Thunderbolts Week: Why Bucky Barnes Is The Perfect Thunderbolt

At its best, the Thunderbolts have been about redemption. That even seems to be a big theme of the upcoming film, even if those characters are anti-heroes rather than former villains. And in the last twenty years, no Marvel character had embodied that more than James Buchanan Barnes.

Prior to 2004, Bucky was a cautionary tale. He was the reason no Marvel superhero had sidekicks. Why should they if the first sidekick had such a tragic ending. But then Captain America: The Winter Soldier by Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting and Butch Guice changed all that.

Now, on the surface level, you might think about the obvious- Bucky’s return as the Winter Soldier. Sure you’d be right. But what a lot of readers forget about that story is that it transformed Bucky’s role even before Zemo blew him and Steve up. Over the course of that story, it was revealed that Bucky was a trained wetworks operative- while Steve would do the big flashy stuff, Bucky was quietly playing saboteur and assassin in the background.

When his memories were restored, Bucky was immediately adrift. He was a quiet background figure, jumping from op to op until Steve Rogers’ death after Civil War. That thrust him into the red white and blue of Captain America for several years. And yes, that did offer him a redemptive journey, but as comics always do, the eventual return to status quo set him back adrift.

Eventually, he found his way to the Thunderbolts.

Now, say what you will about the post Secret War era of Marvel in the lead-up to Secret Empire- Bucky leading the Thunderbolts made more sense than almost any other decision in that era. He was a hero that was still actively looking to redeem himself from the terrible things he was forced to do as the Winter Soldier. 

Ever since their split from Zemo, the classic Thunderbolts- Atlas, MACH-V, Moonstone and Fixer- had been off and on a path towards redemption. Moonstone more or less flirted with it. MACH-V had almost completely reformed but was still making mistakes. Atlas was similar but was also dealing with mental health issues that caused instability. And Fixer was just an opportunistic jerk. Who better to lead them than legacy hero with the darkest of dark pasts?

But Tony, you might say, doesn’t Hawkeye fit that too? Yeah, Hawkeye’s been around almost 60 years though, and all the rough edges from his villainous days have more or less already been sanded off.

Bucky is a hero needing a purpose, and redemption. Who better than a group needing the same?