10 Superhero Resurrections That Actually Worked

by Ewan Paterson

1. Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier

Captain America The Winter Soldier Comic
Marvel Comics

Before Ed Brubaker took over the reigns of Captain America in 2005, Bucky Barnes was thought of as being nothing more than Cap's sidekick during his World War II years, and a victim of the conflict himself.

Previously thought to have died in a plane crash near the war's end, Barnes had actually been located by a Soviet submarine and, upon his arrival at Moscow, was subsequently conditioned and trained to become one of the world's deadliest assassins. Periodically released from cryogenic sleep throughout history, Bucky would influence the events of the Marvel Universe decades before his path would cross with Cap again. Once they met, however, things were really kicked up a notch, leading the character down a path that would eventually see them take on the mantle of Captain America himself, and even become a leading Avenger.

Brubaker's resurrection of Barnes remains one of the key highlights of his run on Cap, and indeed, that of the modern age of the medium. It's also - in no small way - the most influential resurrection to have taken place thus far, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe having taken heavy inspiration from Brubaker's narrative in their construction of Bucky Barnes' big screen persona.

Bucky's return may not be the most high profile resurrection in the medium, but it's undoubtedly its best.

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Were there any resurrections that you enjoyed? Or would you prefer comic book characters to just stay dead? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.