Sebastian Stan, known for playing the Winter Soldier for Marvel Studios, reveals his favourite MCU movie & TV show of 2021. The star first joined the perpetually-blooming superhero franchise back in 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger as Steve Rogers' best friend, Bucky Barnes. Following his character's resurrection as a HYDRA-controlled, brainwashed assassin, Stan has since reprised the role several times as an associate of the Avengers, before appearing alongside Anthony Mackie early last year in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Despite the continued impact of the global pandemic on the entertainment industry, 2021 was irrefutably a good 12 months for Marvel in terms of sheer volume of output. With no fewer than five original television series premiering along with four blockbuster movies, it was a year that introduced a slew of new characters to the MCU as well as the massively ambitious, world-shattering multiverse plotline. This intense succession of new releases has since more than paid off for the studio, with over a quarter of the total 2021 US box office being made-up of Marvel releases alone.

Related: The MCU Is Still Failing Bucky (By Making Everyone The Same As Him)

As such, given the myriad of new entries in the the multi-billion-dollar franchise, the inevitable discussion of which one merits top place in best-of-the-year lists is bound to rear its head. Speaking in an interview with Comicbook.com about his upcoming film The 355, Stan ultimately finds himself on the receiving end of said question. It seems that it wasn't a point that he needed to consider too hard, though, as he confidently replied in favor of two female-led MCU properties:

Oh, listen, I really liked WandaVision. For me, that was a series that I really liked because I thought it was such a different world and such a different take on those characters, and also from what they've done before with them. So I really liked that and then, you know, Black Widow obviously is always going to have a soft spot in my heart...there are some action sequences in that that are just insane.

Wanda in her Scarlet Witch costume in WandaVision

Stan's initial choice may not come as a huge surprise to many. The visually and tonally distinct WandaVision proved to be an enormous success for the MCU, winning Marvel its first-ever Emmy award, and its unique approach to the episodic format marked as strong an opening to the year as the studio could have wished for. And whilst the long-overdue solo outing for Scarlett Johansson's founding Avenger may not have achieved the same level of critical acclaim, it's clear the Winter Soldier was enraptured by the film's balancing of a strong emotional core with its effortlessly athletic fight scenes. However, Stan also goes on to admit that he hasn't quite seen all of Marvel's 2021 output yet, and that he has still to watch both Eternals and Spider-Man: No Way Home. So whilst he is certainly in no doubt as to which are currently his favourites, he is very aware that it is not a completely authoritative opinion until he has fully caught-up.

It's always intensely interesting to hear what cast members think of other entries in the franchises they're part of, especially one as diverse as the MCU. Stan's answer does invite further speculation as to what he will make of the two remaining films on his list, and whether there's any chance that either of them will displace his current choices for best of the year. Either way, though, it's comforting to know that, while Stan's involvement in the MCU's future remains uncertain, his passion for the superhero franchise as a fan is just as ardent as his devotion to it as an actor.

More: How Each 2022 MCU Movie And Show Can Change The MCU Forever

Source: Comicbook.com

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