Bucky Barnes Will Save the MCU

Marvel is finally coming around to what some of us knew all along

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

There’s a lot of good things to say about Thunderbolts.

This is only her third MCU outing, but Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) is already a better character than Natasha Romanoff. Feels a bit blasphemous to say, but I think it’s true. Pugh acts her ass off in a movie that could uncharitably be called the MCU’s Suicide Squad. She also has good material to work with, instead of being the Avenger’s token female or the Hulk’s therapist/side piece. Marvel did Natasha dirty; I’m glad her adopted sis is getting better treatment.

The Red Guardian (David Harbour) is an absolute delight. Steals every scene. The movie even redeems John Walker (Wyatt Russell), who was a quasi-villain when last we left him. All the characters are damaged goods. That’s the point. In fact, I’d argue the Guardians of the Galaxy are a better comp than the Suicide Squad. Misfits, not villains. Found families, not reluctant allies.

Despite the recent marketing materials, Thunderbolts is not the best MCU film. (There’s a commercial that quotes an unnamed reviewer who posits exactly this, which obviously means said reviewer is Kevin Feige’s nephew or dog groomer.) Thunderbolts is not even in that conversation. It’s a mid-level MCU film, somewhere in the range of the first Ant-Man or Doctor Strange. Graded on the MCU’s recent curve, it’s a triumph. But let’s not get all hyperbolic here—it’s a solid B. After a wasteland of Cs and Ds, I’ll take it.

For the first time in years, I actually feel hopeful about the MCU.

A lot of that comes from the Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) of it all.

Before we go any further—in case the title didn’t clue you in—you should know I am a Bucky apologist. My long-standing theory is that the Steve Rogers / Bucky bromance is the most consequential relationship in the entire MCU. And that Bucky plays the most pivotal role in the entire Infinity Saga.

I don’t want to steal my own thunder, so I’ll just give you this nugget which underscores my overall point: You may have noticed a discordant element when watching Avengers: Endgame. The sense that something was missing. You probably assumed it was all the people who got dusted. And you’d be right, but for the wrong reason.

Bucky and Steve's relationship becomes more important as the movies progress. Which is why it feels so odd when Bucky is largely sidelined in Endgame (when he's not dead, obviously). He's been so central for so long that it felt weird and somehow wrong when that was no longer the case. You can't say that about any other character outside the big three. ~ Quoting myself from ‘How the Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes Bromance Defined the MCU’

It was weird when Bucky returned in Endgame and just stood there like a vestigial prop. (Name a more uncomfortable MCU scene than Bucky at Tony Stark’s memorial.) This is in no way commentary on the decision to give Sam Wilson the shield. That was the correct call. Sam has the right disposition and resiliency for the job. I admit it’s a bit weird to have a guy without any serum chucking that thing like it’s a frisbee, but these are comic book movies. I can overlook it. I only wish Marvel would actually own the decision, instead of offering the most lukewarm of endorsements.

It seemed like Marvel had no idea what to do with Bucky after he was deprogrammed, and certainly not once Steve left the story. So much of Bucky was tied up in his relationship with Steve, it almost felt like he couldn’t exist without him. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier did a good job of redefining Bucky without Steve, but even then, Steve’s shadow can be clearly felt. The Disney+ show is principally about Steve’s two besties deciding the other is alright, actually. I enjoyed the bromance. It’s something of a recurring theme.

Even so, the prevailing feeling was that Bucky was in limbo. While the MCU marched on, he seemed fated to fade away. They turned him into a Congressman for Pete’s sake! (I question who could possibly vote for a formerly brainwashed Soviet assassin. What kind of platform did Bucky run on? Is he a Democrat or a Republican? I have to assume he won solely based on his attractiveness and understated suave. In the few scenes we get with Bucky doing political things, it’s pretty clear he’s uncomfortable with his new job, if not completely out of his depth. There must be a cause he’s passionate about—the preservation of Coney Island, perhaps, or championing for one-armed men—that got him into politics.)

