While Chris Evans looks to be hanging up the shield after next year’s Avengers 4, his co-star Sebastian Stan may still have a future in the franchise, and so long as no one else is going by the Captain America title, many are speculating that Bucky Barnes could be next to inherit the name.
If you need a little convincing that the Winter Soldier is right for the part, we refer you to this stylish new piece from v2vdesigns that makes the patriotic red, white, and blue outfit look like a natural fit for our hero.
Given everything that Steve and Bucky have gone through together in these last hundred years, Stan’s character certainly seems like the most qualified candidate to honor Cap’s legacy. Of course, there are still a few obstacles to overcome before this passing of the torch can occur, the most glaring of them all being that Bucky was completely disintegrated at the end of Avengers: Infinity War.
But assuming Thanos’ universe-wide genocide undergoes its widely predicted reversal, you could still argue that no character can be a true Cap unless they’re an artificially enhanced Super Soldier. Fortunately, a theory has recently emerged that offers one possible fix for this issue, arguing that the secret to the Super Soldier Serum could lie in the heart-shaped herbs of Wakanda, which would allow Bucky to get the upgrade he needs.
All that being said, Marvel Studios may well have some rather different plans for who, if anyone, will continue the Captain America name after Steve leaves. Either way, though, we’ll find out what the Russo Brothers have in mind for Bucky and his oldest friend when Avengers 4 comes out on May 3rd, 2019.