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Marvel Studios released first-look footage for Thunderbolts*, which reveals Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes sporting a new look — and it has me worried about how the MCU movie is handling his story. One of four MCU movies set to release in 2025, Thunderbolts* unites a team of not-quite-heroes from past Marvel movies and shows to undertake a mission for CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. As was previously confirmed by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, Bucky will be the leader of the Thunderbolts team, taking a step up from being Captain America's friend.
Recently, Marvel unveiled the first footage of Thunderbolts* as part of a larger video celebrating the company's 85th anniversary. The single shot shows five members of the Thunderbolts* movie cast standing in an elevator while the doors open, including David Harbour as Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Stan as Bucky Barnes, Florence Pugh as Yelena and Wyatt Russell as US Agent. While Bucky isn't the only member of the Thunderbolts sporting a new look — Pugh's Yelena also has a new haircut — his is the one I'm worried about, because of what it could mean for his MCU story.
Related Who Are Marvel's Thunderbolts* & Where We Last Saw Each Member In The MCU Thunderbolts* is set to assemble a new team with darker pasts seen in previous MCU movies, so here"s a breakdown of where we last saw each member.
Why Bucky's New Look In Marvel's Thunderbolts* Has Me Worried Bucky's Appearance Looks More Like The Winter Soldier Close Historically, Marvel movies have used a character's appearance to reflect the state of their mental health. This is most obviously done with Lebowski Thor in Avengers: Endgame, but it can be more subtle, like Steve Rogers' wearing more modern clothes as he acclimates to being a man out of time. As such, I do believe we can use Bucky's appearance to ascertain what sort of mental state he'll be in during Thunderbolts*, but his hair looks a lot more like the Winter Soldier than the last time we saw Bucky, and I'm worried it means Marvel is erasing his character development.
Bucky's story in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was about making amends for his actions while he was the Winter Soldier and moving forward (which is a problematic storyline for a character that was ultimately a victim). His short hair reflected the fact that Bucky was getting back to himself, after he'd spent so many decades as the brainwashed super-soldier assassin for Hydra, and was beginning to look like he had in Captain America: The First Avenger. However, his new look reverts him back to his appearance as the Winter Soldier, and I'm concerned Marvel may be handling his character carelessly.
Related I'm Really Scared Bucky Barnes Is Going To Die In Thunderbolts* After Sebastian Stan's New Comments Following Sebastian Stan"s comments about feeling like Bucky Barnes has nine lives in the MCU, I"m worried those lives will run out in Thunderbolts*.
1 There's Only 1 Reason I'll Accept Bucky's New Look In Thunderbolts* There Could Be A Good Explanation For His Appearance Close It's entirely possible that Marvel knows exactly what they're doing with Bucky Barnes' character in Thunderbolts*, and his look reverting back to his appearance as the Winter Soldier could be an indication of him backsliding on his healing journey. After all, healing from past trauma isn't linear, and given Bucky doesn't seem to have much, if any, contact with his best friend Steve Rogers, or his newer friend Sam Wilson, it seems even more likely Bucky would backslide without those support systems. So he could be in a dark place when it comes to his mental health.
This seems like a possible explanation for Sebastian Stan's new look as Bucky based on what fellow his fellow Thunderbolts* stars have said about the movie. At San Diego Comic-Con last month, David Harbour spoke to EW about where the Marvel movie finds his character, Red Guardian, while also alluding to the fact that the Thunderbolts* characters will all be struggling with mental health issues:

Part of the film is — for a lot of these characters, not to get too deep on it — but it deals a little bit with mental illness and self-hatred, for sure, and the tripping over yourself.

US Agent actor Wyatt Russell also spoke about the movie's underlying themes, saying, "Go for the kicks, stay for the emotional complexity and the mental health issues." It's clear from these very early interviews for Thunderbolts* that mental illness and its effects on the characters will be an important part of the movie, which may explain Bucky's new look.
Marvel Needs To Take Better Care Of Bucky's MCU Story MCU Movies And Shows Have Made Bucky's Story A B-Plot In The Past Close I hope Bucky's new look is actually reflective of the movie doing a deep examination of his mental health.
Although Bucky's assassin name has been featured in the titles of two separate MCU projects – Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – his story has largely taken a backseat to other characters. While that makes sense, since he's been billed as the secondary character to Steve Rogers' Captain America and Sam Wilson's Falcon/Captain America, it still means Marvel hasn't given Bucky the attention he deserves in the MCU. Sebastian Stan has been playing this character for 13 years, and yet he hasn't been the focus of any of the stories of which he's been a part.
Sebastian Stan's MCU Appearances
Captain America: The First Avenger
James "Bucky" Buchanan Barnes
2011
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
2014
Captain America: Civil War
Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
2016
Black Panther (Post-Credits Scene)
Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier/White Wolf
2018
Avengers: Infinity War
Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
2018
Avengers: Endgame
Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
2019
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
2021
What If…?
Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
2021- present
Thunderbolts
Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
2025
That will hopefully change in Thunderbolts*. Since Bucky is the leader of the team, my hope is that Marvel will finally give his story the care it deserves. Bucky is a disabled veteran, a survivor of mental abuse, and a very complex character in his own right. While I'm concerned that Bucky's longer hair and goatee will be indicative of Marvel minimizing his healing journey so far, I hope Bucky's new look is actually reflective of the movie doing a deep examination of his mental health. It's what Bucky deserves, and it's what fans of Bucky, myself included, deserve to see.
More about the movie, how it deals with mental illness and complex emotions, and whether my concerns are valid will no doubt be addressed the closer Thunderbolts* gets to its release. At the very least, we'll know whether Thunderbolts* lives up to the promises made by the cast when it hits theaters next spring. Don't let me down, Marvel.
Thunderbolts (2025) Not Yet Rated AdventureAction Marvel's Thunderbolts is a superhero movie based on the comic team of the same name. The movie acts as a part of the MCU's fifth phase of films. The film sees the likes of Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Wyatt Russell, the Red Guardian, and more as an unlikely group of heroes and villains brought together to fight for good.
Director Jake Schreier Release Date May 2, 2025 Studio(s) Marvel Studios Distributor(s) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Writers Lee Sung Jin Cast Sebastian Stan , Wyatt Russell , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Tim Roth , Daniel Brühl , Florence Pugh , David Harbour , Olga Kurylenko , Harrison Ford Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe Budget $200 million Expand Upcoming MCU Movies Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date February 14, 2025 Thunderbolts*
Release Date May 2, 2025 The Fantastic Four (2025)
Release Date July 25, 2025 Blade (2025)
Release Date November 7, 2025 Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date May 1, 2026 Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date May 7, 2027