Sebastian Stan hints at the future of the MCU for Bucky Barnes: “Not Captain America…yet”

Sebastiano Stan he recently appeared at Tokyo Comic-Con, where he teased the future of his character Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Raising Captain America’s iconic shield at the event, Stan said, “Not Captain America…yet.”

As you can imagine, this has sparked speculation about where his journey might lead. In Marvel comics, Bucky Barnes taking on the mantle of Captain America is a great story arc.

After the assassination of Steve Rogers after Civil warBucky reluctantly stepped into the role, playing the Star-Spangled Avenger fantastically. While Steve eventually returned and later passed the shield to Sam Wilson, Cap’s version of Bucky remains a fan favorite.

In the MCU, however, Marvel Studios skipped over Bucky and ultimately passed the shield straight to Sam Wilson Avengers: Endgame.

Sam’s ascension to the throne was explored The Falcon and the Winter Soldierculminating in his starring role in the next film Captain America: Brave New World.

Meanwhile, Bucky was positioned as the central figure Lightning*the ensemble film featuring Marvel’s darkest and most morally complex superheroes.

Stan reflected on his character’s growth, saying, “It’s always been fun for me to go 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 Lightning*: “I never thought we’d end up where we are with him, but it’s a very interesting group of characters, and they all bring out different sides of themselves. I think [Bucky] he finds himself much better suited to them than he perhaps initially wants to admit.

Despite his no-nonsense 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. We always try to find another way to express ourselves. I think it’ll be fun. I think people will be excited about the film.”

It would be really cool to see Bucky Barnes eventually take on the mantle of Captain America, particularly as Marvel Studios heads into its next big crossover events. Avengers: Judgment Day 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 over the role.

Do you think we’ll eventually see Bucky Barnes take up the shield and become Captain America in the MCU?