Bucky"s MCU Return Is Way Better Than Him Being Captain America"s Replacement

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Bucky Barnes could have easily become Captain America"s replacement in the MCU, but Thunderbolts* is expected to pave an exciting new path for the Marvel veteran. Sebastian Stan first appeared as James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes in 2011"s Captain America: The First Avenger, so his return in 2025"s Thunderbolts* will mark 14 years in the MCU, which makes him one of the franchise"s longest-running characters. Bucky Barnes is also one of the MCU"s most changed characters, and Thunderbolts* is expected to continue this trend.
First introduced as Steve Rogers" childhood best friend and ally to Captain America, Bucky Barnes went on to become the HYDRA-controlled Winter Soldier, and later an Avenger and partner to Sam Wilson"s new Captain America. It has been brilliant to watch Bucky Barnes" redemption arc develop over the duration of several MCU projects, and this almost took a huge step forward in Avengers: Endgame. While Marvel Studios avoided making Bucky a bona fide superhero, his upcoming narrative in Thunderbolts* is an even better match.
Bucky Could Have Been Captain America's MCU Replacement Steve Rogers Instead Chose Sam Wilson To Replace Him As Captain America

Chris Evans" Steve Rogers hung up his shield following Thanos" defeat during the Battle of Earth in 2019"s Avengers: Endgame, instead choosing to retire in the past with Peggy Carter after returning the Infinity Stones to their respective timelines. He couldn"t leave the MCU without a Captain America, however, so he returned to pass on the patriotic mantle to his successor, Anthony Mackie"s Sam Wilson. While Sam is a great fit for Captain America, and this follows in the footsteps of his Marvel Comics counterpart, many wanted Bucky Barnes to replace Rogers.
Captain America MCU Project
Year
Version
Captain America: The First Avenger
2011
Steve Rogers
The Avengers
2012
Steve Rogers
Thor: The Dark World
2013
Loki
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2014
Steve Rogers
Avengers: Age of Ultron
2015
Steve Rogers
Ant-Man
2015
Steve Rogers
Captain America: Civil War
2016
Steve Rogers
Spider-Man: Homecoming
2017
Steve Rogers
Avengers: Infinity War
2018
Steve Rogers
Captain Marvel
2019
Steve Rogers
Avengers: Endgame
2019
Steve Rogers
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
2021
Sam Wilson
Captain America: Brave New World
2025
Sam Wilson
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier saw Bucky Barnes reveal that Rogers had spoken to him about passing the shield and Captain America mantle on to Sam Wilson. This could imply that Rogers offered the position to Bucky first, and this would make sense, given the fact that they are childhood friends, Bucky is already a super soldier, and he becomes Captain America in Marvel Comics, long before Sam Wilson. Nevertheless, the job went to Sam, and this might have actually worked out perfectly for Bucky Barnes.
Thunderbolts* Is A Far Better Future For Bucky Than Captain America Bucky Barnes Can Be An Independent Hero In Thunderbolts* Close Instead of becoming Captain America, and perhaps a member of the new Avengers team, Bucky Barnes has a future among a different superpowered group in Thunderbolts*. Bucky has been described as the de facto leader of the MCU"s first Thunderbolts team, even though he wasn"t featured heavily in the movie"s first teaser trailer. This suggests that Bucky will have a hand in bringing the Thunderbolts" members together, helping to give people just like him - those with skeletons in their closets and deemed expendable weapons - a real purpose.
Ever since he became the Winter Soldier under HYDRA"s control, Bucky Barnes has been a morally gray MCU character. Even after he broke free of his HYDRA conditioning, Bucky still uses brutal methods to achieve his goals, making him the epitome of an antihero, and the perfect candidate to form and lead the upcoming Thunderbolts team. This is a much stronger future for Bucky Barnes in the MCU than taking over as Captain America would have been. Bucky is not heroic enough to be Captain America, but fits in perfectly with the Thunderbolts.
Thunderbolts* Can Complete Bucky's Redemption Bucky Barnes Has Struggled With His Past As The Winter Soldier

His escape at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier began Bucky Barnes" redemption arc in the MCU, as he had spent previous decades carrying out assassinations and performing heinous acts under HYDRA"s mind-control. His time in Wakanda saw him finally break free from HYDRA"s conditioning, but The Falcon and the Winter Soldier proved he still hadn"t quite come to terms with his actions as the Winter Soldier. Bringing together and leading the Thunderbolts team in Phase 5 could be the best way for him to finally move on.

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2 Spending time with the dysfunctional Thunderbolts could prove to Bucky that he isn"t so bad, and has in fact spent many years trying his utmost to atone and make-up for his actions as the Winter Soldier. He seems to be embracing his more brutal tendencies in the teaser trailer for Thunderbolts*, suggesting his redemption arc may be complete, and he may be at peace with his identity, whether that be as the Winter Soldier or under the little-used moniker of White Wolf. Bucky Barnes can become an independent, well-rounded hero in Thunderbolts*, no longer associated with Captain America.

Thunderbolts* (2025) Not Yet Rated AdventureAction Marvel's Thunderbolts* is a superhero movie based on the comic team of the same name. The movie acts as a part of the MCU's fifth phase of films. The film sees the likes of Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Wyatt Russell, the Red Guardian, and more as an unlikely group of heroes and villains brought together to fight for good.
Director Jake Schreier Release Date May 2, 2025 Studio(s) Marvel Studios Writers Lee Sung-jin , Eric Pearson , Joanna Calo Cast Florence Pugh , Sebastian Stan , David Harbour , Wyatt Russell , Olga Kurylenko , Hannah John-Kamen , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Geraldine Viswanathan , Lewis Pullman , Joshua Mikel Upcoming MCU Movies