Avengers 4: 8 Clues For What Happens Next

8. Foreshadowing Bucky Barnes' Fate

Marvel Studios

The trials and tribulations of Bucky Barnes have fast become one of the MCU's most interesting, with Sebastian Stan's character endearing himself to the Marvel faithful curtesy of his relationship with fellow man out of time, Steve Rogers.

Bucky and Steve (or Stucky, as they tend to go by these days), are two men intrinsically linked to the Captain America identity too. When Rogers passed on in the comics, it was Bucky who took on the mantle and wielded the shield himself, fashioning his own legacy as the star spangled man (with a plan) that differed to Steve's own. While we can't expect a direct adaptation of that particular arc, it's fair to say that Marvel have been foreshadowing a passing of the torch for years now, dating all the way back to Captain America: The First Avenger.

Though Buck's current dust-like state would also seemingly through a spanner into this theory, it's highly likely that he, along with Spider-Man, Black Panther and the other victims of Thanos' snap, will return in the next film. Given Infinity War's discussions surrounding sacrifice, it's also likely that one will come into play in order for them to be resurrected; Steve Rogers - a man who literally through himself onto a grenade in basic training - isn't likely to be averse to such a bargain.

It's a move that opens up the door for a new Captain America, even if fans aren't quite ready to accept it just yet.

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.