After spending almost all of Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a brainwashed HYDRA assassin, Bucky Barnes will be back to being one of the good guys next year in Captain America: Civil War. Ironically, though, he’ll still be fighting other superheroes when the film’s eponymous conflict kicks off. Compared to the other main players, Bucky’s in the lower tier when it comes to power levels, but as it turns out, actor Sebastian Stan is well aware that Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. The Winter Soldier, doesn’t exactly fit into a massive Avengers story.
When asked by Collider how Bucky will fare battling the more powerful heroes in Captain America: Civil War, Stan admitted that he likes that his character doesn’t have any superpowers, which makes him not only more vulnerable, but also more relatable to the audience. Stan said:
He’s got this metal arm and stuff, sort of the serum situation, but he’s sort of just a dude. It’s funny placing him next to the Scarlet Witch or something where she’s got all the stuff— [waves his hand, imitating Wanda doing magic] I’m going, “What is he going to do? He’s just going to sort of block a lot of stuff with his metal arm.” But I think it’s good, it’s relatable. He could die at any point.
Stan’s not wrong. Although Winter Soldier is a skilled fighter and his metal arm enhances his strength, when going up against the likes of Scarlet Witch, Vision, and other powerhouse heroes, he’s at an incredible disadvantage. However, as Black Widow and Hawkeye have shown, just because you don’t have special abilities doesn’t mean you’re not useful when the chips are down. Still, I’d rather not see Winter Soldier try to battle Hulk or Thor. He would get pulverized.
Although Bucky’s exact role in Captain America: Civil War hasn’t been revealed, he will (unsurprisingly) be allying with Team Captain America alongside Hawkeye, Agent 13, Ant-Man, and Falcon. They will battle Team Iron Man, whose other members include Black Panther, Black Widow, The Vision, and War Machine (it hasn’t been officially announced yet who Scarlet Witch and Spider-Man are supporting). It’s also rumored that Bucky and Cap will team up to take down Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War’s climax, which, if true, should make for an interesting fight. Following the 2016 blockbuster, Bucky’s future in the MCU is shrouded in secrecy, though considering how massive the Avengers: Infinity War movies are being hyped, one wonders if he’ll cameo or have a minor role aiding his fellow heroes in the fight against Thanos.
We’ll see Bucky in action when Captain America: Civil War hits theaters on May 6, 2016.
