Warning: This post contains potential spoilers for Avengers: Doomsday.
There are plenty of reasons why the Avengers movies are some of the most talked-about superhero projects ever. Fans are excited to see new character interactions play out and discover which unannounced characters will make a surprise appearance. But perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of any big Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover is which iconic hero will bite the dust.
Phil Coulson, Quicksilver, the original version of Gamora, the original version of Vision, the original Black Widow, and Robert Downey Jr.'s original character, Tony Stark, all perished during an Avengers movie. So now that we're about to watch one of the biggest live-action superhero ensembles ever, the death toll could be bigger than ever before.
Few heroes are completely safe, as Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that the MCU will undergo a soft "reset" after Avengers: Secret Wars. Anything could happen now that there's a new chapter on the horizon, and familiar faces who have been around for years could meet their end. The stakes are higher than ever, and it seems one of the long-standing veterans will have to make the ultimate sacrifice during the events of Avengers: Doomsday.
Bucky Barnes will reportedly die in Avengers: Doomsday
Industry insider James Mack has revealed that Bucky Barnes will die in Avengers: Doomsday. The Winter Soldier has been a key character since he made his debut in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. Since then, he has appeared in plenty of Marvel crossovers, including Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Thunderbolts*. Bucky has become one of the most recurring faces in the MCU, which is why his death could be one of the most impactful (and heartbreaking) in Avengers: Doomsday.
This isn't the first time we've heard about the possibility of Bucky biting the dust. It was first reported that one member of the New Avengers would permanently die in Marvel's upcoming crossover. Fans speculated that Bucky was the ideal candidate, especially since the likes of Yelena Belova and Sentry are too important for the future of the MCU. And while the deaths of Ghost, John Walker, or Red Guardian could be very impactful, they wouldn't pack as much of a punch as Bucky's. Out of all the members of the New Avengers, he's the one with the most MCU appearances.
A key thing to take into consideration is that Bucky's death is rumored to be permanent. After all, he already perished in Avengers: Infinity War but was brought back to life once more in Avengers: Endgame. Similarly, it has been widely rumored and speculated that Avengers: Doomsday will end on a shocking cliffhanger that will involve the death of multiple heroes (if not the multiverse as a whole) before Doom brings many of them back with the creation of Battleworld.
Bucky's death will likely happen before the multiverse collapses and is reborn anew as Battleworld, which would explain why he won't return further down the line. This means his final moments will likely take place during the final confrontation in Avengers: Doomsday. Perhaps he could sacrifice himself when fighting the Sentinels, or maybe he could perish earlier in the movie to set the tone and raise the stakes.
Avengers: Doomsday will likely mark the last time we ever see Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes together. Their friendship was one of the main driving forces in Steve Rogers' Captain America trilogy, and one of the biggest reasons the Avengers disassembled in the first place. So hopefully, the two will get a lot of screen time in Avengers: Doomsday before Bucky bites the dust.
Interestingly, Bucky isn't the only big hero rumored to perish in the MCU's upcoming crossover. Ant-Man and Loki will reportedly meet an untimely end as well, although rumors suggest the latter will return from the dead (one more time) either in the post-credits scene of Avengers: Doomsday or during the events of Avengers: Secret Wars.
We had to wait over seven years for Earth's Mightiest Heroes to assemble on the big screen, but the price to see them reunited once more could be a little too high to pay.
Avengers: Doomsday will be released on Dec. 18, 2026.
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