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This article contains spoilers for Thunderbolts: Doomstrike #1Bucky Barnes and Natasha Romanoff have more in common than the Avengers or saving the world. In fact, the two have a complicated romantic history that spans decades, multiple wars, and brainwashing. Despite the hardships, Bucky and Natasha have always come back together, making them one of Marvel’s greatest couples.
Marvel Comics have given fans some of the greatest love stories in fiction. From Sue Storm and Reed Richards to Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, these iconic couples have been a staple of pop culture since the Golden Age of comics and even into today.
Bucky aka the Winter Soldier and Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow have been an on-again-off again couple in comics since the early 2000s and are currently back together again in the newest comics to hit shelves. Their shared history and mutual understanding created a deep bond that cannot be erased.
The History Behind Bucky Barnes and Natasha Romanoff
The Two Have a Long Storied Shared Background Dating Back to the Cold War
Bucky Barnes was Steve Rogers’ partner during WWII, acting as Marvel’s response to popular young sidekicks in DC Comics, such as Robin in Batman. However, Bucky was seemingly killed off in Avengers #4 in 1964, leading to the popular phrase “no one [in comics] stays dead except Bucky, Jason Todd, and Uncle Ben.” However, in 2005, Captain America writer Ed Brubaker decided to bring Bucky back after over forty years in Captain America #6, but with a twist. Bucky was an adult and reappeared as the Soviet brainwashed assassin known as the Winter Soldier.
It wasn’t until Bucky had reclaimed his memories and agency that more of his past with the Soviet Union was revealed, including his connection to Natasha. In 2006, at the end of the events of the Civil War comic miniseries–written by Mark Millar with art by Dexter Vines and Steve McNiven, Steve Rogers is seemingly murdered. Bucky, unable to tolerate the thought of anyone else wielding Steve’s shield, sets out to steal it while it’s being transported. It’s then that he sees Natasha for the first time, and when their past connection is revealed.
In Captain America (2004) #27–written by Ed Brubaker with art by Steve Epting and Mike Perkins, Bucky attempts to steal Steve’s shield from transport, only to find that Natasha is the one guarding it. The two realize that the Soviet Union must have done something by way of experimentation to give them both unnaturally long lives, as they knew each other during the Cold War. Though an exact year is never given, it was long enough in the past that Bucky was shocked to see Natasha both alive and youthful in the present day.
Bucky and Natasha’s Romance is Marked by Hydra, Both in the Past and Present
Hydra Does Not Let Their Assets Go Easily
While Bucky was brainwashed as the Winter Soldier, he trained Black Widows in the infamous Red Room, where he met Natasha. The two began a secret love affair, but were soon discovered by Hydra. As a result, Bucky was put back into cryostasis and only thawed out for missions, while Natasha went on with her life. However, the two never forgot one another despite the years, trauma, and lost and recovered memories. Natasha began to work with Bucky once Steve Rogers was back as Captain America, leaving Bucky free to act as a solo operative in the shadows.
It was during their time working together as spies that the two rekindled their relationship. But their bliss didn’t last long, as Natasha’s memories were eventually lost after she was captured and mentally manipulated by another Red Room assassin. For a long while, Bucky and Natasha remained apart, even after Natasha regained all of her memories. There was a brief time in 2010 that the two came together again in Black Widow–written by Marjorie Liu with art by Daniel Acuna–where Natasha confessed that she loved Bucky. However, their circumstances as spies/covert operatives continued to make their relationship difficult.
“Even when the two super spies aren’t romantically involved and both have their full memories, they remain close and extremely devoted to one another.”
Over the years, Bucky and Natasha would be faced with different hurdles to overcome, just to be broken apart again. It wasn’t until 2016 that the two came together yet again in Black Widow #9 and #10 by Chris Samnee and Mark Waid, with art by Chris Samnee. This was during a time that Natasha had yet again been stripped of her memories of Bucky. However, that did not stop Bucky from tracking her down when she was in need of help and on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D.
The On-Again Off-Again Couple is Currently On-Again in the Latest Comics
Thunderbolts: Doomstrike; written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing with art by Tommaso Bianchi
Their relationship is marked by loss on a level deeper than Natasha’s frequently erased memories. In the 2018 series Tales of Suspense: Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier–written by Matthew Rosenberg with art by Travel Foreman, Natasha is presumed dead, but someone with her same skill set and movements is out in the world wreaking havoc. As the title suggests, Hawkeye aka Clint Barton and Bucky team up, hoping to find answers while also dealing with their shared grief for the woman they both loved. In order to deal with his own grief, Bucky frequently refuses to talk about Natasha’s death.
Most recently, Natasha and Bucky are back together again in the new series, Thunderbolts: Doomstrike–written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing with art by Tommaso Bianchi. In Doomstrike #1, Bucky returns to Shelbyville, Indiana after a confrontation with Victor von Doom. While he is sitting on a bench with his beloved cat, Alpine, Natasha appears and the two share a loving kiss. With Marvel setting up the new miniseries One World Under Doom–written by Ryan North with art by R.B. Silva–all of the heroes will need as much help as they can get in the fight against Doctor Doom.
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Even when the two super spies aren’t romantically involved and both have their full memories, they remain close and extremely devoted to one another. They are a reliable source for one another to call in their time of need without any questions asked. It will be interesting to see how their relationship develops in the middle of the One World Under Doom events, especially with Bucky being used as the scapegoat for Doom’s war against heroes in Doomstrike #1. Bucky watching his hometown destroyed by one of Doom’s nukes will certainly require more than a shoulder to cry on.
Black Widow
First introduced as an antagonist to Iron Man, the Russian assassin Natasha Romanoff eventually defected to the US and joined Marvel’s roster of heroes. Working as a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, Black Widow has appeared in countless comics and several films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (played by Scarlett Johansson).
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