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Is Bucky Still a Congressman? Sebastian Stan Breaks Down the Winter Soldier’s Return in Thunderbolts
May
The biggest twist in Captain America: Brave New World wasn’t Harrison Ford’s transformation into Red Hulk or Sam Wilson surviving a superpowered brawl without the serum — it was Bucky Barnes… running for Congress.
Yes, the former Hydra assassin and super-soldier-turned-hero was, briefly, on the campaign trail. And when Thunderbolts* opens, we learn that Bucky actually won — he’s now Brooklyn’s congressman. Stranger things have happened in politics.
But his time in office doesn’t last. According to Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Bucky serves only half a term before ditching D.C. for his black leather jacket and a motorcycle — fully embracing his Winter Soldier roots once more. And with Val declaring that Bucky and the rest of the Thunderbolts are now the New Avengers, his political career seems officially in the rearview mirror.
So, is Bucky still a congressman?
“Yeah, it’s almost like crossing it out, right?” Sebastian Stan tells Entertainment Weekly. “He’s still trying to find his way — how he can contribute in a way he hasn’t before. Ultimately, he realizes, ‘No, I am who I am, and I do things how I do them, and I should just do that.’”
Stan laughs before adding, “But there are a lot of strange congressmen these days anyway, so…” His Thunderbolts* co-star Wyatt Russell even notes that, “Technically, theoretically,” Bucky wouldn’t have to give up the seat to return to action.
Still, Stan had his own issue with Bucky’s brief brush with politics: “The only issue I had was, ‘Why is he growing out his hair if he’s a congressman?!’ But I still wanted to grow it out, so I was like, ‘I don’t care.’”
Director Jake Schreier backs up Stan’s take: “I think that’s pretty well done,” he says. “He’s found a new place that makes more sense for him.”
The entire arc — from campaign trail to motorcycle chase — was a surprising one for Stan, who recalls “curiosity and apprehension” when he first heard about Bucky’s congressional run. “But I think it’s funny,” he says. “It was an interesting turn that I didn’t see coming — and I think probably a lot of people wouldn’t have either.”
Bringing Bucky back on his motorcycle was intentional. The scene is one of Thunderbolts*’ most thrilling action beats and a clear homage to his MCU debut in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. “It was interesting because after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we got him further along in a better headspace,” Stan explains. “Now he’s finally figuring out how to incorporate those Winter Soldier traits in a way that works.”
Schreier confirms the callback was no accident. “Having Sebastian actually out there on that bike, no green screen — it just felt special,” he says. “Bucky’s a legend, both in the MCU and to the fans. But he’s on his ninth movie now, so the question is: How do you show something new?”
The director enjoyed portraying Bucky’s “frustrating” detour into politics, if only to show how far he’s come. “It wasn’t an honest path,” Schreier says. “Now he’s back, in a more healed version of who he was, doing Bucky things. And he’s with a new group who are going through what he already has — he has something to offer them.”
Let’s just hope Sam Wilson can get on board and stop arguing about who gets to call themselves the New Avengers.
Thunderbolts* is now playing in theaters.
