As Phase 2 ramps up for its finale next summer with Avengers 2: Age of Ultron, I have a suggestion to Marvel for its grand Phase 3 plans. The Winter Soldier solo film.
We all know that Marvel has 2 mystery movies in the plans for Phase 3 with it all but confirmed that Dr. Strange is taking one of the slots. As much as I want a Black Panther movie in Phase 3, I think a Winter Soldier film could really blow people away.
Much in the same way Guardians of the Galaxy is a departure from the rest of the phase 2 movies while still a part of the overarching plan, The Winter Soldier could be a different type of film that still progresses the overall big picture Marvel has planned.
The Winter Soldier movie would progress the character brought to life by Sebastian Stan without having to use Cap 3 as a vehicle. Sebastian Stan was great in the role and has a 9 picture deal with Marvel. To some this suggests that Marvel has plans to kill Captain America and let a rehabilitated Bucky take over the mantle. It’s not that I’m opposed to the idea, but as a fan of the Winter Soldier storylines, I would really enjoy standalone films for the character.
My idea of a Winter Soldier movie would be an origin story of the character. In Cap 2 we saw glimpses of the Winter Soldier’s origin and “rebooting”. The Winter Soldier movie would delve deeper into how Bucky was transformed into the deadly assassin. It would include his reprogramming and his cryo-status. Half of the movie would be spent bringing the character up to the point of Cap 2. It would include Lukin, Zola, and a shadowy third party behind the scenes—more on the character later. More importantly, it would also touch on the Winter Soldier’s path crossing with the Black Widow in Soviet Russia.
The second half of the movie will deal with the aftermath of Cap 2 and Bucky trying to pick up the pieces. He is left broken, his past transgressions flowing through him and filling him with regret and self-loathing. He remains off the grid searching for answers, searching for those who did this to him—think Jason Bourne. Additionally, as Bucky is hunting down those responsible he is also on the run from those looking for him—specifically Cap and Falcon. In this way the movie can progress not only the Winter Soldier storyline forward, but also the Captain America story without the use of Cap 3. This would free Cap 3 to be its own movie free of the Winter Soldier and able to tackle other characters like Crossbones, Zemo, Madame Hydra, or possibly even Black Panther. It would also allow further development of Anthony Mackie’s Falcon.
As to the conclusion of the Winter Soldier movie, Cap and Falcon catch up to Bucky after he gets sloppy and makes a mistake. He has been struggling the whole back half of the movie with flashbacks and his past and it finally catches up to him and allows Cap and Falcon to catch him, but not before it is revealed who the shadowy controlling figure is. Just as Bucky discovers and prepares to confront the shadowy villain, Cap and Falcon show up. The 3 are in a warehouse about to hash it out when the shadowy figure emerges and it’s revealed to be the Red Skull. After the big reveal, cut to credits with the cliffhanger for Cap 3 or Winter Soldier 2.
Red Skull is one of the preeminent villains in the Marvel Universe and it’s time to bring him back from the furthest reaches of the universe, more evil and diabolical than ever. Where he has been, what he has learned, and how he returned are all questions left for a Winter Soldier sequel or Cap 3 if Marvel desires. This could allow for a recasting of the iconic villain and a much darker version than Weaving’s version in The First Avenger.
Through this movie Marvel can further develop the characters of Winter Soldier, Cap, Falcon, Black Widow, possibly even Hawkeye or Sharon Carter and most importantly bring the Red Skull back into the fold. This movie would influence the Avengers lineup in Avengers 3, the storyline of Cap 3, and possibly even Agents of SHIELD. Although it would not directly affect the cosmic side of the MCU, it would provide more levity and depth to the non-cosmic characters as they prepare for the presumably Infinity Gauntlet storyline in Avengers 3. If Marvel is not ready for Black Panther movie in Phase 3, I believe this is the route they should go.