After auditioning for the role of Steve Rogers, Sebastian Stan was cast as Bucky Barnes in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. While he died battling HYDRA during World War II, he returned three years later as a brainwashed assassin in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
From there, Stan had memorable roles in movies like Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Thunderbolts*, and he even co-headlined his own Disney+ TV series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
Avengers: Doomsday is up next, but the actor is less certain about his Avengers: Secret Wars status. Talking to IndieWire about what's next for him in the MCU, Stan claimed that he's yet to be contacted about returning as the New Avenger next December.
"I know there’s this other film that’s meant to shoot next year, but I haven’t heard anything about it," he revealed. "There’s a lot of people waiting to see when it’s going to happen. I don’t know if it’s on the schedule yet."
"I value loyalty a lot. Maybe it’s because I’m a Leo. I’m grateful for what that world has done for me. It gave me consistency, and it gave me sustainability for many years," Stan continued. "I never made it to the real starting five. I’ve been always off the bench. I think it gave me a longer lifespan over there. And then it also allowed me to go and play for other teams."
One of those other teams is DC, as Stan has landed a mystery role in Matt Reeves' The Batman Part II. Asked what's happening with the movie, he replied, "We’re in a very deep, deep winter on the Batman movie."
It seems likely that Bucky will be one of those characters with only a very minor role in Avengers: Secret Wars. It's not outside the realm of possibility that Doomsday will be Stan's farewell, and only time will tell whether the hero has a place in the post-Secret Wars MCU.
The confirmed (or semi-confirmed, at least) cast of Avengers: Secret Wars includes Robert Downey Jr. (Doctor Doom), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange), Paul Bettany (The Vision), Letitia Wright (Black Panther), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), and Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter).
Also appearing are Pedro Pascal (Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Human Torch), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing), Sadie Sink (Jean Grey), and Noah Jupe.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron has also been enlisted to refine the story, alongside Spider-Man: Brand New Day's Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.