Aleksander Lukin (russian: Александр Лукин) is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. The character first appeared in ''
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
'' vol. 5 #1 (January 2005), and was created by
Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker (; born November 17, 1966) is an American comic book writer, cartoonist and screenwriter who works primarily in the crime fiction genre. He began his career with the semi-autobiographical series '' Lowlife'' and a number of serials i ...
and
Steve Epting
Stephen "Steve" Epting is an American comics artist. He is best known for his work on '' The Avengers'' and '' Captain America'' for Marvel Comics.
Early life
Epting's influences include Alex Raymond, Stan Drake, Jim Holdaway, Joe Kubert, Joh ...
. He serves as the main
antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist.
Etymology
The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
of the first ''Winter Soldier'' storyline.
Fictional character biography
Aleksander Lukin was born in the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
village of Kronas some time in the late 1930s. His village was used as the
Red Skull
The Red Skull is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and its predecessor Timely Comics. The first version, George Maxon, appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 and #4. The main ...
's base of operations during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Soviet troops attempt to retake the town, assisted by the
Western Allies
The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy ...
'
Invaders superhero team. The Soviet forces' leader
Vasily Karpov takes Lukin under as a protege.
In the ensuing decades, Lukin became an important figure in the Soviet military and the
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
, rising to the General rank.
[''Captain America'' vol. 5 #6. Marvel Comics.] After Karpov's passing, Lukin is left in custody of a large cache of his mentor's special projects developed over the decades.
He sells some of these devices to the highest bidders to raise funds, including to the Red Skull. Five years after later, the Red Skull finally recovers the reality-altering
Cosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube is a fictional object appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There are multiple Cubes in the Marvel Universe, all of which are depicted as containment devices that can empower whoever wields them. Although th ...
, 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". Lukin uses the Cosmic Cube to enrich his legitimate business front Kronas Corporation. But when, in a fit of rage, the Cosmic Cube harms one of his 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 the original 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. Upon the Winter Soldier's discovery of Lukin's connection with the Red Skull, the two fake 'their' death to continue to operate from the shadows. With his former enforcer as Captain America, the pair contrive to abduct
Sharon Carter
Sharon Carter (also known as Agent 13) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is usually depicted as a secret agent, an ex-field agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. under Nick Fury, and a love interest of St ...
to attach to a machine that will bring back the time-displaced
Steve Rogers, however, their captive rebels and destroys the machine.
Arnim Zola
Arnim Zola is a supervillain appearing in American comic books by Marvel Comics. He is a master of biochemistry and a recurring enemy of Captain America and the Avengers (comics), Avengers. The character first appeared in ''Captain America (comic ...
's last-ditch maneuver transfers the Red Skull's consciousness into a robot with Lukin free at last before being gunned down by Carter only a few seconds afterwards.
Lukin is later brought back from the dead by his wife Alexa Lukin, with the help of
Rasputin
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, thus ga ...
and
Selene
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene (; grc-gre, Σελήνη , meaning "Moon"''A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη) is the goddess and the personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene, she is traditionally the daughter o ...
. The Lukins join the Power Elite. As a side effect of his revival, the fragment of Red Skull's mind within Lukin was also revived.
[''Captain America'' vol. 9 #6. Marvel Comics.]
In other media
Film
While Aleksander Lukin does not appear in the 2014
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
film ''
Captain America: The Winter Soldier'',
Alexander Pierce
Alexander Goodwin Pierce is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in stories featuring the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. as an agent.
A re-imagining of the character ...
(portrayed by
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the List of awards and nominations received by Robert Redford, recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award from four nomi ...
) takes the character's place as the
Winter Soldier's handler.
Video games
* The Kronas Corporation appears in ''
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows''. This version of the company serves as the
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
's hideout, where he constructs armor for the
Kingpin's forces.
* The Kronas Corporation appears in ''
Lego Marvel Super Heroes
''Lego Marvel Super Heroes'' is a 2013 Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft W ...
''.
References
External links
Akelsander Lukinat Marvel Wiki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukin, Aleksander
Characters created by Ed Brubaker
Comics characters introduced in 2004
Fictional businesspeople
Fictional generals
Fictional military strategists
Fictional Russian people
Marvel Comics supervillains