Sebastian Stan Explains Why He Wasn’t the Next Captain America

Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier, in the Marvel films, recently sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and took the time to explain one lingering element of Avengers: Endgame that has never made sense — why Bucky didn’t inherit Captain America’s shield.

“Like anybody that ends up traumatized by a war experience, [Bucky] was affected by it for the rest of his life,” Stan explained. “So, what felt like a desire there was for a restart — for him and for Steve in a way. It didn’t necessarily feel like the shield was gonna be that. Steve going back in time and saying, ‘I’m gonna take something for me now. I’ve been here for all these guys, and I’ve done the best I could. I’m just a man, and I’m going to go back and try to live my life.’ I feel that is something that Bucky would want for his best friend, and at the same time, Steve is saying to Bucky, ‘You’re going to go and do that, too. I’m not going to put this thing on you. We’re both going to live our lives — the lives that were actually taken from us back in the ‘40s when we enlisted.'”

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Stan went on to explain that he always believed Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, was the clear man to take the mantle for more reasons that may be explored in the upcoming The Falcon and The Winter Soldier TV show.

“Sam, to me, was always the clear man to take on that mantle for numerous reasons, which also comes with so much more baggage that’s going to be explored in the show. I guess you’ll have to tune into Disney+ to find out why. (Laughs.) At the end of Endgame, for either Steve or Bucky, it’s really not about the shield.”

The actor further teased the Disney+ series by revealing the tone is closer to the popular Captain America: Winter Soldier as it’s “grounded and very much in the world as we know it,” but that it also includes “a lot of massive, massive action scenes mixed with deep focus on character.” 

“That’s what’s really exciting about this. We’re getting to keep it in the world of the movies, so it’s recognizable that way, but at the same time, these characters are getting so much more mileage for all of us to explore them. We can put them in situations that we’ve never been able to put them in before because you now have six hours as opposed to two. It’s always a discovery.”

Unfortunately, we’re still a ways off from seeing the Marvel show as production was halted due to the coronavirus. Originally, the series was slated to run in August, but as of now there’s no official word of when the series will air.

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Anthony Mackie (Point Blank) and Sebastian Stan (I, Tonya) will be reprising their roles as Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. Joining them are MCU veterans Daniel Bruhl and Emily VanCamp, who are set to return as Helmut Zemo and Sharon Carter, respectively. Neither character has appeared onscreen since 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.

During the Marvel Studios panel at D23 Expo 2019, it was revealed that Wyatt Russell (Lodge 49, Black Mirror) has joined the series for the role of Marvel Comics character U.S. Agent. Miki Ishikawa (The Terror: Infamy), Desmond Chiam (Now Apocalypse), Carl Lumbly (Doctor Sleep, Supergirl) and Noah Mills (The Enemy Within) have also been cast for the series.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier may only run for six episodes, but it will connect with the larger MCU.

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