As the world continues to process the news of Stan Lee’s passing, many MCU regulars have offered their heartfelt thoughts and reflections on the man who helped make Marvel what it is today. Among these tributes is one from Sebastian Stan, who’s had a decades-spanning journey through this comic book universe in the role of Bucky Barnes.
Speaking to Collider, the star shared a quick memory from the times he met Lee in person.
“I only met him a few times,” Stan said. “I never got a full one-on-one with him but he was always like, ‘Remember, Bucky’s one of the good ones. Bucky’s a good guy.’”
Though Lee himself wasn’t involved in the creation of Captain America’s oldest friend, his work as a writer proved fundamental in shaping the universe the character now occupies.
Stan then went on to explain how the news that Lee is no longer with us got him thinking about the other figures he looks up to, and how they too are only in this world for so long:
“I’m a little knocked out by this news. Literally, as I was coming here that was the first thing I saw. There’s a few people that are close to my heart, like actors and directors and people who I’ve always been inspired by who are getting up there, and that’s the fear I always have. That you’re going to get this headline eventually. But I was just fortunate to meet him. I feel like I’m just grateful that he was around to see what Marvel was able to do, especially in the last ten years. I feel like he always…he had the cameos. I think he was happy with the turnout.”
Indeed, Lee’s cameos are a long-held tradition for Marvel Comics adaptations that looks to continue into next year with such upcoming MCU releases as Captain Marvel and Avengers 4. Producer Kevin Feige, however, is keeping the details of these posthumous cameos under wraps for the time being, explaining that “Stan always appreciated a good surprise.”
Speaking of surprise appearances, Stan also made the curious claim in his Collider interview that even he doesn’t know if Bucky features in next year’s Avengers 4, since the film was shot at the same time as this year’s Avengers: Infinity War.
From the sound of things, the cast is almost as uninformed as the rest of us about the content of the highly anticipated sequel, but regardless of who’s in it, it’s clear that the long-awaited conclusion to the MCU’s Phase 3 will be seen as a testament to the continuing influence of the late Stan Lee.
