10 Comic Book Characters Who Keep Changing Identities

James Buchanan Barnes, otherwise known as "Bucky" to his friends, was another sidekick in a long list of kids teamed up with adult superheroes from the 1940s. He first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 as the titular hero's sidekick as they fought the Nazis across Europe during World War II.

After the war, superhero comics took a dive in sales thanks to the rise in sci-fi and westerns, and as a result, poor ole' Bucky was shot and nearly killed in a Captain America story published in 1948. He sat out most of comic book history until he was retconned a bit in Avengers #4, which served to bring Cap back to the then present.

Bucky was noted as having been lost after the war, replaced, and ultimately killed, but by 2005, his identity got an upgrade. He was revealed to be a covert assassin who used the Bucky identity as a cover during the War. In reality, he was an amnesiac assassin codenamed the Winter Soldier.

Cap helped him by using the Cosmic Cube to restore his memories, which brought Bucky back to the good guys' side. He later took over the mantle of Captain America before eventually returning to the role of the Winter Soldier. All-told, Bucky had three superhero identities over his long career.