I really hope the Thunderbolts *Winter Soldier tie-ins doesn’t undo a 9-year-old character arc

The thunderbolts* Trailer teases the return of the Winter Soldier and I hope it doesn’t undo Bucky Barnes’ nine-year character arc. Marvel’s upcoming thunderbolts* Is basically its version of DC’s Suicide Squad. The film follows a group of the MCU’s best anti-heroes who come together to complete a dangerous mission. The team features an elite lineup including Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, John Walker, Ghost and Taskmaster. The film also brings back Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegre de Fontaine and will introduce Lewis Pullman as Sentry.

Most of the characters were introduced in phases 4 and 5, except Ghost and Bucky. Bucky has one of the longest tenures in the MCU since his debut in Captain America: The First Avenger. After he became the Winter Soldier in 2014, he was on a long road of redemption, trying to return to being the man who was an honest friend to Steve Rogers. After the first one thunderbolts* trailer, I hope the MCU doesn’t undo all that Bucky went through to reach his current status.

Is Bucky back as the Winter Soldier in Thunderbolts *?!

Thunderbolts* is teasing another villainous turn from Bucky

This is a difficult question to answer. Bucky hasn’t been the Winter Soldier for a while, but he’s still commonly referred to as his old self. For example, the end of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Changed Sam Wilson’s title to Captain America but kept Bucky’s the same, despite his possible change to the White Wolf. He is not subject to being brainwashed anymore, however He still hasn’t lost the title that made him a famous threat. However, this may change based on these thunderbolts* footage.

The trailer ends with Bucky chasing down a car filled with the Thunderbolts team. He fires a missile at their car, flipping the vehicle over. It is not explained why he is against them, but it also does not mean that he was brainwashed again. He and Valentina were seen at a party together, so it’s possible that he works for her, and she orders him to stop the Thunderbolts. There’s a lot that wasn’t explained in the trailer, and Marvel may have just wanted to show Bucky Barnes back in action.

Bucky going back to The Winter Soldier so quickly would ruin his character arc

Bucky Barnes doesn’t deserve to go back to the Winter Soldier

It’s also possible that someone may have figured out how to brainwash Bucky once again, but I hope that’s not the case. Starting in Captain America: Civil WarBucky has been trying to escape his past as the Winter Soldier. After Steve helped him escape from the US government, he was frozen in Wakanda as they tried to find a cure for him. The experiment was successful, as Bucky was no longer susceptible to being brainwashed. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Gore put his dual identity to bed as Bucky learned to move forward and find closure.

Bucky had one of the best character arcs in the MCU. He started out as Steve’s loyal friend before becoming a mindless killer. Steve helped him find the light and put him on the path to redemption, and he finally began to find his place in the world without it. Bucky turns into the Winter Soldier this quickly after he puts it behind his vault Undo all the great work Marvel has done to get him to where he is today. It would also be disappointing to see Bucky return to his nightmare, knowing how long it might take him to undo it again.

Marvel already has another super soldier in 2025

Isaiah Bradley could be the next super soldier to take an unexpected turn

The other reason I don’t want Bucky to go rogue is that it will repeat a similar storyline in a short amount of time. As seen in the US Captain America: Brave New World Trailer, Isaiah Bradley looks like he’s going to get brainwashed into trying to assassinate the president. His attempt fails, but it’s still a super soldier gone wrong after finally getting redemption for their disturbing past. Isaiah doesn’t have a history like the Winter Soldier, so someone figured out how to tap into the minds of super soldiers and control them against their will.

Brave New World Debuts on February 14, 2025, while thunderbolts* Releases a few months later on May 2. If Bucky returns to The Winter Soldier, so be it The second MCU storyline featuring a rogue super soldier in three months. Hopefully, Bucky’s attack on the Thunderbolts crew is of his own volition. This way, Marvel can avoid ruining his character arc thunderbolts* And repeating a plot point that might get redundant.