This December will see the release of Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday, the upcoming crossover film that will unite at least three different universes from the MCU and start the end of the road for the Multiverse Saga. The size of this movie is clear from miles away, in part because of the extensive ensemble cast that will be a part of it. Thanks to the number of characters that are already confirmed to appear, fans have been worrying about the fate of many of their beloved Marvel heroes in Avengers: Doomsday, but there’s one in particular that MCU fans are already mourning, certain that his fate is sealed before he even steps foot in the same arena as Doom.
Marvel fans on the /r/MCUTheories subreddit have been discussing for the past day what Bucky Barnes’ fate might be in Avengers: Doomsday, and the pessimistic take appears to be the most popular one. Though plenty of comments on the thread have fans believing that there could be something in the air that allows him to survive and make it to Avengers: Secret Wars, the majority are convinced that Sebastian Stan’s character is…well, doomed. The biggest question for those convinced of this certainty, though, is who will be the one to take him down? And will it be Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers?
Though the highest-rated comment as of this writing in the thread notes that they believe Doom will simply ignore Bucky and look past him at other threats that are part of the Avengers, it’s not the most popular opinion. Most Marvels in the thread are convinced that Barnes will die in the film, largely due to the fact that Stan himself has no more movies remaining on his Marvel Studios contract. It’s a meta reason to believe that a character’s fate is sealed, but one that makes sense (even as Kevin Feige himself has made it clear that extensive contracts are no longer the norm with Marvel).
In addition to most Marvel fans believing that Bucky Barnes is going to die in Avengers: Doomsday, most of them also believe that the circumstances of his death will have something to do with Chris Evans’ return as Captain America. The relationship that Bucky and Steve have had for over 15 years in the Marvel Cinematic Universe would no doubt give this a lot of weight and depth with fans, but how it happens is another source of debate.
One fan theorized about Bucky’s end this way, writing: “(Doom’s) gonna mind control him and Steve and force them to fight to the death. Steve wins, and just as he does the final blow, Bucky breaks the mind control first, takes the hit, and says “Steve?” and that breaks the mind control on Steve just in time to see his best friend die at his own hand.”
Another theorized that Bucky could die by sacrificing himself to save Steve in some way, one assumes that if this happens, Stan would get to end his MCU run with the iconic line “Til the end of the line.”
At this point, these elements seem like such foregone conclusions that fans might actually be surprised if neither of them happens. There’s been no real indicator, beyond vibes, that Stan’s character won’t survive the movie and that his time in the MCU is done. Even the circumstantial evidence points to it, such as his involvement in The Batman Part II for Marvel’s distinguished competition. All that is to say, we’re three months out from the debut of Avengers: Doomsday, but fans are already bracing for Bucky Barnes’ end. The best part of it is that there’s a chance everyone is wrong, and maybe the biggest death will actually be a shocker.
