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Credit: Marvel StudiosRecent reports may have just confirmed the death of a beloved hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Bucky Barnes.
Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Steve Rogers’ closest friend, a Brooklyn kid who enlisted during World War II and appeared to die during a mission in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). That apparent loss became foundational, shaping Steve’s identity as Captain America and anchoring the franchise’s early emotional stakes.
The twist came years later, when Bucky resurfaced as the Winter Soldier, a brainwashed HYDRA assassin stripped of memory and autonomy. His slow path back to himself unfolded across multiple films and series, culminating in a quieter reckoning with guilt, trauma, and responsibility in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where redemption mattered as much as heroism.
Most recently, audiences saw Bucky play a key role in Thunderbolts* (2025), where he served as the group’s de facto leader fresh off becoming a congressman (a plot twist that proves that, yes, anything really can happen in the MCU). In the film’s finale, the group adopts its new name: The New Avengers.
What Do We Know About ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ So Far?
Like the vast majority of MCU alumni – plus a handful of characters from past Marvel franchises, such as 20th Century Fox’s X-Men film series – fans will next see Bucky take to the big screen in Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
While Marvel has kept the particulars of the film’s plot close to its chest, we do know that this will focus on the Avengers, Wakandans, the Fantastic Four, the New Avengers, and the X-Men teaming up to take down Doctor Doom (played by Robert Downey Jr.).
As with all event films in the MCU, there’s an assumption that we’ll say farewell to at least one hero in Avengers: Doomsday. In Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the film’s opening saw the death of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) – although, as is always the case with Loki, this death ended up being far from final – while Vision (Paul Bettany) also died later in the film.
Its shocking final scenes also saw half of the MCU’s heroes blipped into oblivion, with their return in Avengers: Endgame (2019) only possible after we’d bid a more permanent adieu to Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.).
This time, all bets are off when it comes to Doom’s potential victims. As the MCU has grown increasingly crowded, it follows that Marvel may look to streamline its roster – especially with Avengers: Secret Wars reportedly involving a reset for the MCU at large. Establishing Doom as a Thanos-level threat also demands high stakes from the outset, and few tools accomplish that more effectively than meaningful, high-profile deaths.
Enter the demise of Bucky Barnes.
The Death of Bucky Barnes is Inevitable
Yesterday, news broke that Sebastian Stan will jump ship to DC Studios for The Batman: Part II.
Although his role has not yet been officially confirmed, Stan — who will star alongside fellow Marvel actor Scarlett Johansson — is widely believed to be playing Harvey Dent, better known as the criminal mastermind Two-Face.
This wouldn’t normally rule him out of a future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, many believe that the news doesn’t bode well for Bucky’s odds in Avengers: Doomsday. The Batman: Part II is set to start filming at the beginning of May 2026. This overlaps with the filming of Avengers: Secret Wars, which is scheduled to begin in mid-2026 ahead of its December 2027 release.
In other words, Stan can’t film two projects at the same time – a fact that many have taken as confirmation that Bucky won’t survive Avengers: Doomsday.
being excited for sebastian stan to join the batman ii but realizing that means bucky is so dead in doomsday
being excited for sebastian stan to join the batman ii but realizing that means bucky is so dead in doomsday pic.twitter.com/wsPKAodZnX
— danielle (@bradyskjeidy) January 6, 2026
“If Sebastian’s schedule is free when Secret Wars is being filmed around the same time as The Batman Part 2, that can only mean one thing, Bucky is dying in Doomsday,” wrote one fan on X, formerly Twitter.
As another fan opined on X, “Goodbye Bucky Barnes, you are the most dead anyone has ever been dead in Doomsday.”
While this may seem like the most valid confirmation of Bucky’s death yet, it’s not the first time fans have believed the Winter Soldier may meet his end in the next Avengers project.
In November, Stan’s appearance on the Stronger Podcast sparked fresh fears for diehard Bucky stans (pun unintended) when the actor seemingly confirmed plans to move past the MCU.
“I have to try to offer something different than before,” Stan said. “And I’ve never favored one role over another. The Marvel stuff, I’ll always, ’til the end of time, [feel it] really helped me grow as a person and helped me grow as an actor and it taught me relationships and [I worked with] Robert Downey [Jr.] and Scarlett [Johansson] and all these people I looked up to. It was a business. It was a family and it gave me a sense of belonging, and it’s always there for that, but it was only the step one for me.”
Should Bucky die in Avengers: Doomsday, our only hope is that the character enjoys one last reunion with Steve Rogers before his death. As confirmed by a teaser trailer several weeks ago, Chris Evans is set to reprise the role of Bucky’s BFF. While not all fans are happy about the character’s return, it would provide the perfect closure for Bucky if this is his final fight.
Do you think Bucky Barnes will die in Avengers: Doomsday?