Marvel Comics‘ new Ultimate Universe offers some amazing twists on classic characters like Hulk and Colossus, who were turned into villains thanks to the manipulations of The Maker. Now, Captain America has been forced to kill one of these villains, who was once one of his closest friends and allies.
The Ultimates #22 by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri continues the final battle between the forces of the Maker and the Ultimates team. The focus is upon Captain America as he leads a squad against the Red Skull Army. Based on the teachings of the original Red Skull, the neo-Nazi group sought to take back America for “real Americans.”
With the aid of Hawkeye and Quicksilver, Captain America was able to invade the Red Skull Army’s main compound. His goal was to get to their leader, the Grand Skull. However, there was a personal element to this mission beyond Steve Rogers‘ desire to bring down the group based on the ideals of his greatest enemy.
What Marvel hero did Ultimate Captain America kill?
In an earlier battle with the Grand Skull, the android Human Torch Jim Hammond thought he recognized the villain’s voice. He later analyzed the voice and confirmed that it was almost certainly Bucky Barnes. The best friend of Captain America enjoyed a radically different life in the Ultimate Universe. In the reality of Earth-6160, Bucky returned home to the United States after World War II and never became the Winter Soldier.
After the war, Bucky tried running for Congress and fought against the Maker’s efforts to remake society. However, the Maker’s belief that people should live only for their own self-interest rather than shared ideals caught on. Bucky ultimately decided to forget about changing the world and made a career for himself as a mechanic.
Even that was taken away from him after the Maker created self-repairing cars. The final blow was Bucky’s diagnosis with liver cancer. This pushed him to return to Nick Fury, who cured his condition and put him on a deep cover assignment to become the next Grand Skull. It turned out the Red Skull Army was a false-flag operation, meant to distract those who might organize against the Maker.
A tearful Bucky told Captain America everything and how he came to believe in the role he played. He also said he never would have let it get this far if he hadn’t been about to die alone. Steve Rogers assured the friend he loved like a brother that he was not alone, just before snapping his neck. Ironically, Captain America ended the legacy of the Red Skull, but it was a bittersweet victory at best.
The Ultimates #22 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
