ActorSebastian Stanis promising a much lighter Bucky Barnes than the oneMCUfans saw in the character’s Winter Soldier era. While appearing at the San Diego Comic Con to promote his appearance in Marvel’sThunderbolts*, Stan said he felt Bucky had “nine lives,” with his ability to reinvent himself, with the one-time evil assassin now in a “fun” place. Stan’s Bucky will give the film, which opens next summer, the connection to the early MCU that gives this new team a firm launching pad into the future.
Stan’s return to the MCU inThunderboltsis a surprising turn for the 41-year-old actor, who last appeared as Bucky in 2021’sThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierseries for Disney+. He provided the voice of Bucky in episodes of the animated seriesWhat If…?last year, but thought his days as the character were over, with Marvel moving on to newer characters in Phase 5.During theThunderboltspanel at Comic Con, he was amazed that Bucky was able to find relevance in new MCU stories.
I never expected to be back, certainly with this group, but it’s turned out to be an amazing journey for my character.
Thunderbolts*
After 13 years in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stan’s Bucky Barnes has had a roller coaster of a character arc. Presumed dead at the end ofCaptain America: The First Avenger, he returned as an evil cybernetic-enhanced assassin inCaptain America: The Winter Soldier.He destroyed the bromance between Cap and Iron Man inCaptain America: Civil War, only to become a hero again in theAvengersfilmsInfinity WarandEndgame.He seemed to find a personal peace at the end ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier,and inThunderbolts*, we see Bucky come full circle, as the easy-going, fun-loving Bucky from Brooklyn:
We got him into a really fun place now, and I think this is the right place to be. If you see the movie, we’re all a very odd bunch, and he fits right in.
The idea of seeing a lighter Bucky Barnes having fun again tracks with early buzz on the film, which has characterizedThunderbolts*asMarvel’s answer to James Gunn’s DC filmThe Suicide Squad. Marvel’s band of misfits learns to work as a team when sent on a difficult mission, and it sounds like a lighter spin onThe Avengers, with a rebellious streak.
Who is Appearing inThunderbolts*?
Thunderbolts* has created buzz by taking some ofthe best scene-stealers from other MCU filmsand assembling them into a single team. In addition to Stan,Thunderbolts*stars David Harbour as Alexi/Red Guardian fromBlack Widow, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava/Ghost fromAnt-Man and the Wasp, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent fromThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova and Olga Kurylenko as Antonia/Taskmaster both fromBlack Widow, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, andLewis Pullman as Robert Reynolds/Sentry, who is believed to be the villain of the film.
Thunderbolts Star Sebastian Stan ‘Excited’ to Get Back to the MCU: ‘I’ve Missed It’
Sebastian Stan is eager to return to the MCU in Thunderbolts and addresses the franchise’s recent box office and critical disappointments.
During the Comic Con panel, the first trailer for the film was shown only to attendees, and has not yet been released online.It featured a reunion between Florence Pugh’s Yelena and her father, David Harbour’s Alexi. Other characters, including Bucky, John Walker, Ghost, and Taskmaster, as they are brought together for a dangerous mission: to bring in Pullman’s Sentry.
Thunderbolts*is written by Eric Pearson and Lee Sung Jin and directed by Jake Schreier. It will be the final film in Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Thunderbolts*opens in theaters on August 20, 2025.
