If the latest Captain America movie didn't break your heart three times over for Bucky Barnes, then I don't want to know you. There are spoilers for Civil War ahead, steer clear if you haven't seen the movie and don't want to know what happens! Let's talk about the red Hydra book in Captain America : Civil War ? It was leather bound, with a star on the cover and dangerous secrets inside.
In the movie, this book contained a series of activation words to be used on Winter Soldiers. (In the comics, simply the word "sputnik" controls Bucky.) It was handwritten and intimate for something so powerful. When the right words were said in the right order, James Buchanan Barnes becomes an assassin who will comply to any orders he is given. Back in 1991, that meant killing Howard and Maria Stark — so if you had any doubts about how and why they died, this movie finally put that to bed.
It turned up, months or years later, in Cleveland of all places. A former Hydra operative was hiding out with the book, and died rather than give up any more information. Baron Zemo, the official Civil War villain played by Daniel Brühl, tracked down the book and then used it to discredit Bucky and have him attack his captors. Of course, like any good mysterious question, it raises more questions than it answers.
Who Has It Now?
After the film's final showdown, it's unclear where the red book ended up. I would assume that T'Challa (Black Panther) took it with him, meaning that the book is either in Wakanda with Bucky, or he could have handed it over to Everett Ross, Martin Freeman's character. It could also have been snagged from the scene by Tony Stark — who can probably be trusted with that kind of power, but then again maybe not.
What Else Is In It?
There's got to be more in that book than a string of words to turn a man into a weapon. How many Hydra secrets can one red book hold? Could there be something about Black Widow, who was also "made" in the Soviet Union, perhaps? Sure, this book isn't an Infinity Stone, but I would not be surprised if it popped up again in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Images: Marvel Studios
