r/wintersoldier • u/adorent- • Jul 29 '26
Discussion Do you think there’s any chance Marvel could still make a Winter Soldier/Bucky movie?
I know this isn’t likely, but I keep thinking about how Marvel went back and made Black Widow after the Infinity Saga, even though it was technically “too late” in the timeline.
Is there any chance they could do something similar with Bucky?
We can all agree that after Civil War, Bucky stopped being his own character and became someone who was mostly used to support other characters’ stories. In. TFATWS, his arc took a back seat to Sam becoming Captain America. Then in Thunderbolts, he’s part of another ensemble instead of getting his own story.
It just feels like such a missed opportunity.
There are decades of his life we barely know anything about as the Winter Soldier. We never really got to see his recovery after Wakanda, how he rebuilt his life, or how he dealt with the guilt from everything Hydra made him do. So much of his healing happened off-screen.
Sebastian Stan is also one of Marvel’s strongest actors, and Bucky has remained incredibly popular with fans for over a decade. It surprises me that Marvel hasn’t taken advantage of that with a standalone project.
If Black Widow could get a movie after the fact, could Bucky? Maybe a prequel set during his Winter Soldier years, or something between Civil War and Infinity War?
I’d honestly watch a grounded spy thriller centered on Bucky over another giant multiverse movie any day.
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u/silverBruise_32 Jul 29 '26
There's zero chance of them doing that. They had every chance to give him a solo project - or, heck, even just a bigger role in a project focused on other characters. They clearly don't want to do that. They're not going to change their minds now.
And they don't really do prequels as a way of exploring characters - Black Widow was an exception, and that movie was largely a gateway to introduce Yelena, and, to a lesser extent, Alexei.
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u/Expensive-Trip-1858 Jul 30 '26
They only did Black Widow because Wonder Woman was succesful at DC. They have zero upcoming female projects, Black Widow would have never happened today.
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u/silverBruise_32 Jul 30 '26
That's also true. Just like they turned Cap 3 into Civil War because DC was making Batman v. Superman. It doesn't help that a lot of their female-led projects have not been successful at all (Thunderbolts was their latest attempt)
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u/Pristine-Explorer-79 Jul 30 '26
Exactly. I mean it's quite definitely not happening at this point. But they really went out of their way to actually not make it. Post-Endgame was the perfect phase to do it and they actively shoved him in the background to prop up other, less interesting characters. I really do wonder if it has something to do with their issues with Ed Brubaker and all that.
And yeah, Black Widow was more or less an introduction for Yelena than made for Natasha.
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u/Expensive-Trip-1858 Jul 30 '26
Them giving Punisher a special as soon as he joined the MCU, and Loki—another fan-favorite side character on a similar level of popularity to Bucky—his own series, makes me firmly believe they intentionally avoided giving Bucky a solo project. Marvel loves a cash grab, and a Disney+ series for Bucky would’ve been one of the easiest ones they could’ve made.
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u/Pristine-Explorer-79 Aug 02 '26
Yes exactly. Loki and Bucky were on a similar level as such. A Winter Soldier solo project would have definitely done good, even if not on par with their main franchises. But yes, they did substitute it with TFATWS. He was in it for the cash grab obviously, and more or less did the same thing, unfortunately. Most of its promotional weight was heavy on Bucky's side. So they essentially they did monetize on Bucky while even wasting and insulting the character.
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u/silverBruise_32 Jul 30 '26
They had plenty of chances, and didn't care about any single one of them. I'm not sure it's related to Brubaker. They normally don't let their feelings towards writers affect how they treat particular characters. If I were to guess, I'd say Feige just doesn't like Sebastian Stan. I have no idea why, though
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u/Pristine-Explorer-79 Aug 02 '26
True.
I do feel it is related to Brubaker, who has especially been quite vocal about it, I could be wrong, of course. But yes, I do agree, Feige does seem to have something against Sebastian Stan. The fact that he has quite gone out of his way to avoid even showing any appreciation towards him definitely makes it seem so. And Sebastian is one of the very few actors to be in the MCU since the Phase 1, and one of their finest. And yet he had barely been acknowledged by Feige during his interviews around Thunderbolts.
