Thunderbolts* Star Sebastian Stan Addresses Whether Or Not Bucky Barnes Will Stay A Congressman

Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Thunderbolts*

Following the release of Thunderbolts*, several questions regarding the characters’ fates remain. The film stars Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster, and David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian. Each of these characters has a history as a villain or antihero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As a result, a key element of Thunderbolts* is self-acceptance and how it can lead you to redemption.

Interestingly, Bucky enters the movie having already reconciled his history as the Winter Soldier with the trauma it caused him. He made peace with his violent past and made amends as much as possible with those who suffered because of him. None of the other Thunderbolts have been through that process, which positions Bucky as something of a mentor figure to the team.

However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have an arc of his own. Bucky is a fairly new congressman at the film’s start, and ultimately, he finds that politics aren’t how he can best serve the public. He goes full vigilante again, becoming a member of the so-called New Avengers by the end of the film.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Stan unpacked why this change made the most sense for Bucky moving forward. The actor explained: “He’s still been trying to find his way of how he can contribute in a way that he hasn’t before. Ultimately, he realizes, ‘No, I am who I am, and I do things how I do them, and I should just do that.‘” He then quipped that “there [are] a lot of strange congressmen these days anyway,” prompting Russell to chime in that “technically, theoretically” Bucky could be a congressman and an Avenger.

What Sebastian Stan’s Comments About Bucky’s Congressional Future Mean

Bucky’s Political Career Was Short-Lived

While Captain America: Brave New World set up a new trajectory for Bucky post-The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, it was definitely short-lived. The idea of Bucky becoming a politician poses serious questions from the outset; chiefly, it makes one wonder how a war criminal could get elected and why he would want to pursue this. Of course, Bucky was brainwashed during his time as the Winter Soldier, but nonetheless, it came as a surprise.

Following Thunderbolts*, it is apparent that Bucky’s short-lived political career was meant to be a springboard to him returning to full-time heroics. Because he spent so much of his life as a soldier and then as an ᴀssᴀssin, he may no longer have the right mentality to be a civilian. However, it was important for Bucky to try playing by the rules as a politician in order to recognize how much he’s changed and find his right niche.

Our Take On Sebastian Stan’s Comments About Bucky’s Congressional Future

The New Avengers May Be A Better Place For Bucky To Shine

Sebastian Stan As Congressman Bucky Barnes Interviewed By Press In Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier put it best: “he’s found a new place that makes much more sense for him.” Bucky, even before he became the Winter Soldier, was a man of action with a drive to stand up for what he believed in. Though it makes sense that someone like that would pursue politics, it also stands to reason that he would grow restless in fighting governmental bureaucracy. With the New Avengers, Bucky can use his experience to mentor others and satisfy his urge to fight for a cause.