Marvel Just Made an Avengers: Doomsday Fan Theory About an MCU Death Look More Likely

Most discussion of the fourth issue of Marvel Comics’ event miniseries Avengers: Armageddon has focused on former Captain America David Colton’s transformation into a new version of cult favorite comic book hero Miracleman. But the issue also features a darker plot twist for a longer-standing mainstay of the Captain America franchise. During Colton’s latest battle with Thaddeus Ross/the Red Hulk, the extra gamma radiation the Russian government had exposed Ross to caused an explosion seemingly similar to that of a nuclear weapon. Most of the casualties of the explosion appeared to be the civilian citizens of a nearby Russian city, but James “Bucky” Barnes/the Winter Soldier was also caught in the blast. Colton survives and Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel and possibly Ross are also probably powerful enough to do so, but the artwork shows Bucky’s body being torn apart, with the implication being that the blast will likely vaporize him completely.

It’s well-known that deaths in mainstream superhero comics are rarely permanent, especially in the cases of characters as beloved as Bucky (who has already been resurrected more than once in both the comics and Marvel Cinematic Universe). But the timing of his latest death is conspicuous given the current discourse about the character’s live action counterpart. Sebastian Stan is set to return as the MCU’s Bucky in December’s Avengers: Doomsday and based on comments from the actor and some of his castmates, many fans have speculated that the crossover film could be Stan’s last with the franchise, and feature Bucky dying onscreen (for good this time.)

Marvel Fans Believe Bucky Barnes May Die in Avengers: Doomsday

Bucky is one of the MCU’s longest-running characters, with Stan having played the part since 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. Though his best developed relationships are with original Captain America Steve Rogers (Evans) and the current Cap, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Bucky is generally one of the most well-connected members of the confirmed Doomsday cast, also sharing interesting dynamics with many more of his co-stars. He’s currently a member of the Thunderbolts*/New Avengers, seemingly acting as a co-leader of the team of unconventional heroes along with Black Widow Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh.) He, Sam, and Steve also fought alongside many of the other heroes who were active during the events of Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. And Bucky is especially close with several characters from the nation of Wakanda, including Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright), the current Black Panther, who helped purge the mental conditioning Hydra used to control him as the Winter Soldier from his mind.

Members of Doomsday’s cast and crew have repeatedly emphasized how high the stakes will be in the heroes’ battle against Doctor Doom (Downey) with some having specifically alluded to the film killing off multiple significant characters. Given his ties to so many of the other figures in the film, it’s understandable why some have come to believe that Bucky will be one of the casualties, as the desire to avenge him could believably play a big part in getting the various factions of heroes to cooperate, much like Phil Coulson’s (Clark Gregg) death did in the original Avengers film.

Killing Bucky Is a Huge Risk for the MCU

But the trailers and other promotional materials released for Doomsday so far don’t actually make Bucky look any more or less likely to die than most of the other characters. The theories about his death are instead based more on offscreen comments from Stan himself, and public knowledge of his schedule of upcoming films. He is set to venture into the DC Comics multiverse for the first time, having been cast in the 2028 film The Batman Part II. Outside the superhero genre Stan is also simply one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors at the moment, frequently appearing in a variety of acclaimed non-blockbuster films. Stan himself recently mentioned that he has a large amount of filming still to do for The Batman Part II, and implied that he expects to be working on that film through much of the upcoming winter. Some Marvel fans have interpreted this as evidence that Stan will not be available for much of principal photography on Doomsday’s sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, which is expected to be ongoing at the same time, and in turn cited this as evidence in favor of the theory that Bucky dies in the former.

No matter how likely Bucky actually is to die, it’s also debatable whether him doing so would be a good idea for either Doomsday specifically or the MCU at large. Bucky’s history with both the viewers and other characters would certainly make him dying a dramatic development, but it may also simply be too dark and sad. Bucky breaking free of Hydra and atoning for the things he was forced to do as the Winter Soldier has been one of the franchise’s most compelling character arcs and it’s been highly cathartic to see him develop his own life in the modern world. Cutting that life short to emphasize the severity of Doom’s threat could easily be too depressing a move, one that retroactively detracts from the other recent films, especially given that Thunderbolts*’ post-credit scene implied that he and Sam will be at odds at the beginning of Doomsday. Whether he dies or not, Bucky’s time in the MCU is probably nearing an end, but no one wants the franchise to write him off before that friendship is repaired. Having Steve return to the present day only to witness his oldest friend be killed would also be devastating, and the possibility of something like this happening is why bringing back Steve and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) is one of Doomsday’s biggest gambles, as it risks tainting the hard-won happy ending the couple received in Endgame.

Fortunately, the character’s Doomsday death really isn’t as much of a guarantee as some fear. The Batman Part II remark isn’t the first of Stan’s comments to cast doubt on how much longer he’ll play Bucky but he’s also frequently expressed his appreciation and continued enthusiasm for being part of the MCU. He even recently revealed that he pitched a story for a Bucky solo film to Kevin Feige. While that idea is apparently not being developed, it confirms that Stan’s still invested in further exploring the character. Furthermore, while most of the characters with prominent roles in Armageddon and related comics are either confirmed or rumored to appear in Doomsday and/or Secret Wars, the actual context and story of the comic event is very different than what is known about the upcoming films. This emphasizes that while Marvel and DC comics do often seemingly try to spotlight the same characters and themes as the most recent or imminent movies and TV shows, they rarely foreshadow adaptations’ specific plot points too directly.

Now let’s hear from you: do you think we’re saying goodbye to Bucky in Doomsday? Make your case in the comments.

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