I Can't Believe That Marvel Still Hasn’t Given Bucky Barnes A Superhero Costume 7 Years After He Became The MCU’s White Wolf
Even though I'm excited to see him return in Marvel Studios' upcoming Thunderbolts* movie, I still can't believe that Bucky Barnes hasn't been given a true superhero costume in the MCU. Sebastian Stan debuted as James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, and in the years since, he has become a fan-favorite fixture in the MCU, and one character I'm thrilled is returning this year. 2025's Thunderbolts* will see Bucky in his first adventure without Captain America, so I hope he finally becomes a bona fide superhero in the Phase 5 movie.
We'll see Bucky team up with five other reformed villains and antiheroes in Thunderbolts*, with them seemingly being brought together to take on Lewis Pullman's "Bob," who is all but confirmed to be the Sentry as well as the dark entity, the Void. Alongside Yelena Belova, Bucky will seemingly be featured as the leader of the Thunderbolts, which is a fantastic evolution for the former Winter Soldier. However, this isn't the only transformation I wish we see for Bucky Barnes in Thunderbolts*, as I've been waiting for something for years that Marvel still hasn't given us.
Bucky Is The Only Thunderbolt Without A Superhero Suit
All The Other Thunderbolts Members Have Superhero Costumes
The new Thunderbolts* trailer made Bucky Barnes seem like the odd one out, most prominently by having him take on the Void in civilian clothing while all the other members of the Thunderbolts team suit up in great new costumes. Every single member of the Thunderbolts, except for Bucky, has an updated costume that bears similarities to their originals but is more suited to the grounded and gritty narrative of Thunderbolts*. I'm a bit surprised that Bucky Barnes still doesn't have his own superhero suit, aside from his vibranium prosthetic arm.
Bucky Barnes did formerly sport a comic-accurate costume design, though this was while he was operating as the villainous Winter Soldier, HYDRA's most elite assassin. I am not surprised that Bucky would rather leave this costume in the past, but I would still love to see Marvel Studios give him a new superhero costume that better reflects his current identity. Yelena, Red Guardian, Ghost, US Agent and Taskmaster all have new costumes in Thunderbolts*, so Bucky should, too, especially since he even has a superhero moniker that he has seldom used.
Black Panther Established Bucky Barnes As The White Wolf (But Marvel Has Ignored It)
Bucky Barnes Appeared In The Post-Credits Scene Of 2018's Black Panther
Sebastian Stan's cameo appearance in the post-credits scene of 2018's Black Panther picked up after Captain America: Civil War ended with Bucky Barnes being hidden in Wakanda in hopes of finding a fix for his HYDRA conditioning. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier confirmed this had been successful, allowing Bucky to safely live among the Wakandans and later join in the battle against Thanos. Relinquishing the Winter Soldier identity, Bucky Barnes assumed a new moniker while living in Wakanda, but we haven't really seen his role as the White Wolf addressed since.
Bucky Barnes' Live-Action MCU Project | Year |
|---|---|
Captain America: The First Avenger | 2011 |
Captain America: The Winter Soldier | 2014 |
Ant-Man | 2015 |
Captain America: Civil War | 2016 |
Black Panther | 2018 |
Avengers: Infinity War | 2018 |
Avengers: Endgame | 2019 |
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | 2021 |
Captain America: Brave New World | 2025 |
Thunderbolts* | 2025 |
Bucky did refer to himself as the White Wolf during an exchange with Sam Wilson in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, after Sam joked about him being the "White Panther." Sam seemed shocked at this new title, however, suggesting Bucky had not firmly established himself as the White Wolf, even though he's now had this moniker for almost a decade in-universe. I reckon Thunderbolts* is the perfect opportunity for Marvel Studios to fully embrace Bucky Barnes' identity as the White Wolf, and perhaps even give him a superhero suit to boot.
I Want Thunderbolts* To Finally Turn Bucky Barnes Into A Bona Fide Superhero
Bucky Deserves To Finally Become A Hero In The MCU
Bucky Barnes has never really had his time to shine in the MCU, as we've only ever seen him alongside Captain America, whether that be Steve Rogers or Sam Wilson's iterations. Thunderbolts* will be the first time that Bucky steps out of Cap's shadow and establishes himself as an independent character, and he seems to be doing this by joining Congress and forming the Thunderbolts. Not bad going, but I would still love to see Bucky Barnes finally step up and become a bona fide superhero in the MCU's Phase 5.
Since Bucky has the chance to officially become the White Wolf, I am desperate for this to also come with a major costume upgrade. I really hope Bucky doesn't go through the whole battle against the Void in a t-shirt and casual pants, especially when the rest of his team is kitted out with armored costumes with hidden arsenals and special abilities. After almost a decade-and-a-half on our screens, it's high time Bucky Barnes gets his own superhero costume, and the possibility of this happening makes me even more excited about Thunderbolts*.
Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
- May 2, 2025
- Runtime
- 127 minutes
- Director
- Jake Schreier
- Writers
- Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo
- Producers
- Kevin Feige
Cast
Yelena Belova
Bucky Barnes
- Franchise(s)
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
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