It was pretty clear from the start of this series that we weren't going to get a happy ending. This issues confirms that hunch.
The increased violence that Remender and Boschi show Bucky and Ran using throughout this issue effectively conveys the characters' desperation. Remender starts the issue giving them all a brief moment of hope, with Bucky plotting to kill his Soviet handlers before coming in from the cold and Ran imaging a future with Mila. But, then the Soviets find them, and everything goes to Hell. Nick Fury taking out the helicopter carrying Bucky and Mila is a brilliant stroke, since his actions lead not only to the rebirth of the Winter Soldier (after the Soviets recover his body) but also the birth of the Iron Nail (as Ran is now filled with hate when they send them to infiltrate Mao's camp). It's just a reminder how often S.H.I.E.L.D. makes short-sighted decisions, something that Marvel has been doing a great job highlighting lately.
This mini-series is really a testament to Remender's ability to create new villains and not just rehash old ones. I'm hard pressed to think of a better new villain -- other than Remender's own Apocalypse Twins -- than the Iron Nail, so I'm glad Marvel gave Remender a chance to develop him more fully here. I'd love to see Remender return to Ran some day and show us his conversion to the communist cause. At this point, we really only see him a broken man. I intellectually understand how years of living with Mao as well as getting unlimited power from Fin Fang Foom turn him into the lunatic that we eventually saw in "Captain America," but it would be interesting to see that process first-hand.
*** (three of five stars)
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