Sebastian Stan Didn’t Get Thunderbolts* Joke: “I Don’t Understand Why This Is Funny”

Thunderbolts* star Sebastian Stan initially didn’t understand a joke involving Bucky Barnes. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly after the film’s premiere, Stan discussed the scene where Bucky cleans his Vibranium arm in the dishwasher. Early on in the movie, audiences get a glimpse of Bucky’s home life and see him accidentally spill his chili dog all over his white shirt. Audiences enjoyed Bucky’s unusual cleaning methods, but Stan initially wasn’t onboard. He tried to convince director Jake Schreier to cut the moment from the final cut. However, Stan now sees why fans found it humorous.

“I immediately said to Jake, ‘I don’t understand why this is funny. You do not need this. This is silly,” Stan said. “But Jake was like, ‘But maybe you could be eating something and then it can just go everywhere.’ And I go, ‘Really? That’s what’s going to [happen]?’ But I get it now. I mean, it is funny, I have to admit.”

The moment in question was highlighted throughout the Thunderbolts* marketing campaign, with the imagery illustrating Bucky gearing up for his next mission. Bucky has a significant role in Thunderbolts*, which helps set up his story for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. While audiences didn’t have full context for the scene in the trailers, it definitely stood out.

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Keeping the moment in the film doesn’t seem to have hurt Thunderbolts* much. The movie earned positive reviews, posting one of the strongest MCU Rotten Tomatoes scores in years. Thunderbolts* easily won its opening weekend at the box office, but its debut was a bit soft for a Marvel movie ($74.3 million domestic). However, since its word of mouth is very positive, there’s hope it will have strong legs.

Stan’s initial reluctance to embrace the bit is somewhat understandable. While Marvel movies are known for their humor and levity, Thunderbolts* also deals with some serious topics and themes, such as mental health and political corruption. Stan might have been afraid that the dishwasher scene could undermine the movie’s subject matter by being overly silly. But it works in the final film; it’s a fun little moment and it’s relatable. Spilling food all over yourself at an inopportune time is something that’s happened to a lot of people, so it was entertaining to see the Marvel spin on it. Bucky is a super soldier with a Vibranium arm, but he’s also human like anyone else.

At first, the dishwasher scene might have felt like a throwaway gag that could be cut, but it helped ground Thunderbolts* a bit. Marvel has always excelled at striking a balance between a character’s home life and superhero life, underscoring the humanity at their core. Obviously, Bucky cleaning his arm isn’t as substantial as something like Bob overcoming his trauma or Yelena finding her place in the universe after years of wandering in the wilderness, but it conveys the same “superheroes are regular people” idea through humor instead of drama. Perhaps that’s why Schreier was keen on keeping it in.