Aleksander Lukin

Aleksander Lukin (Russian: Александр Лукин) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Publication history

He first appeared in Captain America vol. 5 #1, and was created by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. The character serves as the main antagonist of the Winter Soldier storyline.

Fictional character biography

Born in the Soviet village of Kronas some time in the late 1930s, Lukin's village is used by the Red Skull as a base of operations during the Second World War.^[1] Soviet troops attempt to retake the town, assisted by the Western Allies' Invaders superhero team which include Captain America and Bucky Barnes. Lukin's mother is killed in the course of the battle. The Soviet forces' leader Vasily Karpov takes the orphaned Lukin under his wing.^[2]

In the ensuing decades, Lukin became an important figure in the Soviet military and the KGB, rising to the rank of General.^[3] After his mentor's passing away, Lukin is left in custody of a large cache of special projects developed over the decades, including the Winter Soldier.^[3] He sells some of these devices to the highest bidders to raise funds. In one instance, he sells weapons to the Red Skull himself, but refuses to part with Winter Soldier for anything less than the reality-altering Cosmic Cube (which the Red Skull was not in possession of and would not give up in any case).^[4]

Five years after that meeting, the Red Skull finally recovers the Cosmic Cube, only to be assassinated by the Winter Soldier on Lukin's orders. However, the Red Skull used the Cosmic Cube to transfer his own mind right before death into Lukin's body, leaving the two men stuck together "like rats in a cage".^[5]

Lukin uses the cube to enrich his legitimate business front Kronas Corporation. Unfortunately, in a fit of rage, the Cosmic Cube harms one of Lukin's friends. Lukin has the Cosmic Cube sent away. After the Winter Soldier destroys the Cosmic Cube and regains his own memories, Lukin and the Red Skull have worked uneasily together against their common foe Captain America, even as the Red Skull wages a campaign for control of Lukin's body; Lukin vows to kill himself before allowing that to happen.^[6]

Upon the Winter Soldier's discovery of Lukin's connection with the Red Skull, the Red Skull and Lukin fake 'their' death, and continue to operate from the shadows.^[7] The pair contrive to abduct Sharon Carter, attaching Carter to a machine that will bring back the time-displaced Steve Rogers. Carter rebels, however, and destroys the machine. In a last-ditch maneuver, Arnim Zola transfers the Red Skull's consciousness into a robot while Lukin is free at last but only for a few seconds before being gunned down by Carter.^[8]

In other media

Television and Film

• Aleksander Lukin is alluded in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. In the episode "Widow's Sting", he has been contacted for his organized Russian crime connections (along with Count Nefaria's connections) by Black Widow at Baron Strucker's behest for HYDRA.
• The character himself does not appear in Captain America: The Winter Soldier but Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) bears many similarities to the character, primarily that of being the Winter Soldier's handler.^[9]

Video games

• Aleksander Lukin's Kronas Corporation is featured in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows as the Vulture's hideout that constructed armor for the Kingpin's forces.
• Aleksander Lukin's Kronas Corporation appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes.

References

External links

• Akelsander Lukin at Marvel Wiki