The Batman 2 and Avengers: Secret Wars Schedule Clash Has Marvel Fans Fearing Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes Dies in Doomsday

Sebastian Stan might be suiting up for Gotham, and Marvel fans are already bracing for impact. Word is he is in talks to join Matt Reeves' The Batman Part II alongside Scarlett Johansson and Robert Pattinson. Cool for Bat-heads. Potential headache for Bucky Barnes truthers, because the shooting schedule could collide with Marvel's Avengers: Secret Wars.

The scheduling freakout

Here is why timelines have people spiraling: The Batman Part II is aiming to film in spring 2026. Avengers: Secret Wars, the sequel to Avengers: Doomsday, is slated to start in the summer. That overlap had social media convinced Bucky is about to have a very bad time.

'Yeah, Bucky's cooked.'

That was one of the milder reactions. Others predicted most of the Thunderbolts would get wiped out (with one person calling Sentry 'on the thinnest of ice') and guessed that Marvel would clear the deck before Secret Wars kicks in.

Where the rumors jump a few steps

A popular fan theory doing the rounds: a 'New Avengers' lineup — Bucky, Yelena, Red Guardian, Ghost, John Walker, and someone literally listed as Bob — is gearing up to take on Robert Downey Jr.'s Victor von Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. Yes, that is a lot to unpack, and no, none of that is confirmed by the studios. It is fans stitching together casting whispers and wishful thinking like a conspiracy corkboard.

Then came the walk-back

One well-known account initially said the two productions would shoot at the same time on different continents, which sparked the doom talk. Then they corrected themselves, saying they had thought Secret Wars was in Atlanta but now believed it was London — and with that, their Bucky panic cooled. Other fans pointed out the obvious: these are massive ensemble movies. If Stan is not a lead in either, he does not need to be glued to set every day, and he has juggled tighter schedules before. Also, several posts claimed both projects are based in London, which makes the logistics even friendlier.

• The Batman Part II: Matt Reeves' follow-up plans to shoot spring 2026; Stan is in talks to join Robert Pattinson and Scarlett Johansson.
• Avengers: Secret Wars: Starts summer 2026 as the sequel to Avengers: Doomsday; fans say London is the base after an early Atlanta mix-up.
• Net effect: Overlap is likely, but big ensemble shoots stagger actors. Splitting time is doable if Stan's roles are not front-and-center.

Even if Marvel swings the axe...

There is also the multiverse elephant in the room. Even if Bucky did go down in Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel can always shuffle in another version or a different character for Stan later. One fan cited the freshest example: Patrick Stewart's Professor X has technically died in the MCU already, yet he is back in a new Avengers: Doomsday trailer. Translation: take a breath.

Bottom line: Stan circling The Batman Part II is real movement. The rest — from Bucky's fate to Doom casting to Thunderbolts body counts — is fan speculation turbocharged by a very nerdy production-calendar worry. We will find out where the Winter Soldier stands when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18.