10 Marvel Graphic Novels You Must Read Before You Die

9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Not only is the Winter Soldier the best MCU movie out there, it's also the best Captain America comic too. That's no easy feat, mind. Among the many writers and artists to have lent their talents to the character include Joe Simon, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Steve Englehart. Poor old Ed Brubaker, then, had a lot to live up to.

But here's the thing, he lived up to it all and then some, providing audiences with the defining image of Captain America in the 21st century and doing it all while constructing an equally seminal stint on Daredevil at the same time. That's amazing, and while the writer has gone on to pastures new to pursue creator-owned works at Image, history will show that his time with Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes et al. was the best the character's ever gotten.

Together with artist Steve Epting, Brubaker took the bold decision to revive Cap's WW2 sidekick Bucky Barnes and turn him into a brainwashed Soviet assassin, called the Winter Soldier. What followed was a classic arc in which, slowly but surely, Bucky would return to Cap's side and indeed, even succeed him as the new star-spangled man with a plan in the wake of his death.

There are plenty of standout moments from Brubaker's run, but that first Winter Soldier arc has to be the best.