After appearing in seven films and recently in the Disney Plus TV series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, everyone is asking the big question: what is Bucky Barnes’ future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Well, finally, Sebastian Stan has spoken out about the issue, and despite being optimistic, is seemingly just as confused about Marvel’s plans for Bucky as the rest of us.
In an interview with Comicbook.com, while promoting the upcoming thriller movie The 355, Stan was asked about his future in the MCU and if he knew if we’ll get to see Bucky again anytime soon. “I don’t, I really don’t,” the actor said. “I haven’t known that for ten plus years. I always am very happy when I get to live another day, hopefully before I get too old. We’ll see; anything is possible.”
After The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s finale in April 2021, it was announced that Anthony Mackie, who plays Sam Wilson in the MCU, would be taking up the red, white, and blue shield for a fourth Captain America movie. However, according to Deadline, it is still unclear if Stan will be joining the star in the upcoming action movie – despite appearing in the past three Captain America films.
Although nothing has been confirmed just yet, it is clear that Bucky is still in Marvel’s eye line. After The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Stan also reprised his role as Bucky in two episodes of the animated series What If…?. There is clearly an audience invested in Bucky as a character and want him to stay around, but will Marvel Studios grant fans’s wishes? Well, as Stan said, “anything is possible”, and we may just see the Winter Soldier on the big screen again.
If Stan does return for another movie as Bucky, he will likely pop up in Captain America 4 or Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, only time will tell if and where the character will be making a comeback. Stay tuned for updates.