You mentioned in a recent post the theory that Howard stark knew the winter soldiers identity. I’ve thought about that possibility before as well. I wondered if you have further “evidence” for this besides how easily he recognized Bucky during the car crash? I feel like there’s more that I can’t think of
I've never done any meta on that (maybe there is more evidence but I'm not really au fais w/ HS's canon appearances so I can't say. Maybe someone who's thought about this more deeply could jump in in the notes?)
A couple of points on this:
Someone did point out the other day that Stark and Peggy had access to Zola's mind (his brain/computer) from the 1970s.
And he knew Bucky's identity, making it possible and even likely for them to know as of then, at least, if they didn't already.
It's hard to believe either would do anything about it if they did know, before.
As per AC show, Peggy knew about similar things happening to little girls, from the 1940s on, and didn't do anything about it (the Red Room). Instead she hired the scientist they found at the Red Room. 🤦♀️ (Bad Spying 101.)
So why would she and Stark go out of their way to help the man whose very existence is such a threat to the myth that they have built around themselves and continue to dine out off? (ie. that they are Good Noble Antifa people who knew Captain America, personally. 😌)
The Soldier's treatment on their watch (the proof of Hydra's continued existence; their complicity and incompetence) and Bucky's personal history with Steve would put the lie to their claims, and torpedo what they really value; their image.
They wouldn't help Bucky if they did know.
UPDATE: I was right! D+ What If...? season 2 confirmed that Peggy and Howard knew Bucky was The Winter Soldier for years and never did anything about it / anything to help him. (Funny how I only have to ask 'hmm... what would a complete bastard do?' to accurately predict future plot developments for these two.)
The last of Steve's blood was destroyed in the AC show, so how else did Howard get new samples? (In order to recreate the serum himself and/or work with someone else who already did that, viz his buddy 'Arnie' Zola) unless they were provided to him by buddy 'Arnie' Zola?
Where did Howard think this (fresh blood, many decades later) came from?
(Bucky and Isaiah are the only possible living sources for samples. So he had to know at least one person was being tortured by Hydra.)
But: Hydra sent the Winter Soldier to kill Howard... without his face-obscuring muzzle on.
Why would they stop hiding his identity, suddenly, and never do that on any other occasion, unless they already knew it was a moot point? (i.e. because Howard already knew who he was, so there was no point concealing it?)
I mean, they had him muzzled to go kill Fury and complete strangers, who wouldn't even have recognised his face, so why unmask for Howard?
Why did Howard not sound surprised to see 'Sergeant Barnes' (whom he easily identified when even Steve himself couldn't) but merely... resigned?
Why would Howard be unsurprised (viz. expecting) that Sergeant Barnes specifically would be coming to kill him, after he had acquired Winter Soldier serum samples from... Somebody?
How did Howard recognise the Winter Soldier as Bucky, in the dark, while disorientated from a head wound, with blood in his eyes, and Bucky's long hair in his face, and him looking drastically different from how he used to look, more than fifty years after Bucky is supposed to be dead...
and when Howard is never actually shown meeting Bucky?
Bucky's arm is made by Hydra out of vibranium.
(We know it is, because in CACW T'Challa reacts with shock and horror when he sees it up close; he is visibly taken aback.)
How did Hydra get that vibranium?
Are we supposed to believe that zealously-isolationist Wakanda would willingly hand over its most precious commodity to an American intelligence agency?
(What If...? tried to claim this. Utter Imperialist OOC nonsense.)
Isn't the unlikelihood of this like a major plot point in both Black Panther (and rumoured to be relevant to future MCU film plots?)
The only person outside Wakanda shown having access to vibranium, during the period when Bucky's arm was created, is Howard Stark. (And post Howard Stark, the only people with vibranium outside Wakanda are outright villains.)
It's the most valuable metal on the planet. Is Howard, who has some, likely to let someone else take that much vibranium off him without even being shown what it's going to be used for?
Also, the only person shown making mecha designs during that period, is not a Stark -- it's Arnim Zola.
But then What If had (guess who?) Howard Stark doing mecha designs during WW2. Which would make him even more likely to be the original designer of Bucky's arm. 🤦♀️
