The character first appeared in Captain America vol. 5 #1 (January 2005), and was created by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. He serves as the main antagonist of the first Winter Soldier storyline.

Aleksander Lukin was born in the Soviet village of Kronas some time in the late 1930s. His village was used as the Red Skull's base of operations during the Second World War.^[1] Soviet troops attempt to retake the town, assisted by the Western Allies' Invaders superhero team. The Soviet forces' leader Vasily Karpov takes Lukin under as a protege.^[2]

In the ensuing decades, Lukin is an important figure in the Soviet military and the KGB, rising to the General rank.^[3] After Karpov's passing, Lukin is left in custody of a large cache of his mentor's special projects developed over the decades.^[3] He sells some of these devices to the highest bidders to raise funds, including to the Red Skull.^[4] Five years after later, the Red Skull finally recovers the reality-altering 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 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.^[6] 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.^[7] With his former enforcer as Captain America, the pair contrive to abduct Sharon Carter to attach to a machine that will bring back the time-displaced Steve Rogers, however, their captive rebels and destroys the machine. Arnim Zola'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.^[8]

Lukin is later brought back from the dead by his wife Alexa Lukin, with the help of Rasputin and Selene. 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.^[9]

Red Skull's consciousness eventually takes over Lukin's mind and begins operating out of a new base in Argentina. The base is attacked by Bucky Barnes, the former Winter Soldier, and his new Thunderbolts, with Barnes himself executing Lukin.^[10]

Television edit

Aleksander Lukin is mentioned in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes episode "Widow's Sting". This version is an industrialist who has connections to organized crime and pledged allegiance to Hydra.

Film edit

The character does not appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), but Alexander Pierce (portrayed by Robert Redford) is the Winter Soldier's handler instead.

Video games edit

• The Kronas Corporation appears in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows.
• The Kronas Corporation appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes.

• Akelsander Lukin at Marvel Wiki