Credit: Marvel StudiosAfter information surfaced regarding Sebastian Stan’s omission from the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Captain America: Brave New World (2025), a new report has come to light giving an update on the Bucky Barnes situation.
In the live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sebastian Stan has not appeared since 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, created by Malcolm Spellman and directed by Kari Skogland. There, Stan’s beloved hero-turned-villain-turned-hero (again) joined forces with Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson/Falcon to take on a new global threat.
The six-episode series was the second in what would become Marvel Studios’ huge catalog of Disney+ titles, and Mackie will return as the MCU’s new Captain America in next year’s Captain America: Brave New World.
Formerly, Captain America: New World Order, the fourth entry in the Captain America film franchise and the latest installment in the MCU will tackle the shift in global power, as the official trailer suggests.
The trailer—which has since been changed in light of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump—also showcases returning characters Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) and Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez).
The latter will also become the franchise’s new Falcon after Sam Wilson (Mackie) claimed his role as the new Captain America in the final episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
However, noticeably absent from the trailer, but unsurprisingly so, is Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes. It was already known that Stan would not be starring in Captain America: Brave New World after Mackie stated he would not have his friends on set for the movie, referencing Stan and Baron Zemo actor Daniel Brühl.
That said, a new report has since surfaced that claims Sebastian Stan will be appearing in Captain America: Brave New World after all. Entertainment scooper My Time to Shine Hello reports (via Comic Book Movie) that Stan will appear in a cameo capacity in its truest form.
It won’t be surprising if Bucky does show his face, especially as the upcoming MCU film looks set to dismantle world politics, but ardent Bucky fans may be disappointed if it is just a flash and then gone. However, they won’t have to wait long to see Stan in a headlining role.
After Captain America‘s February release, Kevin Feige’s studio will follow up Julius Onah’s movie with Thunderbolts* (2025) from director Jake Schreier. In Thunderbolts*, which is an ensemble anti-hero event featuring villains from the MCU’s past, Stan’s Bucky Barnes looks set to take on a central role alongside Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, the franchise’s apparent new Black Widow.
While Stan may have been out of the Marvel saddle for a few years, he is still one of its biggest supporters, having been in the universe since 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. In a recent interview, Sebastian Stan defended the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the Disney movies garnered increasing criticism over the last few years.
“It’s become really convenient to pick on [Marvel films],” he told Variety. “And that’s fine. Everyone’s got an opinion. But they’re a big part of what contributes to this business and allow us to have smaller movies as well. This is an artery traveling through the system of this entire machinery that’s Hollywood. It feeds in so many more ways than people acknowledge.”
In Thunderbolts*—which recently went through a name change–Stan will be joined by Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova/Black Widow), David Harbour (Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian), Wyatt Russell (John Walker/U.S. Agent), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Valentina Allegra de Fontaine), Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr/Ghost), Olga Kurylenko (Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster), and seemingly Harrison Ford as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross/Red Hulk.
Ford will make his MCU debut in Captain America: Brave New World, where he replaces the late William Hurt in the role. Also making his MCU debut in Onah’s film is Giancarlo Esposito as Seth Voelker/Sidewinder.
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The movie has drawn scrutiny ever since its casting of Israeli actress Shira Haas as Ruth Bat-Seraph, a character also known in the Marvel Comics universe as Sabra. Sabra has been a controversial figure ever since her inception, and the inclusion of a version of the character sparked intense discourse considering the current conflict between Israel and Palestine.
After confirming that Ruth Bat-Seraph won’t be Sabra in Brave New World and instead be an Israeli former Black Widow turned close confidante to the U.S. government, new information has surfaced about just how much of the character’s Israeli heritage will be included in the Marvel film.
Related: Report: Captain Marvel Will Become “Leading Avenger” in Upcoming ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Outside of the MCU, Sebastian Stan has recently starred in A Different Man (2024) and will soon play the young Donald Trump in The Apprentice (2024).
How do you feel about a potential Bucky Barnes cameo in Captain America: Brave New World? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!