normal human without any superpowers outside of his bionic arm, albeit a highly-trained one operating at the fictional cutting edge of training as depicted in the comics. This somewhat pigeonholed him into a role as a more gadget-based hero in most stories, leading to him accruing an impressive suite of advanced technology over the years. One of his most cutting-edge pieces of gear is his teleportation device.
Bucky gets this piece of technology, alongside a litany of other powerful pieces of equipment, during his tenure as "The Man on the Wall", a superhero identity used by Nick Fury in Marvel Comics. With this piece of equipment, Bucky is able to summon crackling portals of lightning a la the time travel devices in the Terminator series that he can step into, teleporting vast distances in an instant. Considering the MCU has yet to give even Deadpool his iconic teleportation belt, it"s unlikely Sebastian Stan"s Bucky will ever get this piece of gear during his film run.
5 Undersea Suit Comic Bucky is ready for combat in all environments

For the most part, in the Marvel Comics, The Winter Soldier is somewhat limited to being a street-level hero, even if he is near the top of the food chain. That being said, when push comes to shove, he"s able to operate in unfamiliar and straight-up hazardous environments, thanks to the help of advanced technology from S.H.I.E.L.D. One such piece of gear is an impressive undersea operations suit that allows him to resist even the hostile forces of the sea itself.
Bucky wears this suit during a joint operation with Namor in the comics, teaming up in order to take down a group of drug smugglers trying to move their goods through the cover of the ocean. Amazingly, the suit withstands the immense pressure of the Marianas Trench, the single deepest-known undersea location on the planet. Not only that, but Bucky is quite deft with his movements while in the suit, able to effortlessly evade gunfire while moving through the water.
4 Planet-Busting Guns The Man on the Wall is quite threatening

Bucky has worn quite the number of different superhero personas in the comics, from being Steve Rogers" sidekick to the deadly Winter Soldier to even taking his own tenure as Captain America himself. However, his most dangerous persona is easily The Man on the Wall, an identity he assumes from Nick Fury. The title was originally given to Fury by Uatu the Watcher, commissioning him to silently protect Earth from countless alien threats in space through morally questionable means.
Part of being The Man on the Wall includes access to an absurd armory of world-killing guns, used to take out powerful beings or even entire populated planets at once. Some of these weapons include a Gatling Gun capable of taking down Ego the Living Planet, Gamma Bullets that are able to deal damage to the likes of Thor, and the prized Kazurr rifle, a sniper that uses vibranium bullets and can accurately pick off targets on Earth from the Moon. Paired with Bucky"s natural gift for marksmanship, these weapons make him a deadly Man on the Wall.
3 Enhanced Longevity The Infinity Formula has done wonders for Bucky's age

In both Bucky"s Marvel Cinematic Universe journey and his original comic appearances, cryogenic stasis during his time as The Winter Soldier kept him from aging normally, keeping him physically only a little older than Steve Rogers by the time of his operations in the modern day. In the MCU, it seems as though Bucky is aging normally, even if he does lose five years of age compared to half the population as a victim of Thanos" Snap. In the comics, he eventually gains powers that prevent this from being the case.
Bucky finally gains proper powers in the comics after Nick Fury revives him from near-death using the Infinity Formula, a potent concoction first created by Isaac Newton (Go figure) with mysterious restorative properties. Acting as a super soldier serum of its own, this formula not only restored Bucky to health, but gave him enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, and durability typical of a Captain America. As a curious side-effect, the formula also dramatically slowed down his natural aging, keeping Bucky spry for (theoretically) decades into the future.
2 Regenerative Healing Bucky's comic powers are decidedly stronger

There"s one more aspect of the Infinity Formula"s effects on Bucky"s physiology that isn"t represented by the Marvel Cinematic Universe"s copycat super soldier serum made by HYDRA. For one, the level to which Bucky"s physicals are boosted in the comics are far more dramatic than in the movies, meaning that the original Bucky is actually stronger than his film counterpart. In addition, Bucky enjoys a regenerative healing factor not shown as one of the serum"s effects in the film.
While this healing factor isn"t on the same level as those of Wolverine or Deadpool, it can still get Bucky back in a fight far quicker than his movie self could after a similar injury. Captain America"s comic powers also give him this benefit not seen in the MCU, putting the two on similar footing after years of Bucky remaining as a peak human. This allows him to bounce back from broken bones, deep cuts, and gunshot wounds in a matter of days rather than months.
1 Environmental Mapping Mask Bucky's arm and costume work in tandem in the comics

One of the coolest aspects of Bucky"s arm not fully explored in the movies that is present in the comics is its integration into his standard superhero suit. Unlike in the films, comic Bucky wears a classic domino mask during his escapades as The Winter Soldier, hearkening back to his days as Captain America"s chipper sidekick in World War II. Not just for show, this mask actually has a genius piece of tech integrating it into Bucky"s arm.
The classic red star on Bucky"s cybernetic shoulder is shown in the comics to be able to emit a radar ping that uses echolocation to map out the surrounding area. The arm can then feed this information back into the lenses of Bucky"s mask, giving him an instant 3-D awareness of his surroundings via a digital map. This is one power that would be appropriate for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to give Bucky Barnes, and hopefully he can use it at some point in Thunderbolts*.
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