Thunderbolts: Does Bucky Barnes Know Steve Rogers Is A Hydra Agent?

As of late, there’s been much talk surrounding the current Thunderbolts series for a variety of reasons. One is the possible return of the Masters of Evil, the other being that this iteration of the team is led by none other than Bucky Barnes, whom many of you know as the Winter Soldier.

Given that, one would think this title naturally lends itself to crossing over with Captain America: Steve Rogers, a series in which the title character has been brainwashed into thinking himself a lifelong agent of Hydra.

Now, the question on everyone’s mind is whether Bucky is aware of Steve’s heel turn, something writer Jim Zub addressed while recently speaking with Newsarama:

“Clearly at this point Bucky doesn’t know enough because if he did he’d do everything in his power to make things right. The underlying tension, that readers know exactly what’s happened to Steve and that Kobik was responsible, but Bucky doesn’t know – that’s visceral stuff right there. Gut-wrenching, emotional betrayal. If Bucky ever finds out, well… keep reading.”

While that certainly is motivation to keep reading and the revelation could very well occur in the pages of Thunderbolts, it sounds like something that significant could be saved for the upcoming Secret Empire event series, but you never know.

In addition to that, Zub had this to say about what to expect from Thunderbolts #10 and beyond:

“Thunderbolts #10 is our big anniversary blowout. We don’t waste any time. Action and emotion are coming at you right from the start and it’s relentless. The ending of issue #10 is big and I hope readers really appreciate what it all means as they anticipate issue #11 to see where it all goes. Issue #12 is the crushing payoff and, by the time it’s done, the Thunderbolts will be changed in all kinds of ways.

“This Thunderbolts anniversary event is a chance to look back and appreciate how far we’ve come, but the best way to honor the series’ legacy is to keep moving forward, taking risks building new engaging stories. If we do our job, ‘Return of the Masters’ will be a memorable milestone.”