Captain America #46-48 (2009)

The last story arc introduced Professor Zhang Chin and his bodyguard The Man With No Face.  I think these are the first villains who can truly be considered part of “Bucky Cap’s” rogues’ gallery.

Professor Chin is attempting to weaponize the body of the original, android version of Human Torch.  Torch’s old “Invaders” buddies Bucky Cap and Sub-Mariner, along with Black Widow, are intent on stopping Chin.

Using her espionage skills, Widow learns that Chin is in Taiwan, where Bucky is still considered wanted for murdering Chin’s wife back in the 1960s on a Winter Soldier mission.   It’s great to see Natasha using her spy skills instead of just being another karate-chopping, spandex character.  (She also does some of that, too, of course.)

Bucky Cap is reckless in Taiwan, seemingly wanting to be captured and executed for the crimes he committed as Winter Soldier.  Another thing I really like about this run is that Bucky Barnes’ guilt not only makes sense, but it turns him into a man haunted by his past and unable to break from it–just as Steve Rogers was when he first was revived by The Avengers after a decades-long sleep.  Ed Brubaker’s Captain America is unique and has his own personality, but there’s enough there to tie him back to the original Cap so that the heroic themes of the character are consistent.

Despite his guilt, once captured by professor Chin, Bucky refuses to confess.  To force him, Chin puts the also-captured Namor in a water tank and then inserts a “flame virus” made from the remains of Human Torch.  Yes, the two male heroes are captured and helpless…And Black Widow saves the day.  Once freeing her allies, Namor kills Chin and the Man With No Face.

In the aftermath, Human Torch’s remains are interred in a hero’s grave.

Bucky gets a very Captain America-like moment standing over the grave and saluting.

Another solid story in this landmark Captain America run.  It’s especially good because we now haven’t seen any references to Sharon Carter or the mysterious “Steve Rogers” clone for about a half year.  As readers in real time, this led us to believe that Bucky Cap was here to stay, the new normal, and Steve Rogers was in fact dead for good.