Ever since he first appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger, Sebastian Stan’s performance as Bucky Barnes has given audiences a fantastic live-action portrayal of The Winter Soldier. He has been both friend and foe to Captain America in the MCU, and he was the catalyst for the splitting of the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War. As outlined by Vulture, Bucky was featured in the first issue of the Captain America comics all the way back in 1941. In Bucky’s 82-year comic legacy, he has fought alongside and against Captain America, similarly to his on-screen portrayal. He has even donned the shield and picked up the mantle of Captain America in his illustrious history at Marvel Comics.
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Last we saw of Bucky in the MCU, he saved the day with Sam Wilson’s Captain America and solidified Wilson as the heir to the shield in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Bucky causes devastation, destruction, and death as the Winter Soldier, but later finds redemption by showing tremendous heroism and accepting his role as a hero. With Phase 4 of the MCU in full swing, Bucky is another one of the remaining Avengers post-Endgame who has an opportunity to step into a leadership role and become one of the prominent faces of the MCU. Though Stan is unsure of what his Marvel future looks like, the actor has expressed continued interest in playing Bucky. Now that he is free of Hydra’s mind control and still a fully functional deadly assassin with a Vibranium arm, here’s what could be next for The Winter Soldier
Captain America 4
Marvel Studios
While some fans were disappointed with the limited Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, one thing very few people will dispute was how fantastic Bucky Barnes was throughout the series, providing hardcore beat-downs in addition to well-timed comic relief. Whether Bucky will get his own solo outing is up in the air. Still, it is almost a virtual guarantee that we will see Bucky Barnes fighting alongside Sam Wilson’s Captain America in Captain America 4. His character still has so much potential as we advance into a very different Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially given the 80-plus years of Marvel comic lore that has featured Bucky as both hero and villain. Albeit the most likely scenario, there are a number of other ways in which we could see Bucky appear aside from being Sam’s sidekick in Captain America 4.
The White Wolf of Wakanda
Our great hope is that Bucky Barnes will continue his to carry the mantle as the White Wolf of Wakanda. Despite the moniker of The White Wolf being granted to a different character in Marvel Comics, the MCU has chosen to go a different route. Bucky has been dubbed The White Wolf by King T’Challa himself and the Dora Milaje, who were primarily responsible for freeing Bucky’s mind from Hydra’s lingering mind control. This allowed Barnes to shed his terrifying alter ego, the stone-cold killing machine known as The Winter Soldier. From there, he begins to rebuild his identity as the White Wolf of Wakanda: he goes to therapy; he makes amends; he expresses his doubt in himself.
Steve Rogers believed Bucky to be a hero with a good heart, but Bucky struggles with that notion after all the atrocities he committed as Hydra’s Winter Soldier. At the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Barnes appears to come to terms with the reality that yes, he committed many horrific atrocities. However, the fact remains: they were not his fault, and he can find redemption fighting alongside Sam (and hopefully the Dora Milaje) as an Avenger. More importantly, as a hero. With the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman, there is a decent possibility that Bucky could appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, perhaps as the leader of the Wakandan War Dogs.
Secret Invasion
The Secret Invasion storyline is semi-well-known and adored by fans of Marvel Comics. The storyline involves shape-shifting aliens known as Skrulls (first featured in the MCU in Captain Marvel). We already know that Marvel Studios is going to give their own iteration of Secret Invasion on Disney+, but the details on the show are scarce. We know Samuel L. Jackson will be reprising his role as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelson will reprise his role as the Skrull Talos from Captain Marvel. Bucky could have an instrumental role in helping the Avengers fight this invasion, further cementing Bucky Barnes as a true Avenger and protector of the innocent, coming full circle from his dark days as Hydra’s killing machine. Whether Barnes will appear in Secret Invasion is yet to be determined. Still, he would undoubtedly be a top candidate to recruit to combat the Skrull invasion’s covert tactics.
Dark Avengers / The Thunderbolts
The Winter Soldier has the unique storytelling advantage of being a hero, villain, and anti-hero. He can be ruthless and unforgiving, but also has the capacity to love, grow, and be a good man. We’ve seen Julia Louis Dreyfus’s Valentina Allegra de Fontaine lurking in the shadows of the MCU, assembling what appears to be a version of the Dark Avengers or The Thunderbolts, both teams from Marvel Comics that functioned similarly to DC’s Suicide Squad. We first saw de Fontaine in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier appearing to offer a consolation prize of US Agent to John Walker after he was stripped of the mantle of Captain America when he went full psycho on a Flag-Smasher. At the end of Black Widow, De Fontaine also appeared to offer Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova a chance to get revenge, tricking her into believing Clint Barton killed her sister Natasha Romanoff.
So, where does Bucky fit into all this? It is highly possible that De Fontaine and whomever she answers to could call upon Bucky to save the world from a threat that might be a little too ruthless for the Avengers. After all, the Avengers typically fight to defend, not to attack, thus having a team of deadly assassins like John Walker, Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, maybe even Baron Zemo (to provide us with even more on-screen footage of him busting a move)! The unique and creative character development that the MCU has worked so hard to develop since Bucky’s first appearance in Captain America: The First Avenger allows the creative team to take this character in virtually any direction, which is, again, what makes him one of the most uniquely positioned Avengers on the entire MCU roster.
Avengers 5
A film that has yet to be announced, but we all know is coming, is the sequel to Avengers: Endgame. The untitled Avengers 5 will have a hefty roster from which to choose, especially given all the Disney+ origin stories presently in development. Not to mention the roster that already exists: Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel, The Hulk, and Thor, to name a few. These characters will most likely continue to be the faces of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that doesn’t mean Bucky won’t have his opportunity to shine. Bucky’s scenes in Infinity War and Endgame were short but memorable. They certainly leave the audience wanting more of Sebastian Stan’s phenomenal portrayal of Bucky Barnes in future large MCU crossover projects.
Love him or hate him, there is no doubt that Bucky’s character is unforgettable and always provides a treat for audiences providing excellent chemistry, whether it be with Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, or virtually anyone with whom he shares the screen. His character is spectacular in both creating tension and providing comic relief. Needless to say, audiences want more Bucky. We will see what the MCU has in store for our favorite former Hydra Assassin.
