Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan have made light of their apparent MCU divorce, with the duo both set to star in separate upcoming Marvel movies. The pair have been a pretty inseparable duo in the MCU so far, as they appeared in the Captain America films together, as well as the subsequent Avengers movies.
Then, of course, the two led the Marvel series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. But, now Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson are set to split up, with Stan’s character confirmed for the Thunderbolts movie, and Mackie’s superhero taking the lead on Captain America 4.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Stan commented on the split, saying “All I can say, freedom tastes bright. Finally, I am free. No, I love him. It is weird? Of course. That’s, you know, it’s a little bit like Stockholm syndrome or something. But anyway, it’s nice to at least always be close to each other.”
The fact that the two are set to play major roles independent of each other is a big deal – at least within the context of the MCU. This is because the pair are so well known as a duo, and have shared so much screen time together. So, it’ll certainly be fascinating to see how the two cope in each other’s absence.
The topic of Bucky and Sam also fits into a broader conversation about Marvel’s future. The split potentially opens up more space for the characters to grow in new ways, which is significant as they both become increasingly important as new leaders of the MCU movies.
Of course, just because the two are set to headline different superhero movies doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t appear, in some form, in each other’s movies. Don’t be surprised, for example, if Bucky Barnes shows up for a role in the upcoming action movie Captain America 4.
For some more Marvel fun, check out our guide to the Spider-Man villains ranked.