While the screenwriting rule that “flashbacks should be avoided at all costs” still holds relatively true, it doesn’t count when Sebastian Stan pitches two incredible ideas for MCU prequel movies. Stan has been a long-standing figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, first playing Bucky Barnes in Captain America: The First Avenger. Since then, he has been a HYDRA assassin (who reportedly shot JFK), a recluse in Wakanda, and partnered with Sam Wilson as he reluctantly took on the role of Captain America in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. While Bucky’s MCU future looks strong, as he rounds out the line-up of the new anti-hero team, Thunderbolts*, Stan is even more interested in his character’s past.

Appearing at Comic Con Liverpool (via Comic Basis), Sebastian Stan was asked about the MCU prequel movies he’d love to see. While prequels, sequels, and spin-offs are three major buzzwords that tend to upset audiences, Stan’s ideas did anything but. “We could probably do with a prequel before Captain America: The First Avenger,” he began. The relationship between Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Bucky Barnes is the oldest in the MCU, and no one would turn down the chance to see Evans return to the role. He continued:

“So we could really learn, maybe more about their friendship… Their relationship.”

While Captain America was frozen in ice for several decades, Bucky Barnes was at large as The Winter Soldier. All fans know about his time as HYDRA’s sleeper assassin comes via a quick montage during the appropriately titled, Captain America: The Winter Solder. However, Sebastian Stan wants to see more. “Or we can even do a prequel to before Captain America: The Winter Soldier where we’re actually seeing what happened with him,” the actor teased. Not only would that prequel reveal some of the Winter Soldier’s missions, but it would also link him to the most dangerous spy in the MCU. Stan continued:

“We never really explore that. We always see him towards the very end of his Winter Soldier Arc. But when he had this other double life,
where he taught [Natasha Romanov] (Scarlett Johansson) how to be Black Widow.
”

Sebastian Stan Explains Thunderbolts* Most Important Detail

The first trailer for Thunderbolts* raised many questions among fans: What does the asterisk mean? Who is Bob? And, most importantly, did Bucky just put his vibranium arm in the dishwasher? Sebastian Stan can’t answer the first two, but he did reveal the eagerly awaited answer to the latter, oh-so-important question. “I’m pretty sure he [Bucky] looked at the dishwasher one day and thought, ‘why not? Makes a lot of sense,'” he joked. The scene perfectly fits Bucky’s brand of constant exhaustion and reluctance. Stan continued:

“I thought it was kind of funny when I first saw that in the script. But it is a quick way of doing it at the end of the day. Just throw it in there with a couple of leftover dishes and stuff, so I think it was his idea.”

Related Sebastian Stan Mourns the Major Franchise Roles He Lost Out On He missed out on some bigly roles.

Alongside Sebastian Stan, Thunderbolts* also stars Florence Pugh, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Directed by Jake Schreier (Beef), Thunderbolts* releases in theaters on May 2, 2025.

Thunderbolts*