The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a big place, and it is only getting bigger. Thanks to Avengers: Endgame, much of the franchise's first decade has come to a close, but the film did leave a few tantalizing tidbits behind... and one of them has to do with Sebastian Stan himself.
You know, since the actor totally exists as himself in the MCU.
Beware! There are mild spoilers for Avengers: Endgame below! You have been warned!
As fans will recall, the latest installment of the MCU has lots to do with time travel. Avengers: Endgame follows the heroes who survived Thanos' snap as they try coping with what happened. Five years after the fact, Scott Lang's reappearance gives the Avengers hope that time travel could save their world, but Ant-Man makes an interesting comparison.
The Avengers begin a full-on discussion about time travel, and Rhodey begins passing shots with Scott. The conversation leads Ant-Man to bring up popular films involving time travel. Naturally, the hero mentions Hot Tub Time Machine, but the note made fans pause.
The pause came courtesy of Sebastian Stan. The actor is best known for playing the Winter Soldier nowadays, but he had a role in Hot Tub Time Machine way back when. Stan played a character named Blaine, a bully who gives the film's comedic leads hell during their travels. However, his role and the movie's confirmed existence in the MCU makes it clear that Sebastian Stan is an actor in the cinematic universe... and it is only a matter of time before Sam Wilson starts trolling Bucky about his celebrity lookalike.
Did you connect the dots with this off-cuff comment? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
Avengers: Endgame is now playing in theaters. Captain Marvel is also still playing in theaters. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th.
-----
Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com yet? Check it out by clicking here or listen below.
In this latest episode, we go all in on Avengers: Endgame! This is the spoiler-filled discussion you've been waiting for after coming out of the movie and we cover a ton of ground. Make sure to subscribe now and never miss an episode!