Face mask or cosplay? Sebastian Stan goes full Winter Soldier during pandemic

Bucky is alive! And that healthy state is helped, one would imagine, by his character's face mask. The Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan, has a nice dark mask over the lower half of his face in his brainwashed form during the second Captain America film. Now that the coronavirus pandemic is making similar-looking masks the norm among the general population, Stan's health precautions are now doubling as cosplay.

Posting a picture of himself all masked up on Instagram, Stan himself noted the similarities in appearance to his character in the Anthony and Joe Russo-helmed Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Take a look:

"Well this feels weirdly familiar..." the actor writes. At least his hair's a bit more manageable in quarantine. It's not often that donning an old costume can be so practical, but Bucky always was a more grounded character than his superhero surroundings. While he was disguising his appearance in the film to dupe poor Captain America, the mask eventually came off, revealing Steve Rogers' old pal Bucky Barnes.

It's one of the safest cosplay options out there now — though fans don't really have anywhere to wear it, considering that most comic conventions, including San Diego Comic-Con, have been canceled. Perhaps Stan's homebrewed Winter Soldier reprisal can inspire MCU fans to don similar safety gear before venturing out into the (socially distanced, of course) wilds of the world. We can't all wear Iron Man helmets.

Stan will once again play the Winter Soldier (unmasked, this time) in the upcoming Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier alongside Anthony Mackie later this year.