In the Captain America comic books, Bucky Barnes was a kid sidekick, a plucky gee-gosh-willikers remnant of a more naive time. But in the upcoming “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Marvel hopes you’re ready for a tougher, grittier Bucky, as seen in the photo above (and in full below) revealed by Hero Complex. Describing the approach to the character as a “Band of Brothers“-inspired take, director Joe Johnston suggests a serious deviation from the source material.
“We took some liberties with the relationship between the two guys,” Johnston says. “In our story, Bucky is already in the service, he’s already joined up and is being sent overseas while Steve is still struggling to get in the army. That’s different than what you may have read in the comics. It adds a nuance to the relationship that pays off later. They’re closer in age, too — they’re virtually the same age.” Sebastian Stan looks to be playing Bucky as a pretty dead-serious soldier, and we can visualize the tensions erupting between them that leads to the character’s possible future re-invention, since Stan is signed for multiple Marvel movies.
Johnston tells Hero Complex, “Sebastian brought something really interesting and slightly on the dark side and really compelling to watch – when he’s on camera, you’re fascinated by watching him. In a great cast, I thought he really stood out and brought some unexpected things to the role.” There’s also mention of Bucky being a “crack shot with his service rifle,” surely something that could come into play if Bucky returns somewhere down the road as the villainous Winter Soldier.
There were also photos released in the French edition of Premiere that have been scanned online. In the article, Chris Evans re-iterates that he’s only signed a six-picture deal with Marvel and that, “If all goes as planned, I will be playing Captain America until I’m 40.” A trailer for “Captain America: The First Avenger” will be unveiled to audiences this Sunday during the Super Bowl. Also, there will be a football game.
