Tragic End Accidentally Confirmed for Bucky Barnes in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ After 15 Years
The possibility that Bucky Barnes may not survive Marvel’s next Avengers film is gaining traction after confirmation of a new project for Sebastian Stan.
This week, reports confirmed that Sebastian Stan will appear in DC Studios’ The Batman: Part II. While his role has not been officially announced, he is widely believed to be portraying Harvey Dent, also known as Two-Face.
The Batman: Part II is scheduled to begin filming in early May 2026. That timeline overlaps with production on Avengers: Secret Wars, which is expected to start filming in mid-2026 ahead of a December 2027 release.
For many fans, that overlap is significant.
Is Bucky Barnes Dying in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’?
“If Sebastian’s schedule is free when Secret Wars is being filmed around the same time as The Batman Part 2, that can only mean one thing, Bucky is dying in Doomsday,” wrote one fan on X, formerly Twitter.
As another fan posted, “Goodbye Bucky Barnes, you are the most dead anyone has ever been dead in Doomsday.”
goodbye bucky barnes you are the most dead anyone has ever been dead in doomsday
— jane ✩ (@113ism) January 6, 2026
The logic is straightforward. Large-scale studio productions rarely allow actors to juggle simultaneous filming schedules, particularly when both projects require extended commitments and physical preparation.
While crossover casting between Marvel and DC is not unprecedented, overlapping production windows have historically limited an actor’s availability for major ensemble films.
being excited for sebastian stan to join the batman ii but realizing that means bucky is so dead in doomsday pic.twitter.com/wsPKAodZnX
— danielle (@bradyskjeidy) January 6, 2026
That reality has shifted attention toward Avengers: Doomsday itself.
Stakes Are Rising for Marvel’s Next Avengers Project
Marvel’s upcoming ensemble film, Avengers: Doomsday, is expected to unite several corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film will reportedly bring together the Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, New Avengers, and the X-Men.
Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., will serve as the central antagonist. Marvel has not revealed specific plot details, but the project is being positioned as a major inflection point for the franchise.
Previous Avengers films have established a clear pattern. High-profile character deaths have been used to reset the narrative and signal lasting consequences.
Avengers: Infinity War opened with the death of Loki, followed by the mass blip that removed half of the MCU’s heroes. Avengers: Endgame reversed that loss but permanently closed the arcs of Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff.
With Avengers: Secret Wars expected to follow Doomsday — and reportedly involve a broader restructuring of the MCU — speculation has centered on which long-serving characters may exit beforehand.
Bucky Barnes has emerged as one of the most frequently cited possibilities.
Bucky Barnes’ Long Arc Through the MCU
Bucky Barnes first appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger as Steve Rogers’ closest friend. His apparent death during World War II became a defining emotional moment for the franchise’s earliest phase.
That loss was later recontextualized when Bucky resurfaced as the Winter Soldier, a HYDRA-controlled assassin stripped of memory and autonomy. The reveal reframed the character as both antagonist and victim.
Across multiple films, Bucky’s storyline focused on recovery rather than redemption through heroics. His struggle centered on accountability, identity, and the consequences of actions he did not choose.
That theme continued in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where both Bucky and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) tried to figure out their life paths after Steve’s death.
Most recently, Bucky appeared in Thunderbolts*, where he emerged as the group’s de facto leader. The film revealed that he had become a congressman, and its finale saw the team rebrand as The New Avengers.
That development elevated the character’s importance within the MCU, placing him directly in the center of the franchise’s next crossover event.
Stan himself has previously addressed the possibility of moving beyond Marvel. During an appearance on the Stronger Podcast in November, the actor reflected on his time in the franchise.
“I have to try to offer something different than before,” Stan said. “And I’ve never favored one role over another. The Marvel stuff, I’ll always, ’til the end of time, [feel it] really helped me grow as a person and helped me grow as an actor and it taught me relationships and [I worked with] Robert Downey [Jr.] and Scarlett [Johansson] and all these people I looked up to. It was a business. It was a family and it gave me a sense of belonging, and it’s always there for that, but it was only the step one for me.”
Marvel has not confirmed whether Bucky Barnes will appear beyond Avengers: Doomsday.
If the character’s story does end there, a recent teaser suggests it may do so with a sense of closure. Chris Evans has been confirmed to return as Steve Rogers, potentially reuniting the characters one final time.
Do you think it’s time for Bucky Barnes to leave the MCU?
