THUNDERBOLTS* Star Sebastian Stan Reveals Whether Bucky Is Still A Congressman After [SPOILER] Reveal

THUNDERBOLTS* Star Sebastian Stan Reveals Whether Bucky Is Still A Congressman After [SPOILER] Reveal

Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier and star Sebastian Stan have commented on Bucky Barnes' role as a Congressman following the events of the movie and whether he still holds that position moving forward.

By JoshWilding - May 04, 2025 02:05 PM EST
Filed Under: Thunderbolts
Source: Entertainment Weekly

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier saw Bucky Barnes finally move on from his past as a HYDRA assassin. Captain America: Brave New World later revealed that he had set out to become a United States Congressman. 

In Thunderbolts*, Bucky is serving in Congress (on behalf of his constituents in Brooklyn, New York) but finds that the positive change he wants to effect isn't easy thanks to Governmental bureaucracy and red tape. 

The movie ends with the hero leading the New Avengers alongside Yelena Belova. Does that mean his days as a Congressman are over? 

"Yeah, it's almost like crossing it out, right?" Sebastian Stan tells Entertainment Weekly. "He's still been trying to find his way of how he can contribute in a way that he hasn't before. Ultimately, he realizes, 'No, I am who I am, and I do things how I do them, and I should just do that.'"

"But there's a lot of strange congressmen these days anyway, so... The only issue I had was, 'Well, why is he growing out his hair if he's going to be a congressman?!' But I still wanted to grow it out, so I was like, 'I don't care,'" he adds.

Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier had a somewhat more definitive answer, saying Bucky's political career is "pretty well done." The filmmaker noted, "I think he's found a new place that makes much more sense for him."

Elsewhere in the interview, Stan talked about finding a new approach to the character he's been playing since 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger

"It was interesting because, after the TV show Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I think we got him further along in a good head space where I feel he is now just finally realizing how to incorporate some of those Winter Soldier characteristics and get a handle on them," the actor explains.

"And so it was fun bringing back some of those moments with the new Bucky that we've established and to find the humor and the cool, dangerous factor as well. That was nice."

Bucky and his fellow New Avengers look set to be front and centre in Avengers: Doomsday, so there's still plenty more for Stan to do with this character. Some fans speculated that his becoming a Congressman might lead to a U.S. Presidential run, but we'd surely all rather see Bucky kicking butt instead of lounging around the Oval Office. 

Check out some new promos for Thunderbolts* below.

In Thunderbolts*, Marvel Studios assembles an unconventional team of antiheroes - Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker. After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap set by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, these disillusioned castoffs must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.

Will this dysfunctional group tear themselves apart, or find redemption and unite as something much more before it’s too late?

"Thunderbolts* redefines superhero storytelling to deliver a moving and powerful story that does for the 'Multiverse Saga' what The Avengers did for the 'Infinity Saga' in 2012," we said in our review. "These heroes have earned their place on a Wheaties box."

The cast of Thunderbolts* will be led by Florence Pugh as Yelena Boleva, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and Lewis Pullman as "Bob."

Written by Eric Pearson, Lee Sung Jin, and Joanna Calo, and directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters.

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HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 5/4/2025, 2:51 PM
This was the logical end place for Bucky, but we should have spent a little more time with him as a congressman. It went by very fast.
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 5/4/2025, 2:58 PM
@HeavyMetal4Life - I feel like this is where Marvel Studios should add Congressman Barnes in a cameo in Daredevil Born Again Season 2. With him being a vocal advocate against Fisk and the Marshall Law he enacted.
NonPlayerC
NonPlayerC - 5/4/2025, 3:11 PM
@SonOfAGif - that would be great
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 5/4/2025, 3:29 PM
@SonOfAGif - that would be sweet
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 5/4/2025, 3:34 PM
@HeavyMetal4Life - This would place Thunderbolts* after the events of Born Again season 2 and at least give us some scenes with Bucky still as an active congressman.
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 5/4/2025, 3:52 PM
@SonOfAGif - yeah I agree. Would be sweet. Though I doubt we get that, tbh.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/4/2025, 4:49 PM
@HeavyMetal4Life - I agree

