Who did Sebastian Stan play in Hot Tub Time Machine? Actor recalls surviving on royalties before landing MCU role

Sebastian Stan has lately been in demand, as he continues to play the role of Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Before he played the super soldier with the metal arm, Sebastian Stan had stared in the 2010 movie, Hot Tub Time Machine.

Stan appeared as Blaine the bully, an archetypal 80s antagonist, in Steve Pink’s Hot Tub Time Machine. The movie was a science fiction comedy where four men, played by John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke, are transported back to their teenage years at a ski resort in 1986.

Stan whose estimated to have a net worth of $8 Million now, shared in a report with Vanity Fair that he was struggling with work, before being cast as The Winter Soldier for the 2011 Captain American: The First Avenger.

“I was actually struggling with work,” he shared.

“I had just gotten off the phone with my business manager, who told me I was saved by $65,000 that came in residuals from Hot Tub Time Machine.” explained Sebastian Stan.

The phase of financial uncertainty proved to be brief, as he laughed his way to the bank after being cast in the MCU. Sebastian Stan continued to play the Winter Soldier in:

• Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014),
• Ant-Man (2015),
• Captain America: Civil War (2016),
• Black Panther (2018),
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018),
• Avengers: Endgame (2019),
• The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
• And Captain America: Brave New World (2025).

How Sebastian Stan Landed the Role of Bucky in Captain America:

Back in 2010, Marvel Studios was searching for an actor who could showcase something darker, a performer who could bring emotional complexity to Bucky Barnes in Captain America: The First Avenger. At the time, Stan wasn’t the household name he is now, though fans of the American Drama ‘Gossip Girls’ might’ve recognized him as Carter Baizen.

The president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, shared that:

“You could see that he has so much inside him and so much behind his eyes. I’ll never forget that,”

“I said to Stephen Broussard, who was one of the producers on Captain America, ‘He’s going to be a good Bucky, but he’s going to be a great Winter Soldier.’ ” Feige added.

How Avengers: Endgame Quietly Referenced Hot Tub Time Machine

In Avengers: Endgame, there’s a scene where Hulk explains the science of time travel to Scott Lang (Ant-Man) and James Rhodes (War Machine). The conversation leads to a string of pop culture references, from Back to the Future to The Terminator, and a special title is also mentioned, Hot Tub Time Machine. Considering Sebastian Stan appeared in the movie, it subtly opens the door to a playful paradox: if the Avengers have seen Hot Tub Time Machine, do they not reco/gnize their teammate’s uncanny resemblance to the character of Blaine the Bully

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The Avengers: Endgame reference to Hot Tub Time Machine isn't the only instance of Marvel referencing an actor’s previous work. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has previously acknowledged other iconic franchises, including Star Wars, where veterans like Natalie Portman and Samuel L. Jackson have made their mark in both universes.

Sebastian Stan will be seen as the Winter Soldier in Thunderbolts*, premiering May 2 in theaters.

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