Sebastian Stan's mystery role in The Batman Part II continues to generate speculation among DC fans. Rumours range from Two-Face to Victor Zsasz and even Hush, but we're currently no closer to knowing what the truth is.
During a recent interview with Josh Horowitz, the Avengers: Doomsday star once again successfully avoided revealing any clues about his mystery DC role. However, Stan elaborated on how he ended up joining the DC Universe after a 15-year ongoing stint as the MCU's Bucky Barnes.
It turns out Stan initially approached James Gunn about the DCU, only to end up being scooped up by Matt Reeves for his long-awaited sequel to 2022's The Batman.
"Matt had seen The Apprentice and really liked the film and my work in that," the actor explained. "And then that inspired a conversation, and subsequently around the same time I was kind of poking the bear a bit over there with James Gunn, going, 'I think we should figure something out.'"
After joking that he's playing Batman, Stan praised the 2028 movie's script by revealing, "I think it's a very ambitious thing and I hope it lands right. I have a lot of faith in it because I do feel like Matt is truly a genius of our time and one of the very few people that I think is so unique and so specific and has been at this for three years. I mean, it's not an accident."
He continued, "Like, he really honed it—you know, he knows what he's doing—and so I'm just happy to be part of that vision because I do feel like it's ambitious, but I just think it's going to be great. This is definitely for me feeling like something very different than I've gotten to do."
What that "different" role is remains to be seen, but The Batman Part II star is returning to a familiar character this December when suits up as Bucky in Avengers: Doomsday. The character is one Stan hopes to continue exploring, and he reiterated his desire to see the former HYDRA assassin come full circle and wield the shield as Captain America.
"I always bring it up. Even the Captain America thing, I bring it up. I'm like, whenever—sorry, Anthony—I'm like, whenever, let's go. I'm just saying, I'm ready, man," he told Horowitz. "I'm at that sweet spot where I can still do some of it. It's really more in terms of just the action bits that you want to do."
"I love the films that I was in: The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame. I'm so protective of it in a way, and I do feel like the evolution of the character was right," he noted. "I don't think it should have gone differently. I never have any idea about what it is that they want to do, but I still feel that there's something about this character that hasn't totally yet been completed, and I think they know it."
Marvel Studios decided to skip Bucky's time as Captain America and instead jumped straight to Sam Wilson taking over. There have been rumours about BuckyCap's debut in Avengers: Secret Wars, but whether it finally becomes a reality on Battleworld remains to be seen.
In a separate conversation with Deadline, Anthony Mackie confirmed that he'll return as Sam in Secret Wars, and revealed why he has no concerns about Chris Evans' long-awaited comeback as Steve Rogers, the MCU's original Captain America.
"He’s just coming back and reprising his role, but I’m still Captain America. Like, if you look at the comic books, there are comic books where Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson are together fighting as Captain America," he clarified. "They’re both still Captain America. It’s just Steve Rogers comes back because they have a big opponent to battle in Doomsday."
You can watch the full interview with Stan in the player below. Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, with The Batman Part II set for February 18, 2028.