Little theory here:
So in CACW, Natasha says “You could at least recognize me.” and all us Buckynat shippers were hoping that was hinting at history between the two that we haven’t seen in the MCU. But I just want to make this connection:
“Cognitive Recalibration.” Go to way to get someone under mind control in the MCU to snap the heck out of it. It worked on Clint and some theorize that Loki was under a form of mind control and when he got Hulk smashed that snapped him out of it since he kinda just stopped at that point.
Let’s say, for the sake of this, we forgo any theories of a relationship or past, and just go with what’s been presented as known information in canon.
Natasha knows about Bucky/Winter Soldier’s history of brainwashing by hydra (she found that old No. 17 file, AND was in CAWS for all that “he knew me” stuff)
Natasha knows something weird happened with the bombing and that if Barnes did it, it might be the programming
She’s now seen Bucky in captivity and how calm he was (whether she read whatever body language subtext you want is up to you) and then the power went out and Barnes went WS and started attacking everyone
So Nat canonically can assume that this medal armed punching machine is under some type of mind control. What does she do?
She grapples onto bucky
And repeatedly hits him really hard in the head!
The last time she did that to a mind controlled former assassin (in Avengers)
He looked up at her and said “Natasha?” and she proceeded to deck him but that’s not the point.
Hawkeye recognized her!
Bucky…
The line typically doesn’t make too much sense strictly within the MCU but can act as a nod to the comics or maybe foreshadowing to things to come (and as a buckynat shipper I would love nothing more than to see these two together in the MCU)
But I like this idea of mine because it fits right in with the MCU’s canon.
