SDCC 2024: Bucky Barnes’s New Government Role in Thunderbolts* Revealed

Details surrounding Thunderbolts* remain close to the vest. The basic premise of the upcoming ensemble is that it is seemingly a conglomeration of the Avengers and DC’s Suicide Squad, as the government-mandated team is a cast of characters ranging from anti-heroes to full-blown villains. It is known that the on-screen squad will feature Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, David Harbour’s Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell’s US Agent, Hannah-John Kamen’s Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster. These six characters all have varying levels of experience in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Pugh’s Yelena has appeared in two total projects while Stan’s Bucky has a total of eight MCU appearances.

Introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Bucky begins as a soldier serving the United States in World War II. His run in with Hydra leads to him becoming an ageless assassin named The Winter Soldier, carrying out covert missions for the quietly-resurrecting evil entity. After being absolved of his mind control in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Bucky heads to Wakanda to begin to heal and eventually acclimates himself back into the real world in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). 

Bucky Barnes Joins Congress in Thunderbolts*

After his atoning efforts in his streaming series, Bucky Barnes is taking on a new government role.

Speaking to ComicBook at San Diego Comic-Con, Thunderbolts* stars Sebastian Stan and Wyatt Russell responded to questions based on the film footage shown to the Hall H crowd. When asked about Bucky using his dishwasher to clean his vibranium arm, Stan joked that its “efficient.”

“One has to at some point make sure that things do get clean, and so that’s a very efficient way of doing it fast,” Stan joked. “He uses a lot less water too, a lot less waterin the dishwasher.”

Russell chimed in briefly after that, sharing something notable.

“He’s a congressman,” Russell responded.

This reveals that Bucky will find himself with an official government role in Thunderbolts*. This position is an appropriate next step for the former Winter Soldier, as his new team’s namesake Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Harrison Ford) is confirmed to be the President of the United States come the events of Captain America: Brave New World. Having Bucky, the likely leader of this team, sitting on President Ross’s Congress would allow for an extra synergetic relationship between the two.

Thunderbolts* hits theaters on May 2nd, 2025.