Recently, Marvel’s Avengers shifted its approach to post-launch support. Instead of making players wait several months for large Operations with new locations, cutscenes, and missions, Crystal Dynamics will be dropping pieces of content more regularly. While heroes and villains will no longer be added through story-driven mini campaigns, they should appear more frequently.
The first example of this new post-launch approach was Jane Foster, and according to leakers, the next character that will be added is none other than Winter Soldier. While Bucky has not officially been announced for the game, this does line up with recent comments that the next playable character will not be an echo fighter. Even with a lack of official information, it is possible to use past releases and the character’s comic book history to get an idea of what to expect from his Marvel's Avengers debut.
What Content Will Come With Winter Soldier?
Gamers should not be expecting a new Operation for Bucky Barnes given the game’s recent hero releases. Much like Spider-Man and Jane Foster’s Thor, he will likely receive a story trailer that explains what he has been up to since A-Day. It can be assumed that no major story missions will be added alongside him, though he will surely receive a hero mission chain that gives players some basic challenges and rewards them with his Iconic suit upon completion.
Winter Soldier will surely receive some alternate suits, emotes, and takedowns within the marketplace as well as a hero card. At least one of his MCU costumes will likely be added, as Crystal Dynamics has doubled down on the movie-inspired attires in recent months. His pre-Winter Soldier outift from the comics will likely be added, with players able to pay tribute to his time as Cap's sidekick. As with any character, it can be expected that Bucky will have a hero challenge card full of items to complete, with access to the character’s battle pass-like progression system sure to cost the usual amount.
How Winter Soldier Could Play
With playable story content and a new villain being highly unlikely, Winter Soldier himself will be the main draw once he arrives. Fortunately, fans have been doing their best to build hype for his debut, with one gamer even creating a Winter Soldier concept for Marvel’s Avengers. Though it is just a fan design, and the real version of the character will likely play much differently, there are a few parts of his kit that seem like a guarantee.
First and foremost, Bucky Barnes will likely wield some kind of gun. Like Black Widow, he may even use three weapons, and Crystal Dynamics could go out of its way to make these guns different from those used by Natasha. An Assault Rifle and Sniper Rifle are common suggestions, as they would give him some mid-to-long range capabilities. A Shotgun could be a nice weapon to round out his arsenal, giving him some close range attacks, and it could be interesting to see gunplay incorporated into his melee combos.
Bucky’s mechanical arm will likely come into play with one of his Heroic abilities, while a Grenade Launcher Ultimate could be a nice way to let him wreak some havoc on the battlefield. Bucky could have similar traversal to Captain America, running and double jumping exactly like his close friend. While this is speculation, it does seem likely that Bucky will play like a cross between Black Widow and Captain America, leaning heavily into his prosthetic arm and a large arsenal of guns. With a combat knife possibly serving as his melee weapon, too, the character could have a very different approach to combat that has not yet been seen in Marvel’s Avengers.
Marvel’s Avengers is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.