Marvel took things in a very unexpected direction at the end of Captain America: Civil War by putting Bucky on ice rather than having him remain part of Steve’s squad of fugitive Avengers. Left in Wakanda for their scientists to try and remove the programming left in his mind by HYDRA, many fans have wondered if The Winter Soldier might return in Black Panther.
Well, talking during an appearance at Wizard World in Philadelphia this weekend, Sebastian Stan added further fuel to the fire by weighing in with where he believes we’ll next see the character, making it clear that he hopes to make a return in the highly anticipated 2018 release.
“I don’t know, man. I mean, there’s obviously a very clear answer but I’m not maybe say it, now. Where did he end up at the end of the movie? That’s the movie he should be in. I feel like that would be the natural… But I don’t know.”
It’s clear that Stan is choosing his words carefully here, but with Ryan Coogler working on the Black Panther screenplay as he assembles a very impressive cast, chances are that Marvel Studios has already told the actor whether or not they’ll need him back for the movie.
Plus, as he points out, it just makes sense that Bucky would return in Black Panther. Avengers: Infinity War seems unlikely due to Iron Man wanting to kill Captain America’s one time sidekick (cramming that particular subplot into the movie might be a bit much), so T’Challa defrosting the one-time Winter Soldier to help him out when Wakanda comes under attack would work.
Throw in the fact that Phase 3 seems to be all about team-ups (Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok, Iron Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming), and Black Panther getting some company feels like a given.