Despite Marvel's Recent Box Office Failures, MCU Star Believes It Has a Bright Future

Summary

• 2023 has been both productive and unfortunate for Marvel.
• Sebastian Stan will return to the MCU as his iconic character.
• There are three more movies to be released before the actor's next Marvel work.

After the decline of the Covid-19 pandemic, the entertainment industry seemed to have recovered in 2023, with numerous films premiering each month. Even the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that undermined this year's movie scene didn't have much of an impact on 2023's releases, as movies continued to pour into theaters. And in that sense, Marvel was the absolute champion, with four big-screen installments debuting last year.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantimania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and The Marvels all put the studio's name on the map and further expanded its cinematic universe. But while it may sound like a success, this flurry of superhero releases has hurt Marvel deeply, as its latest film was an utter flop, grossing only $206 million against a $220 million budget.

One MCU star, however, is certain that the studio's next installments will prove popular with audiences.

Sebastian Stan Will Reprise His Iconic Role in Thunderbolts

Over the years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has spanned dozens of installments and spawned numerous characters that are almost impossible to remember. Bucky Barnes, a childhood friend of Steve Rogers, his companion and one-time nemesis, is definitely one of the most memorable characters within the franchise.

Portrayed by Sebastian Stan, Barnes has appeared in eight big and small screen installments of the MCU. However, he has been noticeably absent from the franchise since The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Fortunately, the character is expected to play a major role in Marvel's upcoming film, Thunderbolts.

'I'm excited. I'm going to go back basically in a month or so. I've missed it. It's a great cast,' Sebastian Stan commented on his return to the MCU.

Remarkably, the actor is optimistic about the future of the franchise, despite its recent failure in the form of The Marvels and alleged superhero fatigue.

'The batting average is so high that it's difficult to always land everything right away. It's always been a great experience. With this one [Thunderbolts] in particular, I think there's a lot of good things,' Stan said of his newest Marvel movie.

When Will Thunderbolts Premiere?

While Sebastian Stan's enthusiasm for the film is life-affirming, there's still a year and a half to go before Thunderbolts' scheduled release date – July 25, 2025.

Plus, there are three other movies coming out before Stan's, and it's anyone's guess how those three will fare at the box office. For this reason, the future of the MCU as a whole remains up in the air.

Source: Variety.