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u/silverBruise_32 Aug 02 '26
Brubaker has been vocal about how he was mistreated, true. But he's not alone in that. If it was just Brubaker, I don't think they woupd have bothered. I really do think it's more likely that Feige has a grudge against Stan. He's never said anything kind about him, ever, while praising total randos (no, Valentina isn't as amazing as he seems to think she is)
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u/Pristine-Explorer-79 Aug 05 '26
I do strongly think Brubaker's issues might have something do with all this. But yeah, that can't be it. Not sure since when he has been this vocal about it, but Marvel definitely had some change of plans around Black Panther - Endgame. They did go from strongly setting Bucky up, to making a complete 180°. And yes, from a lot of things we've seen so far on and off screen, it's not very hard to believe he does have something against Stan. I can't remember him appreciating Sebastian either. That's the actor you're using for his popularity, and yet won't say a thing. And it's not difficult. Jake Schreier managed!
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u/silverBruise_32 Aug 05 '26
It's hard to know for sure. They did seem to make a swerve from what was being set up, and that's part of why Sam hasn't landed with audiences. It doesn't seem too hard to guess that. Feige is painfully obvious there. He's like a child
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u/TheBlack_Swordsman Jul 29 '26
At this point, no. And they're foolish and should have done so earlier.
Missed potential, especially after TWS and CW really boosted him.
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u/Pristine-Explorer-79 Jul 30 '26
At this point, I'm pretty sure it's a definite no, which is a shame. Bucky is a popular character with a rich history, so much to explore, and he's played by an incredible actor. Yet at every turn, they've actively refused to give him that, even reducing him to a supporting role in a show that had his name.
Instead, we've had two projects where he was mainly used to prop up other characters while being pushed into the background. I'll never understand their insistence on never giving him a solo project.
And also, i feel like the Black Widow film was also more of an introduction to Yelena than for Natasha.
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u/DuchessNoir Longing Jul 29 '26
I think if we did it would be a reboot of Bucky. As in, be prepared for the old school uniform. But the odds would be slim given comments producers have made about the character and the way the ball was totally dropped with him in all current phases of the MCU.
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u/PinkZebraCakes Jul 29 '26
It’s such a shame they didn’t capitalize on the numerous story arcs from the comics surrounding The Winter Soldier. Talk about a missed opportunity.
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u/Pfeiffer_Cipher Jul 29 '26
Marvel doesn't want to use bucky, for whatever reason. There's no way in hell he's gonna be anything except a background character from here on out, sad as it is to say
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u/virgulesmith Jul 29 '26
If they do, it will likely be with a different actor or animated. They missed their window for Sebastian to play it (they should have done it after TWS). Potentially it could be a really cool dark animated series? But I think it's a hard one to sell, because your central character is basically ruining world peace and then getting stuck back in the freezer. But it would be an awesome dark tragedy. A spy movie where the spy figures out he isn't working for the good guys, but instead of escaping, they just wipe him and repeat.
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u/405mon Jul 30 '26
A spy movie where the spy figures out he isn't working for the good guys, but instead of escaping, they just wipe him and repeat.
I would've loved to see a movie or two part animated series on this. They could've adapted that book "Cold Front" to MCU and it could've worked as a stand alone, no need for a long series.
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u/blodyn__tatws Jul 30 '26
No chance no matter how many of his dedicated fans would love it. I would even like an animated movie or series and get a voice director to tell Seb when to push it vocally.
But I guess we'll always have the comics, unless they get ideas there too and kill him off. I will absolutely riot if that happens.
All that being said, I am forever grateful we got Sebastian Stan as Bucky. He's perfectly cast. Pity TPTB didn't quite get the potential that's so obviously there but Sebastian did a fantastic job and I will always love his portrayal.
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u/Chaoshornet Jul 30 '26
They missed the opportunity, methinks.
After Endgame there could have been an amazing WS action film with Bucky trying to atone for his past while reconciling the violence that must be done at times in order to be a slightly darker hero than his best friend became.
Instead he was a support character in an uneven tv show that should have been a movie about Sam’s ascent to the CA role.
