Warning: MASSIVE spoilers ahead for Avengers: Infinity War! Don't read any further if you don't want to know how the film ends!
The ending of Avengers: Infinity War is one of the most devastating moments in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thanos snaps his fingers and unleashes the power of the Infinity Stones, wiping out half of all life from existence. The scene begins with the shocking death of Bucky Barnes a.k.a White Wolf, and according to Sebastian Stan, he really thought that might be the end of his run in the MCU when they filmed the sequence. During a panel at Wizard World Philadelphia, Stan explained:
And I was like, 'maybe this is it.' And I remember [director Anthony Russo] was talking to everybody, and I was like, 'Anthony, do- OK, I'll wait. Uh, do- am I- uh, is this it?' And he was like 'No, well, you know, maybe. But not really. Well, I don't know.' So, that's the way that day went.
Ironically enough, it's no secret that the folks at Marvel Studios know how to keep a secret. In fact, Sebastian Stan apparently didn't have all of the answers on the set of Avengers: Infinity War and the Russos didn't tell him if that would be the final appearance of Bucky in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many members of the audience who saw Bucky die were incredibly confused and shocked by the moment, and Stan was just as confused as many of us.
The way Sebastian Stan found out about his death also sounds particularly interesting. Elsewhere in the actor's panel appearance at Wizard World Philadelphia, he explained that it was actually one of his stuntmen who told him that he would be the first domino to fall, with Bucky's disappearance kicking off a steady stream of devastating deaths.
Of course, now we have to wait and see if "this is it" or if Bucky will live to fight another day. With the release of Avengers 4 coming next year, many fans have generally concluded that some of the deaths at the end of Infinity War will be reversed -- particularly for a character like Spider-Man, who has a sequel in development right now. That said, Bucky is one of those characters who could go either way, and we genuinely don't know if he will survive to witness the beginning of Phase 4.
Avengers: Infinity War is currently in theaters and making some serious money at the box office. Make sure to check it out while you can still catch it on the big screen, and then head over to our 2018 movie premiere guide to see what other films are on the docket for this year!
