New Marvel Fan Theory Could Tease Major MCU Death

Anthony Mackie’s recent comments about Captain America: Brave New World have some fans worried about Bucky. On the One More Life podcast the Sam Wilson actor revealed that Sebastian Stan and Daniel Bruhl’s villain wouldn’t be in the MCU sequel. Naturally, with Bucky Barnes playing a role in Thunderbolts next year, some fans began to wonder, would Marvel really kill off such a popular character. With the franchise embracing the past in a wholesale fashion with titles like X-Men ’97 and Deadpool & Wolverine it seems unfathomable. But, it’s not completely wild to wonder. Bucky’s probably safe, but Mackie is going to have to beat Harrison Ford by himself.

“The Falcon and [the] Winter Soldier, I really enjoyed doing that show. I was actually excited to do a second season, just so me and Sebastian [Stan] can get paid to hang out. Because it’s like me, him and Daniel Brühl,” Mackie revealed. “It’s kind of like the perfect storm of happiness… When they decided to go back to the movies, it is what it is, but I don’t have my friends anymore, so it kind of dampens it a little bit. Anything I can do to hang out with Daniel, a dancing Daniel Brühl, makes me very happy.”

That seems pretty definitive from the Captain America star. But, it could just as easily be a scheduling conflict. Various scoopers suspected that Thunderbolts would be directly related to Brave New World. It seems as though that’s not the case now. Although Marvel Studios hasn’t commented on the specifics of these two stories. They are related a bit thematically, but not in a way that’s going to present an easy way to have Stan’s character ride in for Cap’s big brawl at the climax of Brave New World.

Why Would Bucky Die In Thunderbolts?

Thunderbolts‘ biggest open secret surrounding production of this movie has been around The Sentry. For the uninitiated, Marvel’s slightly twisted version of a Superman-like character has been teased as a part of Thunderbolts. With the group of characters presented as a part of this team having such grounded abilities, coming into a fight against an A-level powered being could bed the end of the line. ComicBook.com previously talked to David Harbour about Thunderbolts and teased “a bomb” being dropped on the MCU.

“I have not read a script, but I have been told the arc of the story and how the story goes,” Harbour told us. “It’s very cool. It’s very unique. It also has all this cool action and comedy, from what has been described to me, and then there is a bomb drop thing we add to the universe, which will be very exciting for the movie to do at the end of this particular phase that we’re ending.”

Could that universe-altering shake-up include Bucky biting the dust? Very possibly! But, there’s nothing in stone right now. In fact, there are a couple more likely candidates in that Thunderbolts lineup to be a “noble sacrifice” at the feet of The Sentry. (In fact, wouldn’t Red Guardian himself be a more likely candidate at this point? Remember how much everyone freaked out when it seemed like he died in Stranger Things?) So, there’s a possibility, however that’s all we can really say at the moment.

Reasons To Believe That Bucky Survives

The biggest reason to not worry too much about Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes is the recent path of the MCU. Nostalgia is having a big moment right now. (Just look at the reactions to X-Men and Deadpool for examples, despite Internet cries to the contrary.) It’s hard to believe that Marvel Studios would punt on the audience sobbing when Chris Evans returns in Avengers: Secret Wars and Bucky sees Steve again.

Ms. Marvel‘s Iman Vellani says moments like that might go a long way moving forward. She told The Direct that fans are probably missing some of those moments because the characters haven’t been in a massive team-up project like an Avengers movie recently. Here’s her reasoning.

“I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s about just getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Because then, like, what’s left? You know, I think it’s just about making the audience care about their characters,” Vellani began. “And I think they’ve established so many wonderful characters in the last phase of the MCU that it would be nice to see them all again and see them team up.”

“I think, because there are so many new characters people want to like, start shipping people together and be like, ‘Oh, seeing Kamala and like the Red Guardian together,’” the actor mused. “Like imagining all these pair-ups, and I think that would definitely pay off. It’ll be like, you know, the next Avengers.”

Do you think Bucky’s a goner? Let us know down in the comments!