10 Movie Unmaskings That Shocked EVERYONE

3. Bucky Barnes - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Winter Soldier
Marvel Studios

For those familiar with the world of Marvel Comics, it was a no-brainer that the Winter Soldier and Bucky Barnes were one and the same in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. For those not familiar with the funny books - and even for those who were - the reveal of Bucky as the metal-armed, brutal, masked assassin was something special.

In Captain America: The First Avenger, we'd seen Bucky fall to his apparent death, just another sad casualty of war. So when a mysterious and shady figure surfaced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the last person in mind as being behind this persona was a Sgt. James Buchanan Barnes who'd died back in 1943.

Having already got the better of Captain America once, then bested Black Widow, not to mention took down Nick Fury, the tension builds as we get another round of Winter Soldier vs. Cap. In the ensuing tussle, despite Winter Soldier getting the better of the fight, Cap manages to pull off his opponent's face covering.

Then, in one of the greatest moments in the entire run of MCU movies, there's a chilling silence as the audience and Steve Rogers realise that this monstrous human weapon is somehow, some way Bucky Barnes.

Also, a special shout-out here for Natasha Romanoff's turn disguised as Councilwoman Hawley during Captain America: The Winter Solder's final act.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.