Thunderbolts is a fun ensemble led by Pugh’s strong performance and buoyed by Harbour’s levity, but the film notably kicks into a higher gear once Bucky enters the picture. The filmmakers seem to understand this, giving him an incredible introduction (not the political stuff, but a motorcycle pursuit that feels reminiscent of the Terminator films). Thunderbolts seems to be as awe-struck by Bucky as the other characters. And for good reason. Bucky has been part of the MCU since 2011. He’s an elder statesman. This comes through in his completely detached nonchalance while doing superhero stuff. If ‘been there, done that’ was a character, it would be Bucky Barnes in 2025.

And while the film makes no bones about the team being Yelena’s to lead, Bucky’s presence gives the outfit something it would otherwise lack: credibility. That extends to the film itself. Look: I love Yelena and the Red Guardian, but the only reason I was excited to see this film was because Bucky was in it. That may say more about me than the movie, but Bucky is the closest thing to an actual superhero on this roster. At least going into the movie. Which, again, the film innately understands.

It’s an understanding the MCU itself seems to be awakening to. There’s no two ways about it—Marvel fumbled the bag post-Endgame. The MCU has been listless for 5 years. And while there’s building excitement about what’s to come—namely the Fantastic Four and the 2-part Doctor Doom/Avengers films—I can honestly say I was having a hard time caring about what came next. At its best, the MCU hooked you because you were invested in what came before. We loved the movies because they made us care about the characters. Substance over spectacle.

Nostalgia will get you through some rough patches, but eventually goodwill wears out. We’re there now. We’ve been there for some time.

Ratings I arbitrarily assigned in 10 minutes; note the trend. Still haven’t seen Eternals or The Marvels.

Bucky is the rare character I feel nostalgic for who hasn’t been overused or ruined by poor writing and lackluster films. He still feels fresh and interesting, a crazy thing to say about someone who’s been around for 14 years. That’s because Bucky has only ever been second fiddle to someone else. I don’t think he’s a leading character type—we’re not going to get a standalone Bucky Barnes movie—but he has the depth and pathos of a headliner. Said another way: There’s still meat on that bone.

I guess the real question is: How long until Bucky is Captain America? Mark my words—it’s gonna happen. That honestly bums me out. I’m afraid Marvel is going to blame the box office failure of Brave New World on fan disinterest in Sam Wilson, and not own up to the fact that the movie sucks. And in so doing, decide to give the shield to Bucky. (Post-credit spoiler: Sam embracing litigation instead of just, you know, talking to his boy, is yet another instance of Marvel kicking Sam in the balls.)

I hate to see Sam get disrespected. I'm also excited about Bucky getting a 'Steve Rogers wielding the hammer' moment. Both things can be true at the same time.

Thunderbolts is the conclusion of Phase 5. In a very real way, it feels like the end of the MCU as we know it. Even more so than Endgame, after which we still had films headlined by recognizable faces (Thor, Doctor Strange, Guardians, etc.). Phase 6 is just 4 films:

• Spider-Man 4

• Fantastic Four

• 2 Avengers films

So that’s one repeat customer (Spider-Man, who Marvel doesn't have complete control over since his rights are with Sony), a new bunch of characters, and the no-holds-barred insanity of two mega team-ups.

We don’t yet know anything about Phase 7, but as it follows what’s likely to be another cataclysmic event in the Avengers duology, the MCU as we know it will look very different. How fitting then, and comforting, that we have Bucky back in the fold to pass the baton forward. Someone who has been in the MCU since nearly the beginning, and helps tie it all together. Someone who's maybe finally getting his time to shine.

Given their comic pedigree, a lot of people are looking at the third (!) iteration of the Fantastic Four as the saviors of the struggling franchise. I’m largely ambivalent about them. And I think expecting them to step in—after one movie!—to be the MCU's big damn heroes is expecting a little too much. Especially since another option—and I'd argue a better one—is standing right there. Is it any coincidence that two of the MCU's best films deeply involve one James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes? Yes, yes—Steve Rogers was also there. But Bucky was the emotional underpinning of those movies. He gave Steve his why.

It's also Marvel's good fortune that Stan is now an Academy-nominated actor. He has the chops to pull it off and the broad shoulders to carry the load.

He’s been on the sidelines far too long. Put him in the damn game, coach.