Summary

• A new Sebastian Stan set photo hints at Bucky Barnes's undercover role in Thunderbolts* as he sports a new look.
• Stan appears in a business suit with a goatee, suggesting he may have taken on a disguise for a covert mission.
• Bucky is set to lead the Thunderbolts team, indicating the possibility of solo missions or the team in disguise.

While Marvel's Thunderbolts* movie is currently filming in Atlanta, Georgia, a new set photo of Sebastian Stan has surfaced, sparking speculation about whether it's a first look at Bucky Barnes' next MCU appearance. Bucky hasn't been seen in the MCU since 2021's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but he's set to return next year in the anti-hero team-up movie, Thunderbolts*. Though many details about Thunderbolts* have remained under wraps — Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige won't even elaborate on the title's mysterious asterisk — Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena Belova, confirmed filming had started in March with an official set video.

On Instagram, Atlanta Filming posted a photo of a digital camera screen featuring an image of Sebastian Stan on a film set. The photographer doesn't specify what film the photo is from, but Thunderbolts* is Stan's only movie that's currently in production. See the photo below.

In the photo, Stan can be seen wearing a gray business suit and sporting a goatee along with shoulder-length, slicked-back hair. It's certainly not a look Stan has sported when playing Bucky in the past, so it's possible the photo is from another one of the actor's upcoming projects, though Atlanta_Filming confirmed it wasn't The Apprentice.

What The Sebastian Stan Set Photo May Reveal About Bucky's Thunderbolts* Role

It's Possible Bucky Is Undercover And Has Donned A Disguise

If the set photo is from Thunderbolts*, it confirms a very different look for Bucky in the MCU, but that may be intentional within the story. Since Stan isn't wearing any kind of superhero uniform and is instead wearing a standard business suit, it's possible that Bucky has gone undercover on a mission for the MCU's Thunderbolts team. The group is overseen by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and will no doubt operate more discreetly than the Avengers did before them, which gives them the ability to infiltrate other organizations and events.

Based on the set photo, it would seem that Bucky goes undercover on a mission at some point in Thunderbolts*, though it remains to be seen whether it might be part of the main story or a short sequence reintroducing Bucky to the MCU. Previously, Feige confirmed that Bucky will be the Thunderbolts team leader, so it's possible he's on the mission solo, or the other members of the team are elsewhere in their own disguises. In terms of where the mission is, that's difficult to tell, though the fence and grass behind Stan do look remarkably similar to those in front of the White House.

Since this sequence with Stan appears to be filmed outside, it's possible more set photos will surface later today or in the coming days, offering more insight into whether it's for Thunderbolts* or another production. If the set photo is from Thunderbolts*, additional images and/or videos could provide context for the scene and reveal whether Bucky is undercover or if this is his new look for the entirety of the MCU movie. Hopefully, more information can be learned soon about what to expect from Stan's return as Bucky Barnes in Thunderbolts*, whether that's through set photos or official channels.

Source: Atlanta_Filming/Instagram