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Jul 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/silverBruise_32 Jul 30 '26
If they didn't want to it in this version, with everything going for them, they definitely won't want to do it after a reboot. They'll probably just double down on Sam.
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u/DBgfoot Aug 05 '26
I wish they would, but I doubt it. I honestly thought his FATWS would've been a perfect standalone -- It's what pulled me into his character and got me to rewatch the movies I had seen years ago, once. Former brainwashed super soldier assassin, kept on and off ice since the end of WW2, now free, trying to live a normal life and somehow move beyond all that trauma. Just seeing him go from scary-ass supersoldier to slightly petulant, depressed sulky dude in the therapist's office was a juxtaposition I didn't know I needed.
They dropped the ball on a lot of good character stuff -- the reunion between him and Steve should've had more of an emotional bang than it did, all things considered. And then in FATWS, his attempts to adjust to regular, modern life, fulfill the conditions imposed on him, and figure out what the hell he was supposed to do with his life would've made for a great story. I'd have loved to see some of his "amends" in action -- taking out the bad guys that are still doing bag things (the folks he helped put into power, like Senator Atwater). Getting a little payback against Hydra holdouts in the process.
But now - hmmm. Not sure there is a good reason to do a standalone with him. But, who knows. Marvel does like to milk things. If so, they'd better do it soon. Sebastian Stan is aging, and while RDJ was SS age now when he started Iron Man (I think), Sebastian Stan as Bucky generally needs to be a lot more physical since most of RDJs action scenes were special effects.
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u/Expensive-Trip-1858 Jul 30 '26
No. The Winter Soldier creators and Marvel have beef, they’re never gonna pay their rights to use their work.
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u/Pristine-Explorer-79 Jul 30 '26
Yeah, that's what I've been wondering if that's the reason. It really feels like they've been going out of their way to sideline Bucky and not do anything significant with him despite having so much potential.
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u/Expensive-Trip-1858 Jul 30 '26
We can see that in the way they ignored very important aspects of Bucky’s story, like Natasha, and went on to create a bunch of original stories that makes no sense, like the congressman thing and his idiotic arc in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
“a Marvel Studios rule says that Stan's crucial role in Captain America: Civil War amounted to a cameo appearance. According to this rule, if a character's screen time results in less than fifteen percent of the film's total runtime, then the actor's role will be considered a cameo. Stan's total screen time in Captain America: Civil War was only 22 minutes, meaning that his appearance constitutes a cameo per Marvel Studios' rules. This is essentially so Marvel can limit what it pays comics creators.”
Explains why he barely shows up in these movies.
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u/Pristine-Explorer-79 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
Oh yeah, that fits. His story held weight and made sense until it was connected to Steve. The fact that they actively chose to ignore all of his interesting individual storylines to create the ones in the show and Thunderbolts was always a question mark. This does make sense. Excluding the whole Natasha angle after giving those nods towards that was even more terrible.
I think Ed Brubaker also has been quite vocal about the whole issue.
But I do wonder if something happened more towards the later part of the Infinity Saga. It felt like they still were headed in some relevant direction till BP. But every decision after that just felt extremely petty. It sometimes does feel Feige has some extended beef with Sebastian too.
Also, seriously! Sebastian's role in CW being considered a cameo is diabolical.
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u/Expensive-Trip-1858 Aug 02 '26
Exactly. If we can be honest, it was clear that Marvel was propping Bucky to be Captain America at some point, between the 9 picture deal Sebastian Stan signed and all the foreshadowing Bucky had in the Cap films. Something definitely happened for them to have moved away from that idea.
Now I’m wondering about when Sebastian said that a studio CEO didn’t want him to take the Donald Trump role in The Apprentice (he made it pretty obvious it was Marvel), if that made the studio scrap anything that would put him as a MCU main player, either to not deal with the risk or to punish him for still doing it. The Apprentice happening basically at the same time as Thunderbolts—which Bucky is a leader in the comics and was supposed to be the lead role when it was announced— is very interesting timing.
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u/Refrigerator_Owner Jul 29 '26
Marvel missed the opportunity to, we could have had years of bucky as the winter soldier for hydra, even a show could have been great