Summary
- Thunderbolts* features unconventional heroes with unique personalities, showcasing real promise.
- Barnes may need to showcase changes in Thunderbolts* as he is thrust into a small team setting.
- Positioning Barnes as the leader would elevate his status as a top MCU star and continue his character growth.
Thunderbolts* will see a team of familiar faces come together to form the latest team in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Boasting various superpowers and unique personalities, Thunderbolts* will undoubtedly feature an unconventional bunch of heroes, but it’s a movie showcasing real promise. It has built up a lot of excitement amongst Marvel fans.
Each character is a bit rough, and none are traditional heroes in the sense that most MCU stars are. That’s the charm of them being a team in this movie, but one character in particular might need to showcase some changes.
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Thunderbolts* Trailer Paints A Worrying Picture For One Character
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It’s Time To See A New Bucky Barnes
Bucky Barnes is a character that MCU fans will be very familiar with heading into this movie as he’s been part of the Marvel franchise since Captain America: The First Avenger, which was released back in 2011. Since then, he’s been a key character in the Captain America franchise, appearing in various Avengers movies and even having his own Disney Plus show alongside Anthony Mackie’s version of Captain America. Throughout that time, Barnes has been through many changes as a hero and a villain. His journey in the MCU is one of the most complex, but that has made him one of the most popular at the same time, and now fans are ready to see a new change from him.
While Barnes was full of happiness and confidence during his initial MCU appearance, due to his journey as the Winter Soldier, he has become more guarded and reserved. That helped his character feel more intriguing, and ever since then, he’s slowly been chipping away to become the person he used to be. However, Thunderbolts* should be the next big step in that sense because he’s not typically a team player. Barnes prefers to work alone and utilize his strengths, but in this movie, he’s going to be thrust into a small group, rather than the grander Avengers team, which will be a new experience for him as a character. That will see a new side of him come out, and while it will be different from how the likes of Captain America work in a team setting, there will be a change for him.
Bucky Barnes Could Be The Thunderbolts* Leader
The team in Thunderbolts* is filled with unique personalities that are very different from each other, and they’re anything but conventional. The fact that they’re all quite single-minded, like to do things their own way, and will happily bend the rules should set them apart from The Avengers or The Fantastic Four, who are slightly more clean-cut. However, it also makes it slightly difficult to determine who will be the leader of this group without seeing the film. The Thunderbolts* trailer didn’t give too much away in that sense, but it feels like this could be the perfect time to put Barnes into that position.
Considering how long he’s been in the MCU, Barnes will be the most well-known character heading into this movie as one of the top stars in the franchise. That is why it would make sense to position him as the leader in Thunderbolts*, as people would expect him to be in that role, and he will be one of the big stars. Plus, it would help continue the development of his character. Barnes has been growing back to who he originally was in the MCU, and while he’s never going to be that same man, seeing him lead a team would be a new situation, and that type of character growth is what fans want to see from him.
It Would Help Make Bucky Barnes A Top MCU Star
Barnes has been a character in the MCU for over a decade, and audiences have warmed toward him. People love to see the character appear in different movies and television shows because he’s been treated well within the MCU, as the writing team always puts lots of effort into him. Thunderbolts* is going to have a lot going on, and it could be easy to get lost in the chaos. Still, it’s unlikely that will happen for Barnes because Sebastian Stan has such a presence and a clear understanding of what this character is capable of.
He’s always been seen on a level just below the likes of Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. However, if he can change and lead his own team in the MCU, which could become a franchise in its own right, then it would only raise his standing within the franchise. Marvel Studios needs some new top heroes to build the franchise around for the foreseeable future, and while there are lots of new heroes coming in, there’s no reason why Barnes can’t fill the gap. However, his role in Thunderbolts* is likely to play a big part in that, with this being a test for his character unlike any Marvel has created before.
Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
- Director
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Jake Schreier
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Florence Pugh
Yelena Belova
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Sebastian Stan
James Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier
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David Harbour
Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian
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Wyatt Russell
John Walker / U.S. Agent
