Thunderbolts’ storyline may have already been set up in the MCU, and it could see Bucky Barnes finally embrace his Wakandan superhero moniker.

The speculated storyline for Marvel Studios’ upcoming Thunderbolts movie could finally see Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes become a new superhero in the MCU. Confirmed to be in development by Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige in July 2022, Thunderbolts will mark the return of several villains and antiheroes from the MCU’s history, coming together to form a new team under the supervision of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ mysterious Valentina, the Director of the CIA. Not much is yet known about what adventure will unfold in Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts, but seeds may have already been planted, setting up Thunderbolts’ dramatic and potentially game-changing narrative.

With the likes of Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Taskmaster, Ghost and US Agent returning, Thunderbolts will be acting as a sequel to several previous MCU projects. These include Ant-Man and the Wasp, Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, among others, with the latter perhaps having the biggest impact on Thunderbolts, as Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes is speculated to be the team’s de facto leader. Bucky Barnes debuted in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. Despite being one of the MCU’s longest-running characters, however, Bucky is still in the background, but Thunderbolts can finally change that.

Thunderbolts Rumors Tie The Movie Into Wakanda

Since Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ debut as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Marvel Studios has been setting up the storyline for Phase 5’s Thunderbolts. Louis-Dreyfus has made further appearances in 2021’s Black Widow and 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with the latter revealing more about her intentions than any other project. After being revealed to be the Director of the CIA and the ex-wife of Martin Freeman’s Everett K. Ross, Valentina expressed her desire to acquire vibranium, one of the most coveted and powerful resources in the MCU that is primarily found in Wakanda.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever seemed to hint at a race among the world’s governments to see who could obtain vibranium first, with many hoping that Wakanda’s relationship with the United Nations would allow the world to harness the power of the remarkable metal. Valentina proved herself dedicated to ensuring the United States acquired potentially all of Wakanda’s vibranium, which led to speculation that she could bring the MCU’s Thunderbolts team together to stage an invasion of Wakanda on the hunt for vibranium. This could be crucial to Thunderbolts’ narrative, but would pose a problem to one of Wakanda’s honorary citizens.

The MCU Has Been Setting Up Bucky’s White Wolf Transition For Years

After the Avengers’ battle in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, Steve Rogers’ Captain America made a deal with T’Challa’s Black Panther to harbor Bucky Barnes in Wakanda, safe from the rest of the world, until he could recover from his HYDRA conditioning. A flashback in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showed Florence Kasumba’s Ayo helping Bucky break free from his programming, allowing him to then reenter the world, go to therapy, and renounce the name of the Winter Soldier. Bucky Barnes is now primed to take on a new superhero moniker, which has been teased for several years already.

The post-credits scene of 2018’s Black Panther saw Bucky Barnes recovering in Wakanda, with Wakandan children naming him the White Wolf. This title was repeated by T’Challa in Avengers: Infinity War, and Bucky himself claimed to be the White Wolf in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but he’s never actually been seen operating under this name. In Marvel Comics, the White Wolf is the adoptive brother of T’Challa and Shuri, and the leader of Wakanda’s secret police, but Bucky Barnes could finally assume this adapted moniker in Thunderbolts, particularly if Valentina’s race for vibranium brings him back to Wakanda.

If Not Thunderbolts, Another MCU Project Is The Perfect Time To Finally Do Bucky Justice

Even if Thunderbolts doesn’t explore Bucky Barnes’ evolution into the MCU’s White Wolf, there is still a chance that this story can be told. Following the release of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s “Complete First Season” on 4k UHD and Blu-ray, there has been speculation that a second season could be in the works. Evidently, this wouldn’t focus on Sam Wilson’s new Captain America, who will reappear in 2025’s Captain America: Brave New World, so perhaps the MCU’s new Falcon, Joaquín Torres, and Bucky Barnes could be the focal points, with the latter finally becoming the MCU’s White Wolf.

Despite being in the MCU for well over a decade, Bucky Barnes has never seen much development, other than becoming the Winter Soldier, and later breaking out of HYDRA’s control. Bucky has always been a secondary character, first to Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers, and then to Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, so it would be brilliant to see him achieve main character status, whether that be in Thunderbolts or The Falcon and the Winter Soldier season 2. Whatever the case may be, Bucky Barnes could soon become the White Wolf in the MCU, cementing him as a powerful new Wakandan hero.

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts is currently scheduled for release on May 2, 2025, as part of the MCU’s Phase 5.