The new teaser trailer for Marvel’s Thunderbolts has dropped, and its igniting fiery debates among fans about the trajectory of Bucky Barnes.
As Marvel’s anti-hero take on the Avengers, this film showcases a roster of questionable characters, including former Black Widow Yelena Belova and the U.S. Agent John Walker, alongside the long-familiar Bucky, who first graced the screen in Captain America: The First Avenger.
Bucky’s Character Arc
Bucky has been through a lot, to say the least. But this is the first time fans are concerned about the direction of his character.
To understand the unease surrounding Bucky in Thunderbolts, you have to consider the context of his character development in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
The limited series (2014) was an early Multiverse Saga project that follows Sam Wilson and Bucky as they confront a new super-soldier threat.
Because Winter Solider came before Avengers: Endgame, it also deals heavily with the grief that Sam and Bucky share following the death of Steve Rogers.
Both characters grow in their ways. However, Bucky’s growth as a character was somewhat more noticeable than that of Sam’s, despite the fact that Sam’s arc ultimately paves the way for him to become Captain America.
In Winter Soilder, Bucky had already been deprogrammed from HYDRA by the Wakandans. Once freed from his indoctrination as the Winter Soldier, Bucky grapples with guilt over the lives he’s taken and the challenge of fitting into the world around him. Bucky self isolates, rejecting Sam’s efforts to reach out—at first.
Throughout the series, Bucky Barnes experiences significant growth, ultimately warming up and embracing friendship that culminates in a heartwarming scene where he laughs and jokes with Sam’s family.
Character Regression?
Fast forward to Marvel’s Thunderbolts teaser.
The trailer presents a stark contrast to this progression. Bucky appears more stoic and brooding, echoing the darker, earlier version of himself as the Winter Soldier.
This shift raises alarms, especially in light of the backlash online against Wanda Maximoff’s portrayal in Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, where her character development from prequel WandaVision was largely ignored.
The trailer has let fans questioning whether Marvel has regressed his character development and arc.
Hints at What’s to Come
Fans are speculating wildly about Bucky’s fate in the upcoming movie: Has he been reactivated as the Winter Soldier, or has he merely reverted to his earlier, grumpy self?
In July, Wyatt Russell, who is reprising his role as John Walker in Thunderbolts, hinted that Bucky will be a Congressman in an interview at Comic Con 2024 in San Diego.
With uncertainty surrounding Bucky’s evolution, the anticipation for Thunderbolts continues to grow, promising a thrilling ride fraught with emotional complexities when the stakes feel higher than ever.
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