Sebastian Stan Hints at MCU’s Future for Bucky Barnes: “Not Captain America...Yet”
Sebastian Stan recently appeared at Tokyo Comic-Con, where he teased the future of his character Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Lifting Captain America’s iconic shield during the event, Stan said: “Not Captain America…yet.”
As you might imagine, this sparked speculation about where his journey might lead. In Marvel Comics, Bucky Barnes taking up the mantle of Captain America is a great story arc.
Following Steve Rogers’ assassination after Civil War, Bucky reluctantly stepped into the role, delivering an awesome as the Star-Spangled Avenger. While Steve eventually returned and later passed the shield to Sam Wilson, Bucky’s version of Cap remains a fan favorite.
In the MCU, however, Marvel Studios skipped over Bucky and passed the shield directly to Sam Wilson at the end of Avengers: Endgame.
Sam’s rise to the mantle was explored in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, culminating in his starring role in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World.
Meanwhile, Bucky has been positioned as a central figure in Thunderbolts*, the ensemble film featuring Marvel’s darker, morally complex superheroes.
Stan reflected on his character’s growth, saying: “It’s always been fun for me to come back to him after all these years because you’re growing as a person, and then the character ends up growing.”
Stan also noted the unique dynamic Bucky will share with the team in Thunderbolts*: “I never would have thought we would have ended up where we have with him, but it’s a very interesting group of characters, and they all bring out different sides of themselves. I think [Bucky] finds himself way more suited to them than initially maybe he wants to admit.”
Despite his grounded take on Bucky’s current role, the actor hinted that fans could expect more surprises. “He’s always an evolving character, and that’s what I love about him. It’s always trying to find another way of expressing. I think it’ll be fun. I think people will be excited for the movie.”
It would be really cool to eventually see Bucky Barnes take on the mantle of Captain America, particularly as Marvel Studios heads into its next big crossover events, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
While Sam Wilson is now firmly established as Captain America, it’s not hard to imagine a scenario where we see Bucky take on the role.
Do you think we’ll eventually see Bucky Barnes pick up the shield and become Captain America in the MCU?