'Thunderbolts*' director flips the script on Marvel veteran Bucky Barnes

Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier has revealed that the movie will begin with ‘fresh start,” especially with Marvel veteran Bucky Barnes.

For the unversed, Barnes, who first appeared in the MCU’s 2011 movie Captain America: The First Avenger, will mark his ninth appearance in the MCU through Thunderbolts*.

Other famous characters will also be in the upcoming movie, such as Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova and David Harbour's Red Guardian.

Notably, the 43-year-old American film director stated that every character in the forthcoming film will start with a blank slate.

In a talk with Games Radar, Schreier quipped, "For all of them, we tried to start fresh," and added that Marvel boss Kevin Feige asked him to make a movie for those in particular who have not seen any other Marvel movies.

He quipped, "I mean, you could use what they've been through as backstory, but for this movie, even for Bucky [Barnes], who's been in so many of these, it's like, what's a new challenge, what's a new arc that we can watch that character go through?"

Notably, in Thunderbolts*, the portrayal of Barnes’ life is different from the last movie, Captain America: Brave New World, in which he was seen campaigning.

The Winter Soldier has now become an elected member of Congress and dwells in Washington DC, which marks a major adjustment for him.

Also, when he is put together with the rest of the Thunderbolts*, he does not seem interested in becoming a part of another ragtag bunch of "heroes", either.

"With [stan] Sebastian and with Bucky, it was like, 'Oh, he's already processed a lot of these things that they haven't processed yet.’ How could he find a way to help them through that, but also have his own challenges of where he finds his place within this world, and trying to take a different path, and then realizing that isn't necessarily the right path for him, and these people that seem so unexpected might be the place where he most belongs?" Schreier noted.

Before concluding, it is pertinent to mention that Thunderbolts* will be released in cinemas all across the United Kingdom on May 1, 2025, and in the US on May 2, 2025.