Sebastian Stan Details The Winter Soldier's Redemption In CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

In Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers had a blast from the past when he discovered that his old friend Bucky Barnes was still alive and kicking as the time-bending assassin, the Winter Soldier. This May, Bucky returns for more in the Russo Brothers-directed Captain America: Civil War, however this time around, instead of being the hunter, he's the hunted.

Not much is known about the film's true plot, but based on a few rumors, we can gather that Bucky will be framed for something huge, and will then find himself evading Iron Man, the government, and the whole rest of the world who will be chasing him down for that as well as for his past HYDRA-influenced misdeeds. Fortunately for him, he has Captain America in his corner along with a handful of Avengers.

As part of their week-long Civil War coverage, Entertainment Weekly has released the final part of their six-part feature and it's an interview with the man of the hour, Sebastian Stan. To kick it off, he touched on what he found most exciting while filming the highly anticipated action sequel and like many of you, it's the top-notch stunt work. "The fighting is just very grounded. It's brutal. It's very physical. I kind of feel like I'm really learning how to fight, to be honest!" That Captain America & Winter Soldier vs. Iron Man fight at the end of the trailer would certainly back that up.

Bucky's last Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance may have been in the Ant-Man post-credits scene, but it's been reported that that scene takes place sometime during Civil War, so the last time we truly saw him was at the end of Captain America: TWS in the museum in front of his own display. So, where has he been since then? "[Civil War] pretty much picks up where we last see him in the post‑credit scene in Winter Soldier. Not exactly at the museum, but it’s right around that time. It finds him right in the middle of making significant and terrifying discoveries about himself and his past. And that’s where he’s at the beginning of this movie."

Speaking on how his character has changed between the end of the second film and the start of the third, Stan says that exploring how Bucky's changed as a man is "one of the greatest joys I have in playing this part because it's like the three movies for me have been like three people." So, how has he changed? How's he dealing with what's happened to him since 1945? "This movie certainly deals with what’s happened to him. I mean, what have we gotten as a result of Bucky and the Winter Soldier? You know, here’s the guy when you merge the two. This is what came out. To me, he’s never really going to be Bucky Barnes again. There’s going be recognizable things about him, but his path through the [experiences of] Winter Soldier is always going be there, haunting him. He recognizes his past, but at the same time he’s sort of a new character, too."

When you look at the MCU as a whole, you'd be hard-pressed to find a character that has faced more traumatic life events than Bucky Barnes. He's survived falling off a moving train to his death, survived countless black ops missions for HYDRA, and most recently, even survived falling out of a Helicarrier (managing to save Cap in the process). Could we start to see some his past take a toll on Bucky? How much of his past as the Winter Soldier will haunt him next May? And how long will it be before we see him embrace his inner hero? Read on for Stan's comments:

EW: Even as a soldier in World War II, he seemed to go through heavy things. And he was just a man then, not juiced with any super-soldier serum.

SS: I was trying for that. I can’t really go and think of a character that’s going to war in World War II and doesn’t have those side effects. Doesn’t have the burn. Bucky in that first movie, I was always thinking he’s gotta be a grounded character. He’s gotta be somebody that carries the effects of the war on him and throughout.

EW: Bucky seems to be emerging from the fog of the Winter Soldier, but that’s a journey itself, right?

SS: It doesn’t just suddenly all come back to him, just because he’s learned certain things about himself. It’s not like he immediately has all these emotions and feelings and point of views about people and families that he’s dealt with — or Steve. The knowledge is there, but the emotions aren’t explored yet, which also makes it very interesting to play.

As for his friendship with Captain America, it sounds like the bromance is as strong as ever and Cap's really putting it all on the line for Bucky this time around, swearing off some of his Avenger friends as well as the government just to protect him. Stan shared his thoughts on Cap's loyalty to his friend: "I think that’s one of the neat things about this movie and the third installment for Steve Rogers. We get to see another side of him. I mean you’d wonder, right? After so many years of being loyal and morally impenetrable and always doing the right thing that he wouldn’t somehow at some point go, ‘Man, like, what am I fighting for? What’s my life? What am I living for?’ I think this movie very much tackles those questions for Steve Rogers. He’s been questioning things I think for a long time and this is where he’s deciding to follow his instincts and not what people tell him is right or wrong." Sounds like the original Super Soldier is (finally) tired of following orders. Stan corroborated the fact and elaborated a bit on Cap's current mental state: "We constantly deal with trying to do the right thing. Following orders. And where does it lead? Sometimes it doesn’t end up well. It doesn’t end up good. [Laughs] But that’s the code. A soldier’s a soldier to the very end."

So, what do you guys think? Sound off with your thoughts below! 

“Captain America: Civil War” picks up where “Avengers: Age of Ultron” left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.