The 15 Best Sebastian Stan Movies Ranked

Over the years, Romanian-born actor Sebastian Stan has made a career out of unexpected choices. Although he shot to fame with his role as Bucky Barnes — also known as The Winter Soldier — in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he's made a concerted effort to take on interesting, unconventional projects when he could have taken the easier route of action stardom. Instead, he's embraced the hint of menace that accompanies his matinee idol good locks, embracing films that see him as an nontraditional hero at best, and an out-and-out villain at worst.

Over the years, he's balanced appearances in a variety of different genres, from the superhero films that made him a star to darker fare of Southern gothics and disturbing horror films. For this, he's developed a reputation as one of the most interesting actors working today, although it's only been the past few years that he's truly been taken seriously by audiences and critics. His filmography boasts far more hits than it does misses, but the films on this list are his very best.

To be perfectly fair, "The Covenant" did not have a good reputation when it first came out. After all, it's kind of marketed as "The Craft" but with boys, so it doesn't really have the sense of female empowerment that made the former such an enduring classic. But over the years since its release, "The Covenant" has experienced a critical reevaluation. Or, at the very least, it's now considered a perfectly respectable guilty pleasure. 

This supernatural teen film features a group of teenage boys in Massachusetts, all of whom have magical powers that have been passed down through the generations dating back to colonial times. It was released in 2006, and although reviews were largely negative, there was enough demand for this kind of witchy YA fare that it was a box office success. And nowadays, it's most interesting for the careers it helped start. In addition to a young Sebastian Stan, who played Chase, the villain of the piece who quickly became addicted to his magical powers, "The Covenant" also features early performances from Taylor Kitsch, Steven Strait, and Chace Crawford.

John Cusack was one of the most decade-defining stars of the 1980s, so it makes sense that he would star in "Hot Tub Time Machine," a film that not only sends a group of friends back to their teen years in the '80s, but also lampoons movies from that period. Cusack plays Adam Yates, a middle-aged man recovering from a recent breakup, who joins his friends (played by Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, and Clark Duke) at a mountain resort for some much-needed R&R. But after a wild night in the hot tub, they find themselves transported back to a ski trip they took as teenagers in the 1980s — complete with the prerequisite snow bully, Blaine (Sebastian Stan). 

Here, Stan is able to play to his sillier side while still bringing trademark intensity as he parodies the kind of preppy, athletic jerk that was always featured in teen movies from the '80s. In his hands, Blaine descends into sheer ridiculousness, matching the energy of our ersatz heroes.

Filled with a bleak and at times overwhelmingly dark tone, "The Devil All the Time" is one of Netflix's most interesting offerings, even if not all of what it tries to do works. Told over several decades, it revolves around the relationship between Alvin (Tom Holland) and Lenora (Mia Wasikowska), who were raised together after separate, traumatic childhoods, mostly involving the bizarre circumstances around their parents' deaths. 

Between pastors covering themselves with spiders to prove their faith in God (Harry Melling) and grooming the young women of their congregation (Robert Pattinson), there's a lot of unsettling stuff going on in these seemingly quiet Midwestern towns. And Deputy Lee Bodecker (Sebastian Stan) is just another part of its seedy underbelly. He's a corrupt police officer, to begin with, and as if that wasn't enough, he's also complicit in his sister's crimes as she embarks on a serial killing spree with her husband. Bodecker reeks of abuses of power and quiet menace, thanks to Stan's willingness to be overwhelmingly unlikeable.

In Karyn Kusama's "Destroyer," Nicole Kidman stars as a police detective recovering from the trauma of her time undercover within a dangerous gang, whose world is rocked when she realizes that a recent murder in Los Angeles was committed by members of the same gang from years earlier. "Destroyer" hops back and forth between the present day, as Erin (Kidman) is forced to confront people from her past she thought she would never have to deal with again, and flashbacks of her time in the gang. 

It's here where we see Sebastian Stan's character Chris, an FBI agent who worked with Erin in her undercover role, during which time they began to develop a romantic relationship culminating in a pregnancy. Their time together is at the emotional heart of "Destroyer," and the circumstances under which it ended go a long way in explaining Erin's character trajectory over the course of the film. Although "Destroyer" didn't get the attention it deserved, it's still worth a watch — after all, there's no such thing as a bad Karyn Kusama movie.

In a cinematic landscape with deeply philosophical space dramas like "Interstellar" and "Sunshine," "The Martian" by comparison is much more of a straightforward yarn. It stars Matt Damon as Mark Watney, a scientist who has to fight to survive after he is left for dead by his crew on Mars. After the Ares III team faces a dust storm that forces them to evacuate and abandon their mission, Watney — presumed dead after being knocked unconscious by debris — wakes up as the only person left on the planet. But rather than accept his impending death, he uses all of his botany skills to harvest enough food to allow him to stay alive for the two years it will take for them to send a rescue mission.