It would have been nice to explore that a bit more and how he assimilates to that life instead of skipping to the end but oh well.
dragon316
dragon316 - 5/4/2025, 6:22 PM
@HeavyMetal4Life - kinda glad went fast for him wasn’t that intersting see him be surprised if he’s still in congress in other movies tv shows
MisterBones
MisterBones - 5/4/2025, 2:52 PM
Loved when he went terminator in the desert road scene
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 5/4/2025, 3:29 PM
@MisterBones - yeah that was awesome!
EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 5/4/2025, 5:16 PM
@MisterBones - Music was perfect for that scene too.
99OPTIMISTPRIME
99OPTIMISTPRIME - 5/4/2025, 2:56 PM
A weird direction to go in, for Bucky.🤣 Especially if you were just gonna make an operative for the government again, anyway.🤣
HOTSHOT
HOTSHOT - 5/4/2025, 3:08 PM
@99OPTIMISTPRIME - Wasn't he an operator for Nazis? Also don't the New Avengers have all the control this time?
Batmangina
Batmangina - 5/4/2025, 2:57 PM
At least they didn't do anything stupid like make him Captain America.
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 5/4/2025, 3:01 PM
Marvel has a NY problem. There are two serious events that have happened in NY and neither have mentioned one another. Mayor Fisk enacting a Marshall Law and The Void engulfing Midtown and the financial district into darkness
HOTSHOT
HOTSHOT - 5/4/2025, 3:09 PM
@SonOfAGif - What do you mean? Where would they mention Fisk's vigilante thing in this situation? And the Void JUST happened. So they haven't mentioned it YET since its the latest project.
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 5/4/2025, 3:33 PM
@HOTSHOT - Spider-Man has been absent from both events. And both events would have had him aid or at the very least save civilians.
AleSir19
AleSir19 - 5/4/2025, 5:40 PM
@SonOfAGif - In this point in time has become clear that the MCU is not inter connected in the same way that it was before.

The MCU of Phase 4-5-6 is more like the DCU or even the Fox-Men Universe.

Un every film or tv series a lot of shit happens. But nothing really connects anymore.

Beyond you know that characters appaering in that film or that TV Show.

So in this point in time has become clear that nothing Will make sense or be coherent...

And then Doomsday and Secret Wars will happen, everything Will end.

And maybe when they restart again, maybe then the interconnections between film and tv series events will begin to happen again.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/4/2025, 5:58 PM
@SonOfAGif - I was atleast expecting Val to mention wanting to make the team official knowing Fisk doesn't want vigilantes running around
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 5/4/2025, 6:15 PM
@bkmeijer1 - A passing comment like that would have been more than enough.
Vigor
Vigor - 5/4/2025, 3:07 PM
I honestly can't wait to see this movie again. Same with brave new world. This fall on Disney plus from the comfort of my own home
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 5/4/2025, 3:35 PM
@Vigor - Plus Alien: Earth and then Predator Badlands. We are eating good this fall.
ClintthaManster
ClintthaManster - 5/4/2025, 3:26 PM
Saw it this morning, and I can that it is very good! Very fun, emotionally impactful, consequential to the MCU writ large but not so much that it's just table setting. The wife left saying "That was A LOT better than I was expecting."Hyped for what comes next!
vtopa
vtopa - 5/4/2025, 3:36 PM
I don’t get the whole Congressman Bucky thing. It’s a far cry from the end of Falcon and Winter Soldier storywise and we never see how he decided to do it and what the election looked like. If they were trying to show him as accepting being part of the mainstream political world it would have been better for him to have been appointed to the NSA or Homeland Security as Director or something
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/4/2025, 4:56 PM
I do think Bucky’s role makes sense and is the next natural step for him as he helps others in their quest for redemption as Steve & co did for him.

Anyway , it was a solid film and made me excited even moreso for the future!!.

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EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 5/4/2025, 5:20 PM
@TheVisionary25 - I liked the discussion Congressman Gary was having with him about the packets and seeing how different the political side of accomplishing things is from what Barnes would be used to.

Pen being mightier than the sword.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/4/2025, 5:32 PM
@EskimoJ - yeah and you could tell Bucky didn’t think highly of the process
Kadara
Kadara - 5/4/2025, 5:46 PM
He's not. Also: nobody cares about NFL's UFC. Best game will be next Tuesday: Barca v Inter
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/4/2025, 6:04 PM
Think it's pretty funny Bucky tried out being a congressman. Wish it lasted longer than just from Brave New World to this though.

Either way, think Bucky has had one of the more interesting characters arcs. Definitely up there now in my top 5 with Thor, Loki, Nebula and Rocket (or rather down here, since he's the only one that's not from or been to space I guess).

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