The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was a big deal for Sam Wilson’s MCU journey, as Anthony Mackie’s hero embraced his right to take over from Steve Rogers and become the next Captain America. With a Captain America 4 in the works, Mackie’s future in the franchise is bright, but what’s next for his partner-in-crime-fighting, Bucky Barnes? Sebastian Stan isn’t so sure, but he’s happy with where Falcon left his character all the same.
While speaking to ScreenRant, Barnes reflected on what he loves about Bucky’s own personal arc across Falcon, even if it isn’t quite as redefining as Sam’s. The Avengers: Infinity War actor revealed he’s pleased that Bucky is now “in a good place” and has been able to come to terms with his dark history as the Winter Soldier and begin to move past that.
“I agree. I mean, we did and I’m not the one to be able to tell you what the next best thing for him is. I haven’t quite figured it out yet,” Stan said. “I feel that it was nice to get him to a good place, and having kind of, sort of come back around to accepting himself and his past, and find his own place in the world now, and his own sense of family and values. So, we’ll see what’s gonna top that off. I don’t know.”
As Stan reminds us, Bucky began the season in a very lonely place, as he was still haunted by the crimes of the Winter Soldier and was attempting to make amends. Over the course of the conflict with the Flag Smashers and John Walker, though, he found himself a new brother in Sam and, by the Falcon and Winter Soldier finale, he was hanging out with the Wilsons and generally seemed less weighted down.
Now that Sam and Bucky are now such firm friends, it’s likely that Bucky will remain at Wilson’s side, just as he did with the last Cap. We can undoubtedly expect Stan to reprise his role in Captain America 4, then. But with that project still without a production start date at this time, it’s possible he’ll turn up elsewhere beforehand. Where exactly that’ll happen, it’s tough to say. However, Mackie is rumored to have a cameo in this year’s Secret Invasion. Assuming that’s accurate, maybe Stan might show up alongside him?