Sebastian Stan debuted as Steve Rogers' best friend, Bucky Barnes, in Captain America: The First Avenger, and as the Winter Soldier, has gone on to become one of the most complex and (some would say) underappreciated characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Bucky played a key role in Thunderbolts* and will soon return for Avengers: Doomsday, but the former HYDRA assassin has yet to lead his own MCU project (granted, he did share top billing with Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson in the Disney+ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series).
During a new interview with NY Mag, Stan revealed that he did "half jokingly" pitch a "Sicario-esque" Winter Soldier solo movie to Kevin Feige.
“We keep a real small budget. It's about a guy who thinks he recognizes someone from his past that had something to do with when, you know, he was brainwashed, and he gets obsessed with this person. He goes on a whole journey to try to figure out who this person is. It's a thriller.”
Stan added that Feige did "humor him" with a "Yeah, that sounds cool," but we're not sure if it's something that's actually being considered. Maybe a TV-MA Disney+ One Shot would be the way to go?
Possible spoilers follow.
According to a recent plot leak - which is looking more likely to be on the level after the D23 trailer - Bucky's death at the hands of Doctor Doom is the catalyst for the Avengers, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four and the X-Men putting their differences aside and coming together in an attempt to put an end to the villain's machinations.
Doomsday is rumored to feature a few more casualties (including another "shocking" Doom kill), but Bucky's is said to be the "big one."
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars were hit with significant delays last year, with Doomsday now set to arrive in theaters on December 18, 2026, and Secret Wars positioned for December 17, 2027.
Both movies will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Universes collide and the Multiverse Saga begins its final chapter in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday. Beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and ultimately face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered. This epic film will lay the foundation for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
Doomsday will star:
Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Lewis Pullman as Sentry, Florence Pugh as Yelena, Danny Ramirez as Falcon, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Sebastian Stan as Bucky, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, James Marsden as Cyclops, Channing Tatum as Gambit, and Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent
Along with Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Letitia Wright as Black Panther, Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, and, of course, Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom.