Sebastian Stan is set to don Bucky Barnes' cybernetic arm once again in Disney+'s latest Marvel Cinematic Universe series, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. We last saw Captain America's closest pal in Avengers: Endgame when he was resurrected from the Blip, and the two friends went their separate ways. Now the big question is: what does the world look like for Bucky Barnes without Steve Rogers in it?
Disney+'s new six-part series explores that idea as Bucky teams up with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), aka The Falcon, to tackle the global threat posed by anti-patriot group The Flag Smashers.
Having played Bucky since Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011, Sebastian Stan has spent a lot of time with the character — and admits that he wasn't sure where they could take the character next. However, this new team-up left Sebastian excited to get Bucky back out into the action.
(If you're looking to get caught up on it all, be sure to check out how to watch the Marvel movies in order.)
Here Sebastian Stan, 38, reveals why he was glad for the chance to play Bucky again — and why we'll still see his character processing his trauma in the series...
Sebastian Stan on reprising the role of Bucky Barnes in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier
What's the dynamic like between Sam and Bucky in the series?
"Steve Rogers is really the only thing these guys have in common. They never really got to know each other, they don't know anything about who they are or what they care for, and that's kind of what the show explores. I feel lucky that I got to do this show, and that Marvel gave us this opportunity — to be honest, after the Civil War and Endgame thing I didn't really know what else you would do with the Bucky character, I mean it felt like we had touched on everything, so to speak. But we figured out a way to give him new challenges, and I feel like this show explores him finally coming into his own and getting out of a lot of the past."
In the movies, Bucky had a lot of residual guilt and trauma from his time as a brainwashed assassin — will the series explore that?
"One of the things that I love about this show is that they are treating this character realistically. As you know, trauma never really goes away, it keeps coming back at you. You get better at dealing with certain things that have happened in your life, perhaps, and so similarly he's gotten better at that, but there are new challenges. There's a whole world out there now that he's thrown into, that he finally has time to connect with. That's going to have its own challenges, particularly without any family or friends, and the only person he sort of knew gone."
How did your approach to the character change in this series, compared to making the MCU movies?
"What has changed is that the movies were always dealing with extreme circumstances — the way you were seeing these characters, their involvement was always a part of something massive happening like Infinity War or Civil War. Now you're getting to see those characters in a 'day in the life'. You see them go home, you see them connect with family, you see them function out there in the world in a way that you've never seen them before, but you've always been fascinated in asking those questions. That's why I feel like fans are going to love it, because whatever idea they had of how the Falcon washes his clothes, they might see! It adds a whole other layer of you getting to know these characters and actually feeling closer to them than you did before."
Is there any chance that Bucky is still in touch with Steve Rogers somehow?
"Well, Steve Rogers is always going to be a part of his history — that's just how it is, right? But there was an understanding at the end of Endgame that was 'hey, you go your way, I'll go my way, okay?' It was an amicable parting, it was just the best way that Steve Rogers could have ended up, so there's no more hang-ups about what that means. I think at this point it's just more about 'who are both of these characters, separate from Steve Rogers and that big presence?' — that's what the show's about."
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier launches exclusively on Disney+ on Friday March 19.
Disney+ is available on every major streaming platform. But for the best experience, we suggest taking a look at Disney+ on Apple TV.
