The Truth Behind That Unforgettable ‘Captain Ameri...

‘Brave New World’ director Julius Onah always knew Bucky Barnes in the movie.

Anthony Mackie takes the lead in Marvel’s new Captain America: Brave New World, but there was room for a quick cameo with an old MCU pal.

Sebastian Stan appears in the film as hero Bucky Barnes for a quick-but-powerful appearance ahead of his starring role in the upcoming Marvel movie Thunderbolts*. Julius Onah, director of Brave New World, told Collider it was always planned to have Barnes in the movie, they just had to decide where he fit in the story.

“Bucky was always part of it,” Onah told the outlet. “There are so many great characters that Sam [Mackie] has had relationships with, from the very beginning we knew that Bucky would feature in some way in the story.”

Before Mackie’s Sam Wilson became Captain America, he and Barnes were an epic duo on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Marvel miniseries on Disney+.

Onah also addressed fans who were looking for Barnes to have a larger role in the film, explaining that they tried inserting him at different points and ended up settling on the final, emotional product.

“There were versions where he was at the beginning of the movie, there were versions where he was at the very end of the movie, but it became clear that putting him at a point where Sam is dealing with one of his emotional lows would be very, very potent, and also offer a surprise,” he said.

The director also revealed the scene between Mackie and Stan was scripted, but after shooting that version he told them to “have fun with it,” trusting their natural friendship and chemistry. He felt combining those elements to shape the scene got “the best organic result.”

Stan is currently up for Best Actor at the 2025 Academy Award for his performance as a young Donald Trump in 2024’s The Apprentice.

Captain America: Brave New World is currently in theaters. Check out the trailer below.