Marvel Zombies Director Teases Bucky Barnes Comeback in Season 2

Marvel Zombies just took a nasty chunk out of the MCU. Season 1 racks up bodies and bites with abandon, and yeah, some familiar faces either shuffled off as super-powered corpses or ended up lunch for the ones who did. But it isn't total doom. A handful of big names weren't around for the initial outbreak Kamala Khan was dealing with — including one former Winter Soldier who is very much still in play: Bucky Barnes.

So where the hell was Bucky?

While Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) and her crew were on a ridiculously dangerous mission to alert the rest of the universe about Earth's zombie problem, Bucky (Sebastian Stan) was off doing his own thing. According to Marvel Zombies writer/director/executive producer Bryan Andrews — speaking with Brandon Davis on Phase Hero — Barnes wasn't just hiding; he was busy. Very busy. Think assassin busy.

Andrews didn't spell out the details (no surprise — gruesome surprises are kind of the brand here), but he made it clear the team had a whole Bucky thread mapped out. The problem wasn't a lack of ideas; it was too many. The season was bloated with story, and rather than cram in a half-baked Bucky cameo, they parked his arc for later — if there is a later.

The inside baseball

This is one of those classic behind-the-scenes problems: the story was so big they literally couldn't fit everything. Andrews says they know exactly what's going on with characters who didn't show up this time — Bucky included — and they didn't want to shortchange the cool stuff by squeezing it into a corner. Translation: they're saving the good Bucky bits for when they can actually land them.

• Season 1 leaves a trail of bodies and infected heroes; some MCU favorites either turn or get taken out.
• Kamala Khan leads a desperate mission to broadcast Earth's situation to the wider universe.
• Meanwhile, fighters like Blade Knight (Todd Williams) are locked in literal fights to the death.
• Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is out there too, running his own lethal side mission — Andrews says they had him, they just couldn't fit his storyline without cutting corners.
• Andrews, who wrote, directed, and executive produced the show, hints they moved Bucky's arc "off to the side" rather than do it badly.
• There's no official greenlight for Marvel Zombies Season 2 yet.
• Executive producer Brad Winderbaum basically says fan turnout could decide it, and he and Andrews already talk about this universe like it's an ongoing D&D campaign.

Is Season 2 happening?

Officially, no confirmation yet. Unofficially, the path forward sounds pretty simple. As Winderbaum told Screen Rant:

"Yes, yes. Subscribe to Disney+ and watch the show; maybe we'll have the opportunity to tell more stories."

He and Andrews are apparently on the phone all the time cooking up lore — the kind of deep-cut, map-on-the-wall stuff that makes this universe feel like an RPG in progress. If Marvel flips the switch on more episodes, don't be shocked if Bucky's mystery mission becomes a major swing.

Bottom line: the MCU just got gnarlier, but some heavy hitters are still out there. Bucky included. Stay safe out there. Preferably un-bitten.