Who is The Winter Soldier?

Recently the title for the upcoming sequel to the 2011 film, "Captain America," was revealed alongside its release date...but, what exactly does the title suggest to fans and movie-goers?  A hardcore comic book fan might have some notion as to what the film title suggests, but to those who are avid movie-goers but lack the knowledge of the source might have difficulties piecing together the reference.  

No matter which camp you belong to (or even if you reside in the center of the geek Venn Diagram) here is some basic knowledge to help you plunder your way through the rich and diverse Captain America, Bucky, and Winter Solider fictional history:

Before the character Winter Soldier existed, there was James 'Bucky' Barnes, a soldier in the U.S Army and close friend of Steve Rogers.  Eventually Bucky ascertained that Captain Rogers was in fact Captain America.  At this juncture they began their joint battle along side one other throughout the bulk of World War II.  However, during the close of the second Great War, Bucky was supposedly killed in action and Captain America frozen for many decades.

Much later it is discovered that Bucky is alive--by a stroke of luck he had been found by a crew of Russian patrolmen.  He had suffered massive brain damage (which resulted in his amnesia) and lost an arm due to the explosion.  Russian scientists built him a mechanical arm and brainwashed him to be a become a Soviet, Cold War Agent.  He was then bequeathed the codename: Winter Soldier.

As a Soviet Agent he was sent on missions usually involving political assassinations and espionage, which resulted in crossovers with such characters as Wolverine and Black Widow.  when not on the aforementioned assassinations he was kept in a cryogenic stasis missions resulting in a sort of longevity.

Eventually he was found by Captain America and his memories were restored using the reality-altering Cosmic Cube, and having gained back his memories, he was forced to carry the burden of his past as...The Winter Soldier.

Recommended Readings:

"Captain America: Winter Soldier Ultimate Collection"

Trade paperback includes: "Captain America #1-9" and "#11-14." 

"Winter Soldier, Vol. 1: The Longest Winter"

Trade paperback includes:  "Fear Itself: Captain America: #7.1" and the first issues to the current ongoing series, "Winter Soldier #1-5."

You can also check out a review of "Winter Soldier #1" here.

Related Articles:

Review: Winter Soldier #1

Review: Winter Soldier #2

Review: Winter Soldier #3

Review: Winter Soldier #4

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