8 Worst Things The Winter Soldier Has Ever Done

6. Became The White Skull - What If?

Winter Soldier Sniper
Marvel Comics

Marvel's What If? line of books often provide some fascinating and fun shake-ups to the Marvel realm. For example, there was the time that Loki was the one to receive Mjolnir, or the time that Gwen Stacy didn't actually die... or the time that Wolverine was the Punisher! Or the time that... well, you get the picture.

One such What If? story from 2005, however, put a darker spin on Bucky Barnes.

This particular tale was set during the American Civil War and saw Colonel Buck Barnes serving as Stephen Rogers' commanding officer. The problem here, was that this Buck Barnes was a bit of a nutjob who had a penchant for barking orders and going way over the line to get the job done. In fact, the attitude and underhand antics of this incarnation of Bucky perplexed Rogers. Things came to a head when Barnes ordered Stephen to kill three children.

After this alt-Captain America did what any Captain America would do, and refused, Buck shot him. Rogers would be taken in and cared for by a local family, and Buck Barnes would seek him out in order to finish the job.

In this What If? story, that initial confrontation between Barnes and Rogers saw the Colonel's face scarred by an eagle. By the time the pair met once again, Colonel Barnes revealed his true form as the disfigured White Skull - and he was even later revealed to be working with the Ku Klux Klan.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

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