Of all the actors who have passed through the MCU, Sebastian Stan is probably one of those who has best managed to build a life outside Marvel. Since his arrival in Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011, the actor has never stopped stacking up projects, from indie cinema to more prestigious productions, going as far as picking up a Golden Globe for "A Different Man". A career that now allows him to look at the character of Bucky Barnes with a little more perspective, to the point of having a very precise idea of what he'd like to do with him. In an interview with New York Magazine, Sebastian Stan revealed that he had pitched Kevin Feige a solo film devoted to the Winter Soldier, but not exactly in the tradition of Marvel's big blockbusters. His idea would instead be a dark, far more intimate thriller, in the vein of Denis Villeneuve's Sicario.
Thriller, small budget, good idea
The idea might seem surprising in a universe now accustomed to cosmic threats, time travel and battles involving several dozen superheroes. And yet, that's precisely what makes it interesting. Sebastian Stan imagines a far more modest project, with a small budget and a story focused entirely on Bucky's traumas and the ghosts of his past. The starting point would be particularly well suited to a character who is, after all, far more street level than any other Marvel superhero. Bucky thinks he recognises someone connected to the period during which he was brainwashed and turned into a weapon by Hydra. Convinced that this person might hold answers about what he went through, he gradually becomes obsessed with the lead and throws himself into a full-blown manhunt to uncover their identity. "It's a thriller", is how Sebastian Stan sums it up.
The actor points out that he floated the idea to Kevin Feige "half-jokingly", but that the Marvel Studios boss apparently took to the suggestion rather well. And on paper, it's hard not to see the potential in such a project. Rather than looking for yet another threat capable of putting the planet in danger, the film could go back to Bucky's roots: espionage, covert operations, trauma and the guilt of a man trying to understand what he has become. Above all, a project like this would put the Winter Soldier back at the centre of the story after more than a decade spent orbiting Captain America and the Avengers. With a more reasonable budget, Marvel could also afford a darker, more adult approach, far closer to a thriller than to the traditional superhero blockbuster.
Bucky, assemble!
For now, there's obviously nothing to suggest this film will actually happen. Sebastian Stan will, however, reprise his role in Avengers: Doomsday, due in December 2026, but may not be present in Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. According to numerous rumours, it's the death of Bucky Barnes in Doomsday that will be the trigger bringing together the Avengers, the Thunderbolts and the survivors of the multiverse against Doctor Doom. A major event that would push the various heroes to set their differences aside to face a common threat. Bucky's future therefore remains uncertain, especially as the events to come could obviously alter the character's situation dramatically. But even if the Winter Soldier were to disappear during this new saga, Marvel has already proved that a death in the MCU doesn't necessarily prevent a new story being told around a character.
And besides, between alternate realities and the possibilities offered by the multiverse, there's always a way to get Bucky back in front of the camera. The question now is whether Kevin Feige liked Sebastian Stan's pitch enough to give it a shot. Because a Marvel-flavoured Sicario, with the Winter Soldier on the trail of his own past, is probably one of the most appealing ideas the MCU could be considering right now.
