Warning: SPOILERS for Thunderbolts* are ahead!
Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes has been part of the MCU stretching back to Captain America: The First Avenger, and up until this year, we’d only seen the character either fight as one of the good guys or forced to kill as a brainwashed HYDRA assassin. Then the 2025 movies schedule delivered Thunderbolts*, which showed Bucky as a United States Congressman. For those who were surprised to see Mr. James Buchanan Barnes elected to public office, Joanna Calo, who co-wrote Thunderbolts*, made a solid point about him running for Congress that makes a lot of sense.
In a conversation with Marvel.com, Calo mentioned how she was drawn to the idea that “ Bucky is still genuinely trying to figure out how to make the world a better place, but he doesn’t fit in.” After all the decades of torment and cruelty he endured at HYDRA’s hands, she still “hasn’t really fit into life” and “always been out of time,” which is what pushed him to Congress. Calo continued:
People would vote for him! If you saw Bucky Barnes on the ballot, you’d probably vote for him! But he feels like he doesn’t really have the skills, and he feels like it’s not enough. I love that first scene with him where he doesn’t know how to talk to the reporters. He doesn’t have all the moves yet. I thought that was very charming.
Bucky is definitely out of his element for the brief time we see him actually carrying out his Congressional duties in Thunderbolts*. That said, I do agree with Joanna Calo’s point that people would vote for him. While The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (available to stream with a Disney+ subscription) showed Bucky still being able to maintain a relatively low profile, if his heroic efforts and ties to the Avengers were revealed to the public between then and his cameo in Captain America: Brave New World (when it was mentioned he was running for Congress), then of course people would want someone like him representing them.
I’d like to think that given enough time, Bucky Barnes would acclimate to being a politician; one who truly cares about helping the citizens of the United States. However, I’m not so sure we’ll be seeing him back in Congress again. The Thunderbolts* ending showed the team becoming the New Avengers, and they’re still together 14 months later during the Marvel movie’s end credits scene. I can’t see how Bucky could effectively split his time between his Congressional duties and making sure the New Avengers are running smoothly.
But hey, if there’s a way to make that balancing act work, I’m ready to see it! The earliest that can happen is when Avengers: Doomsday is released on December 17, 2026, as the New Avengers will be fighting alongside the original Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Wakandans and various other characters.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
