Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes’ therapist in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier behaves quite unprofessionally in the MCU, real-life expert explains.

Sam and Bucky’s therapist in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier only caused more conflict between Steve Rogers’ MCU friends, as explained by a real professional. Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes have developed one of the most unlikely friendships in the MCU, beginning with their fight as Captain America’s ally Falcon and Hydra’s brainwashed pawn, “the Winter Soldier”, after which they joined forces to help Steve Rogers and eventually defend his legacy. Still, Sam and Bucky remained at odds after Steve Rogers’ retirement, which required them to seek a solution with help from a therapist.

In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 2, Bucky’s therapist Dr. Raynor asks Bucky and Sam to gaze into each other’s eyes and speak their mind to each other. On a Cinema Therapy episode on YouTube, real-life licensed therapist Jonathan Decker breaks down this scene and explains how unprofessional Dr. Raynor is. According to Decker, Dr. Raynor seems burned out and detached from her patients, which leads her to rely solely on “strategy and technique and education.” Decker also says that the soul-gazing exercise is unreliable, and that “her heart isn’t really in it.” Watch the video below:

Dr. Raynor’s rough approach to therapy in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is deliberate. In other scenes, Dr. Raynor makes Bucky Barnes extremely uncomfortable. She reminds Bucky of his painful past without easing him into it, calls his desire for peace “utter bullsh*t”, and even torments him with her notebook, which reminds Bucky of the notebook Hydra used to brainwash him. Despite Dr. Raynor’s unprofessional conduct, however, Bucky Barnes makes some impressive progress by the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Will Bucky & Sam Reunite In the MCU?

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ends on an optimistic note with Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes moving past their differences and supporting each other as genuine friends. As it stands, it seems like Sam and Bucky will be ready to work together whenever it’s necessary. Their individual character arcs after the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier puts them in the perfect place for a future team-up, as Bucky Barnes is relatively at peace with his past and Sam Wilson has fully accepted his role as the MCU’s new Captain America.

However, the MCU’s slate for the near future doesn’t seem to include any movie or show where Sam and Bucky could share the screen as much as they did in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson will star in Captain America: Brave New World and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes will lead the titular team in Thunderbolts, but they’re both unlikely to appear in each other’s movies in anything more than a brief cameo, at most. Sam and Bucky’s respective MCU movies extend the wait for a shared story, but it also gives them the chance to shine by themselves for a while.

It may only be until Avengers: The Kang Dynasty that Sam and Bucky will be a duo once again in the MCU, though they might have a much smaller role given the potentially large number of characters in the MCU’s next big crossover movie. Afterward, Avengers: Secret Wars could feature them working together again, and any unannounced MCU entries in Phase 7 could include them, possibly as mentors for the next generation of Avengers. While Sam and Bucky got off to a rough start in the MCU, their newfound friendship during The Falcon and the Winter Soldier might end up withstanding the test of time.