Bucky Barnes Being A Congressman In Thunderbolts* Was "A Kevin Feige Thing" Explains Movie Writer

WARNING: This article includes SPOILERS for Thunderbolts*.The idea of having Thunderbolts* feature Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes in a new storyline related to politics in the Marvel Cinematic Universe came from Kevin Feige himself. While Captain America: Brave New World set up Bucky’s newest journey, Thunderbolts* went deeper into the former Winter Soldier’s place in the political world. While the Thunderbolts* movie ending may not see him as a congressman anymore, this was still a unique role for Bucky, especially after everything he has been through during his time in the MCU.

In an interview with ScreenRant’s Joe Deckelmeier, Eric Pearson, who wrote the Thunderbolts* script, was asked about this film expanding on Bucky’s journey as a congressman, and whether or not that was meant to be a cover for him to be able to investigate Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. As Pearson elaborated on what the origins of this concept came from, the Thunderbolts* scribe established how Feige played a big role in Bucky’s arc, sharing the following:

I think that was a Kevin Feige thing. In the last version that I did, he was sort of a lobbyist. He was in all the same scenes, but it was a little bit more humiliating. It was the same way you’d hire an old baseball player to shake hands at a carwash. He was being used by politicians to just stand there and propagandize Avenger stuff, and then you’re like, “Oh, wow. Bucky’s fallen on hard times.”

But then you realize, as he speaks to Senator Gary, that he’s actually doing this as a cover to investigate Val, who he believes is doing all this stuff. I think the congressman thing came from Kevin, and I think that decision was made after me.

What The Thunderbolts* Writer’s Bucky Barnes Comments Mean

Hearing that Feige was the one who came up with the idea of exploring Bucky as a congressman shows that Marvel Studios was willing to tackle new territory for Stan’s character, given that he has been in the MCU since 2011. Even if it took some time to get to a solid story for Bucky, Thunderbolts* did give him one of the more interesting character arcs. While it may not have been a direct Easter egg or reference in Thunderbolts*, the movie honors Bucky’s MCU history and the fact that he isn’t meant to be a congressman, but a protector of this world.

If there were a version of a Thunderbolts* 2 movie that would have continued with these characters, it seems unlikely that Bucky’s political arc would have continued. It wouldn’t have been shocking if Bucky had to face ramifications of joining a team like the Thunderbolts, who are now known as the New Avengers in the MCU. But in the end, it is far more compelling to see Bucky being part of a superhero team again.

Our Take On The Thunderbolts* Writer’s Bucky Barnes Comments

Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes and Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova stand next to each other in an elevator in Thunderbolts* (2025)

Following the Thunderbolts* post-credits scene, time will tell how Bucky now deals with being part of the New Avengers, including his upcoming return in Avengers: Doomsday. But from Pearson’s story about how involved Marvel Studios was in giving Bucky something new to do in Thunderbolts*, it hopefully means that they are eying to continue giving him bigger arcs to explore, especially in a major film like Avengers: Doomsday. With the release of Thunderbolts*, there will hopefully be more updates about Bucky’s 2026 return to the MCU sooner rather than later.