On May 2, 2025, Sebastian Stan leads the Thunderbolts in their titular movie as James Buchanan Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier. Most of the team – Yelena, Red Guardian, and Taskmaster – have only been in the MCU since Black Widow (2021), and only Yelena has appeared in other Marvel titles, like Hawkeye, until now. Meanwhile, Ghost is from Ant-Man and The Wasp, and that has been her only appearance. Even Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who appears to be their handler, has only been here since The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, making a few minor appearances in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Black Widow.
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Stan, on the other hand, is a seasoned veteran of the MCU. The Oscar-nominated actor made his franchise debut with Captain America: The First Avenger back in 2011. Over a decade later, he’s had eight credited appearances in total – The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, What If…?, and Captain America: Brave New World. Thunderbolts* will be his ninth, which could mean this is the end to his nine-picture deal (via The Hollywood Reporter).
Stan revealed back in 2014 to Newsarama that his deal is for nine movies, but he also revealed that there is still some ambiguity. For instance, after Captain America: The First Avenger wrapped, he “had no idea if we’d be back” (via The Hollywood Reporter). While this contract most likely just applies to movies, it was also struck before Marvel delved into the streaming world with Disney+. If the deal is strictly for credited roles in films, then Stan still has two more movies to go. If not, though, then his time as Bucky under this contract could be up come Thunderbolts*.
Sebastian Stan Has Been In Every Captain America Title Under The MCU
Stan has been with Marvel since Phase 1, making his debut alongside Chris Evans, who portrayed Captain America from 2011 to 2019. In The First Avenger, Bucky is Captain America’s best friend and right hand man while fighting in World War II. However, Bucky’s life is seemingly cut short after he falls off a train mid-fight. While he does not die, Bucky’s nightmare has begun, as he is then kidnapped by Hydra and turned into the Winter Soldier.
For decades, he is a mindless and tortured killer for Hydra, eventually leading him back to Steve Rogers during the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Stan is a force to reckon with in this film, cementing Bucky as a fan-favorite character. Audiences see how tormented he is, and they want Bucky to break free of Hydra. Come Captain America: Civil War, Bucky is free and reunites with Steve after he is framed for an attack on the U.N. Alongside other heroes, like Falcon, they fight to clear Bucky’s name, eventually finding him refuge in Wakanda.
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Bucky would reside in Wakanda until he is called back to action in Avengers: Infinity War, where he is one of the billions who are snapped away. Of course, come Avengers: Endgame, he returns for the climactic battle, and in the end, he watches on as Steve Rogers passes on the Captain America mantle to Sam Wilson, setting up the Disney+ series between Sam and Bucky.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier centers on Sam Wilson’s transition from Falcon to Captain America. Along with this, Bucky is trying to make amends for his past. This would be the second time Stan is a titular lead in an MCU property, co-starring with Anthony Mackie, who he has electric chemistry with. While they have an incredible dynamic, Stan would not star in the next Captain America film, Captain America: Brave New World. However, he makes a surprise appearance right before the final battle. It’s a small role, but shows how these two still have each other’s back. This would also be the most recent credited role for Stan in the MCU until Thunderbolts*.
What Is Next For Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes?
At the time of this writing, it is unclear what the future is going to be for Bucky Barnes post-Thunderbolts*. This is going to be his ninth credited appearance, but with the contract being for nine pictures there may be wiggle room if television and uncredited cameos are not included. After all, two of his credited appearances are for shows not films, and he has two uncredited appearances in the end-credit scenes of Ant-Man and in Black Panther.
However, if all credited appearances count toward that contract, it is in theory up with Thunderbolts*, but Stan could still reprise the role in the future. A new deal could be made, or he can make another uncredited cameo. There’s a lot of love for Stan’s portrayal of Bucky, and with the MCU building up to two more Avengers films – Doomsday and Secret Wars – it would not be a surprise if the studio wanted to keep him around for those highly anticipated movies.