Sebastian Stan plays Chris Beck, the flight surgeon for the Ares III, who like the rest of his team is haunted by the fact that they left Watney behind. They believe that they've doomed him to a lonely, drawn-out death. "The Martian" was a massive crowd-pleaser and performed well with critics, ultimately earning six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Matt Damon).

For several years in the early 2010s, it was popular (for Adam McKay, at least) to make slightly smug comedies that would serve as economic and political primers for audiences to understand current events and recent American history. Think "Vice" or "The Big Short." Following in those footsteps is "Dumb Money," which stars Paul Dano as Keith Gill, a mild-mannered financial analyst who ends up getting in way over his head when he leads a populist movement that puts the fear of God into Wall Street. He notices that GameStop stocks are being undervalued, and encourages a short squeeze to his followers on Reddit that leaves hedge funds scrambling.

"Dumb Money" features several real-life finance guys, including Vlad Tenev (Sebastian Stan), one of the founders of the brokerage app Robinhood. Although marketed as a more utilitarian way to trade stocks for the non-professional, they faced massive criticism when they made the decision to stop the sale of certain stocks, including GameStop, to try to regain control of the situation and prevent themselves from running out of collateral with the unprecedented number of transactions. As Tenev, Stan is the worst kind of tech bro, one who talks a big game about creating an app for the people but caving under the slightest pressure.

Ever since the seismic twin hits of "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame," Marvel has been struggling to find their footing in a new phase of their cinematic universe. After a handful of uninspired films, "Thunderbolts*" represents a step in the right direction for the franchise, as it pulls together a group of antiheroes from Marvel's secondary roster. 

In addition to Florence Pugh's Yelena and Wyatt Russell's John Walker, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) — who has somehow developed a career as a congressman despite having spent decades as an international assassin — joins the team as they square off against a superpowered entity known as Sentry (Lewis Pullman). Creating a superhero group filled with morally grey characters shaves off some of the more grating earnestness that can occasionally plague the Avengers, and as a result "Thunderbolts*" becomes one of the most fun Marvel outings we've had in ages.

A Southern gothic based on a novel Shirley Jackson, "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" revolves around two girls who have been leading isolated lives in their creaking manor house, with only their infirm uncle Julian (Crispin Glover) for company. Since Constance (Alexandra Daddario) has remained sequestered ever since she was accused of murdering her parents years earlier, her strange younger sister Merricat (Taissa Farmiga) is responsible for making brief forays into town for supplies, even though she is faced with abuse and harrassment from suspicious locals. At the same time, Merricat practices an earthy form of witchcraft, using totems to cast protection spells to keep her and Constance safe. 

But when their distant cousin Charles (Sebastian Stan) arrives clearly intent on courting Constance, their burgeoning relationship quickly drives a wedge between the two sisters, as Charles has an ulterior motive for his sudden reconnection with their family. Although he can paint himself as the ideal, chivalrous beau, he can also flip a switch and become someone utterly unrecognizable. Atmospheric and at times deeply unsettling, Stan's presence as Charles adds to the sinister air that permeates "We Have Always Lived in the Castle."

Who doesn't love a good old-fashioned heist comedy from Steven Soderbergh? Not us. "Logan Lucky" stars Channing Tatum as a construction worker who, after being fired as a result of an old football injury that impacted his ability to work, decides to try his hand at a new career path: Robbery. Together with a group of accomplices, Jimmy (Tatum) hatches a plan to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway via its underground pneumatic tunnels that transport large sums of money. Although the team of bandits features some great actors, including Daniel Craig, Adam Driver, and Jack Quaid, sadly Sebastian Stan is not a part of the heist team. 

Instead, he plays Dayton White, a NASCAR driver who is sponsored by the supremely obnoxious Max Chilblain (Seth MacFarlane). But he does get to play a key role in the heist, albeit only after the fact: Frustrated and annoyed by his boss, he goes on record refuting Chilblain's testimony that would point to Jimmy and his crew. This is the level of sheer pettiness we should all aspire to.

Dating these days can be hard. Sometimes you end up having a meet-cute at your local grocery store that is worthy of an actual rom-com, only to discover that your charming new beau keeps women locked in his basement. (We hate it when that happens.) In "Fresh," an unexpectedly gruesome horror film on Hulu, Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Noa, a frustrated single woman who thinks that she's finally found the one in Steve (Sebastian Stan), with whom she immediately sparks. But there's just one problem: Steve's not exactly what he seems. In fact, he runs a niche business providing human (female) flesh for discerning foodie customers desperate for a taste for the forbidden.

