Director Anthony Russo Promises More Winter Soldier In Captain America 3

In this writer’s opinion, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the finest Marvel Studios title to date. With the resounding success of that film and Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel’s stock (figuratively speaking) is at an all-time high. Now that Captain America 3 is the sole blockbuster to kick off the summer movie season in 2016, directors Anthony and Joe Russo are now starting to pump up fans for the threequel.

“We just got another incredible draft from the writers and are very excited,” Anthony told Movies.com. “I can’t divulge who is going to be in the film, but I think the fans are going to freak out when they hear it.”

However, fans should know that Bucky Barnes, also known as the Winter Soldier, will return for the sequel, which is due in theaters on May 6, 2016. Actor Sebastian Stan, who plays Barnes, has a nine-picture deal with Marvel Studios, a hint that he could eventually take over Captain America’s position down the line.

As Anthony Russo reported, the Winter Soldier remains a large component of Captain America 3‘s fabric:

“The relationship between Cap and the Winter Soldier was never resolved at the end of the last movie. Thinking about where that relationship can go is a piece of the puzzle for us for sure. That character is a wonderfully, beautifully tragic figure in the sense of is he the world’s most feared assassin or is he the world’s longest serving POW. Is he innocent by reason of insanity or the equivalent of it because he’s been mind controlled or is he irredeemable? Is he ever going to be acceptable to Cap again as the friend that he used to be before he was the Winter Soldier? These are very philosophical, emotional questions that pique our interest and definitely form one layer of the next movie.”

In an interview last week, the directors also hinted that characters that Steve Rogers has fought with before, including Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, could be tapped for Captain America 3. Until the tight-lipped filmmakers reveal more, though, audiences should stay hooked for easter eggs and post-credits sequences to satiate their need for news about future Marvel projects.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, meanwhile, comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 9. So be sure to catch it if you haven’t already, as it really is a terrific film.