Sebastian Stan wants to return in a sequel to Thunderbolts*, and we would love to see the Winter Soldier and the New Avengers back in action in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Stan first appeared in the MCU in Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011 as the childhood best friend of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), and later as a doomed member of the Howling Commandos. Under HYDRA’s control, Bucky became the elite super-soldier, the Winter Soldier, but he has since broken free of this conditioning and, more recently, he’s become an even more prominent superhero in the MCU.
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“We just had a lot of fun because it was a great group of people, and everybody was very funny,” Sebastian Stan stated during a panel at Tokyo Comic-Con’s Assemble! At the Marvel Gathering Stage (via The Direct). “David Harbour [and] Wyatt Russell [are very funny] and Florence Pugh [is] really very talented. It was just a good time. If you guys like the movie, help us make another one.” Stan’s desire to make a sequel to Thunderbolts* will make many happy, as Jake Schreier’s 2025 movie—despite performing poorly at the box office—debuted to a hugely popular response.
How Likely is a Thunderbolts* Sequel & Will Bucky Barnes Even Be Involved?
At the end of Thunderbolts*, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) revealed the titular team to the world as the New Avengers. This game-changing ending deserves a follow-up in the MCU, and while all members of the team, including Bucky Barnes’ Winter Soldier, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Alexei Shostakov’s Red Guardian (David Harbour), Ava Starr’s Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and John Walker’s US Agent (Wyatt Russell), will be returning in Avengers: Doomsday, we don’t see them getting a lot of development in the Russo brothers’ next epic crossover. Thunderbolts* 2 would be the perfect place to develop the team.
Although it suffered at the box office amid a series of disappointing releases from Marvel Studios, Thunderbolts* is widely considered to have been a return to form by the studio. Thunderbolts* dealt with mature themes of mental health and trauma, while balancing comedic moments, shocking twists, and a terrifying villain with an important message. All this suggests a sequel might fare better at the box office, which could convince Marvel to put it into development. However, with Jake Schreier now tied up with the MCU’s X-Men reboot, a Thunderbolts* sequel may need a new director.
It all comes down to the events of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Bucky Barnes’ Winter Soldier is one of the top names suggested to be losing his life in the Russo brothers’ upcoming double-bill, which promise to be the MCU’s biggest movies yet. It would be a dire shame to get rid of Bucky right after evolving him into a bona fide hero, and we would love to see him and the New Avengers—perhaps with Robert Reynolds’ Sentry as an official member—return in an MCU sequel, but only time will tell what the future holds.
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