Marvel Studios is getting ready to make more history as the release of Avengers: Doomsday is just around the corner. Okay, it's a very big corner as we still have to wait the rest of the year for the film to materialize, but considering that this is the closest that we've been to the release of an upcoming Avengers movie in six years, it's fair to say that it's on the horizon at this point.
Another thing that it's fair to say is that the upcoming movie is going to be an emotional one for Marvel Cinematic Universe fans. Not only will Avengers: Doomsday kick off the beginning of the end for the Multiverse Saga, it will undoubtedly be a rollercoaster of emotions as the franchise will go out of its way to position Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom as the new threat of the MCU. And, if it's anything like Thanos' story in Avengers: Infinity War, it could very well result in some major character deaths.
Now, we might just know one of them.
Sebastian Stan's recent Batman casting casts doubt on Bucky's future in the MCU
If you've been reading the headlines in the pop-culture and entertainment spaces in recent days, you might have seen that Marvel star Sebastian Stan has reportedly been cast in DC's The Batman - Part II, opposite Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader. The 2027 sequel is set to bring us back into Matt Reeves' vivid vision of Gotham City and, although Stan's role has not yet been confirmed (although we might have figured it out already), he will seemingly be a part of that vision.
Although a great casting opportunity for the veteran performer, his casting in the Batman sequel casts some doubts on his MCU future. Not because you can't be in Marvel and DC movies at the same time (Idris Elba says hello!), but because the production is set to film this spring - the exact same time that 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars kicks off filming. That would make his involvement in both movies extremely difficult, potentially ruling out an appearance in the latter.
Here's where things get interesting: Stan is set to reprise his MCU role as Bucky Barnes in Avengers: Doomsday this December. He completed production on it last year and has since been confirmed as one of the main cast members - where he will reunite with his Thunderbolts* castmates - in the film's extensive cast. So, with that in mind, how could the franchise explain him away if he doesn't appear in the direct sequel a year later?
It's no spoiler to say that Avengers: Doomsday will end on a cliffhanger. Stan's longtime Marvel co-star Anthony Mackie confirmed as much in an interview last year. The question is: What kind of cliffhanger are we talking about here? Well, again, if it takes inspiration from Avengers: Infinity War and prioritizes the villain, we will likely see him temporarily successful when the credits roll - meaning that some MCU characters could very well die. Again, Mackie revealed that "no one is safe. Everyone is expendable". And, well, unfortunately, it looks like Bucky could find himself on that list.
What's even more eyebrow-raising is that this isn't the first time that the notion of Bucky dying at the end of Avengers: Doomsday has come up. No, last year Stan appeared on the Stronger Podcast and spoke about his time as the Winter Soldier in the past tense, which fuelled speculation that his time with the MCU might be over.
"The Marvel stuff, I’ll always, till the end of time, like really helped me grow as a person and helped me grow as an actor, and it taught me relationships [like] Robert Downey [Jr.] and Scarlett [Johansson] and all these people I looked up to (...) It was a family, and it gave me, like, a sense of belonging and everything, and it’s always there for that, but it was only the step one for me."
Of course, the beloved MCU star is only reflecting on his career up until that point in the interview, so it's possible that he's just discussing how being a part of the Marvel family in those early days ultimately shaped him for the career that he's enjoying now. But we'd be lying if we didn't say that the internet became very worried about Bucky Barnes after this particular interview surfaced.
It would undoubtedly be a shame if Bucky was one of the big deaths of Avengers: Doomsday but there is no denying that it would resonate with audiences given that he's one of the longest-standing characters in the franchise. Barnes first appeared as Steve Rogers' best friend in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger before Stan reprised the role in the game-changing sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014. He would resurface in 2016's Captain America: Civil War, 2018's Black Panther, 2018's Avengers: Infinity War and 2019's Avengers: Endgame before starring in 2021 Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
He has since appeared in Captain America: Brave New World in a cameo appearance before playing one of the main roles that same year in Thunderbolts* - the film that was critically-acclaimed and considered a huge comeback for the MCU. We know he will appear next in Avengers: Doomsday and are holding out hope that he will find a way to return in 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars.
It's possible. Remember how a bunch of characters were blipped out of existence at the end of Infintiy War only to return at the end of Endgame. If Stan's scheduling conflicts between The Batman 2 and Avengers: Secret Wars prevent him from playing a major role in the latter, a last-minute comeback when the multiverse is resorted could be the way around that. Here's hoping that is the case!