It’s been over a month since The Falcon and the Winter Soldier dropped its finale on Disney+. While the ending made it clear that Sam Wilson could most likely be returning in some capacity as the new Captain America, things weren't quite as clear regarding the status of Bucky Barnes, who is now known to most fans as the White Wolf rather than the Winter Soldier. Although it’s currently unknown whether there will be another season or if the pair could show up in a future film together, Bucky himself, Sebastian Stan, is sharing his thoughts on how much longer he might play the beloved role.
Sebastian Stan has been portraying Bucky Barnes since 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. The character has grown from Steve’s friend to brainwashed HYDRA assassin to redeemed hero in the span of several movies. Stan’s portrayal of the Winter Soldier/White Wolf was taken further with Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, in which fans got to see the character struggling with redemption, making amends with people, and facing the aftermath of Steve’s fateful decision. While the final episode had some closure, it still left things up in the air and suggested that a second season is possible. When asked by Variety about how long he could keep playing Bucky, Stan said:
Again, it’s like, no idea, man. It’s not up to me. I don’t make these decisions. As long as they’ll keep calling, I’m there. I don’t know. I get old, too. Like everyone in the world, I age! So I don’t know what that means. Maybe it doesn’t mean anything, I have no idea. I’m just going for the ride.
When it comes to shows like Law & Order: SVU, Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Supernatural have aired for more than a decade, an actor can end up playing a single character for a large portion of their life. And in the process, that character can, in a way, grow with them. So no matter how much longer Sebastian Stan plays Bucky Barnes, the character will likely reman with him for years to come. The actor also opened up about what it's been like portraying Bucky for over a decade:
It’s really quite wild, it really is... A lot of people on TV, there are shows that have gone on for so many seasons, Friends, I mean, there’s a lot of where… you get to go and play a character for such a long period of time. It’s like gaining a family member. You’re like gaining a brother or something, in this case for me. Because you get to see this character again and again, and then you’re always growing up, and they’re sort of growing up with you in a weird way.
It would be a surprise if there was no Season 2 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, considering how Season 1 ended, though certain plot points could extend into the reported Captain America 4. Whatever happens, hopefully, Sebastian Stan will be playing Bucky Barnes for a little while longer, after he's done playing a certain rockstar, of course.
All episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are streaming now on Disney+.