"Fresh" highlights Stan's capacity for malevolence, and in his performance as Steve we can see how clearly his charisma can shift to something dark and menacing. It's jarring how much we like him as the film opens, especially since he and Edgar-Jones have great chemistry, only for him to turn out to be a total monster whose sadistic actions aren't even for his own pleasure, but for profit. An alarming and insidious horror film, "Fresh" showcases just how willing Stan is to give in to his dark side.

By this point in the Marvel timeline, Bucky had managed to break free of his Soviet conditioning, effectively drawing a line between his true identity and the Winter Soldier. But even with his rehabilitation, some members of the Avengers still believe that he shouldn't be fully off the hook for some of his past actions, which include, for example, the murder of Tony Stark's father. This isn't the only thing that the Avengers fight over in "Captain America: Civil War," ultimately resulting in half the team (led by Cap) going rogue, but it's one of the more emotional pressure points of the conflict.

This whole situation gives Stan some of the meatiest material he's had in the entire franchise, as Bucky has to grapple with the weight of the terrible crimes he committed as the Winter Soldier, even though none of it was technically his fault. The morally complicated aspect to his character in this film only added to his status as a fan favorite.

As much as a Donald Trump origin story may not be the most appealing film in the world for many cinephiles, "The Apprentice" is an undeniably fascinating look at the New York City real estate mogul desperately trying to win the love of his father. Sebastian Stan plays a young Donald Trump as an unscrupulous trust fund baby who's eager to be seen as cool and powerful but can't overcome the aura of ick that surrounds him. 

He finds a willing mentor in infamous lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), who offers him invaluable lessons in how to be a complete monster. But soon enough, he's able to do bad all by himself, eclipsing even his old master. In "The Apprentice," Stan resists the urge to do an impression of Donald Trump: We've seen that often enough, and let's be real, he's got so many vocal tics that it's not exactly difficult to imitate him. Instead, Stan slithers into his skin, embodying his most insecure and reprehensible qualities. For this, he was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award, the first of his career.

When American figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was violently beaten in her dressing room, laying to rest (at least temporarily) her dreams of Olympic gold, suspicion fell almost immediately upon her teammate Tonya Harding. "I, Tonya" is a stylized pseudo-biopic, playing fast and loose with the truth as it tells Harding's (Margot Robbie) side of the story. A gifted athlete from the wrong side of the tracks, Harding spent her entire life being abused by her mother (Alison Janney, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance) and being told by the figure skating elite that despite her prodigious talent, she was not as graceful or elegant as she needed to be to excel at the sport. 

As she grows up, she makes some less than ideal romantic choices, including Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan). He's dim-witted and occasionally violent, and the toxic twosome are just simply not good for each other. But that doesn't stop Gillooly from conspiring with his friend (Paul Walter Hauser) to bring down Kerrigan — whether or not Harding knew about their plans beforehand is open for interpretation. As Gillooly (who Sebastian Stan actually had the chance to meet in preparation for the film), Stan succeeds in creating a pitiable character who invites the contempt and derision of audiences.

Remember when Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) fell to his death during Steve's dramatic rescue attempt behind enemy lines in "Captain America: The First Avenger?" Well, the joke's on you, because he actually didn't die, he was just taken captive by Soviet soldiers and brainwashed into becoming a super soldier who would serve as their own personal killing machine. (Lucky him.) In "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," we see Steve come face to face with his oldest friend — or at least, what's left of him. The grand struggle in this film is help him overcome his programming and break free of the role that's been assigned to him. 

What Stan does so well in this role is to portray the dead-eyed killing machine, but also imbue him with the barest hint of humanity that reminds audiences he's worth saving. It also helps matters that his performance in "Captain America: The First Avenger" as Steve's confident, charming best friend made him an immediate fan favorite even amongst fans who had no idea that he would eventually have the larger role of the Winter Soldier.

"A Different Man" is Sebastian Stan at his absolute weirdest. He plays Edward, a shy young man with dreams of becoming an actor who is stymied by his severe facial deformity. When he receives experimental treatment that makes him look like, well, Sebastian Stan, he has the opportunity to live the life he's always imagined for himself. But after he meets the preternaturally charming Oswald (Adam Pearson), who has the same neurofibromatosis condition that Edward previously had, he has a crisis of confidence. 

You see, Edward spent his whole life with a chip on his shoulder, thinking that he didn't fit in because of his facial deformity. Meeting Oswald and seeing how much people like him forces Edward to confront the fact that it was actually him, and not his condition, that was holding him back. This, understandably, sends him off the deep end. "A Different Man" allows Stan to stretch himself as an actor, shedding the charisma that had often defined his performances and bringing to life a character whose vibes are well and truly off. Critics responded positively to this, and although he ended up earning his Oscar nomination for "The Apprentice" rather than "A Different Man," he did win a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.