Lore & Loadout: Winter Soldier in Marvel Rivals
Discover the tragic and dangerous world of The Winter Soldier, Marvel's top assassin and one of the best Duelists on Marvel Rivals.
The Winter Soldier is a front-line Duelist who strings mid-range gunplay into brutal melee finishers with his HYDRA-forged left arm. A single Bionic Hook → Trooper’s Fist chain can yo-yo supports straight into Kraken-level doom, while his passive auto-reload keeps the pressure on without ever stopping to swap mags.
If you enjoy aggressive brawlers who bully squishies, sustain through bonus HP, and snowball fights with an execute-reset ultimate, Bucky is your new best frenemy.
Who Is Winter Soldier?
Winter Soldier first appeared in Captain America #1 (2005), reintroducing Bucky Barnes, the former teenage sidekick of Captain America, as a deadly Soviet assassin.
Presumed dead during World War II, Bucky was actually found by the Soviet Union, brainwashed, and transformed into the Winter Soldier—an elite operative who would emerge from cryogenic sleep for covert assassinations across decades of history.
Eventually, Bucky regains his memories and returns to the side of the heroes, but his past continues to haunt him. His journey is one of redemption and identity, making him one of Marvel’s most morally layered characters.
Winter Soldier Strengths & Weaknesses in Marvel Rivals
Strengths
- Combo assassin – Hooks → fists → voltage strings delete targets fast
- Self-sustain – Ceaseless Charge grants up to 50 bonus HP per arm ability
Weaknesses
- Cooldown dependent – Miss a hook and you’re a 3-round pistol for 12 s
- Limited mobility – Only a 9 m dash outside of Ultimate
- Ult countered by barriers – Kraken Impact stalls hard versus shields & invuln
Winter Soldier’s Powers and Abilities in Marvel Rivals
| Ability | Input (PC) | CD / Energy | Key Effects & Pro Tips |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roterstern | LMB | Ammo × 3 | Explosive rounds (75 dmg) + 65 dmg cone splash; weave between arm skills for DPS |
| Bionic Hook | RMB (hold) | 12 s | Charged 10–20 m grab, 15 + 20 dmg, pulls & cones behind; opener for combos |
| Trooper’s Fist | Shift | 12 s | 9 m dash, seizes targets then 65 dmg uppercut launch; reposition or juggle |
| Tainted Voltage | E | 6 s | 55 dmg piercing spark, 35 % slow 2 s, grounds fliers; great pre-hook tag |
| Kraken Impact | Q | 3100 E | Leap-slam 80 dmg AOE, applies 5 s Culling (15 % execute) and can chain-reset within 8 s |
| Ceaseless Charge | — | — | Arm abilities auto-reload Roterstern & grant 40/50 bonus HP |
Winter Soldier’s Combos & Tech
| Combo | Sequence (Narrative) | PC | Xbox | PlayStation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hook-Fist Delete | Charged Hook → Quick 180 → Trooper’s Fist → Roterstern burst | RMB(hold)→turn→Shift→LMB×3 | RT(hold)… | R2(hold)… |
| Voltage Snare | Tainted Voltage slow → Hook pull → Roterstern cancel | E→RMB→LMB | ||
| Kraken Chain | Ult → execute low-HP → Ult reset → repeat | Q→target→Q… |
Winter Soldier’s Match-Ups & Counters
Strong Against
- Spider-Man – slows ground him, hook punishes mis-webs
- Loki – Clones can b targeted for easy Kraken resets
Synergizes With
- Captain America – Stellar Impact team-up grants burst AOE & shields
Weak Against
- Emma Frost – Diamond shields block Kraken executes
Map Strategy for Winter Soldier
Positioning & Routes
Shadow vanguards; rotate between mid-range poke and brawling. Anchor behind natural cover, peek for Hook picks, then dash fist into your team for focus fire.
Team Synery
Call slow/ground hits before engaging, enabling allies to burst your hooked target. Save Kraken to punish grouped enemies after CC chains break shields.
Objective Play
Splash Roterstern into clustered contests; execute last-stand low-HP heroes with chained Kraken slams to flip overtime fights.
Winter Soldier’s Story in Marvel Rivals
Once presumed dead after a mission in World War II, Bucky was secretly captured and transformed into the Winter Soldier — a lethal Hydra assassin. Though he eventually broke free from their brainwashing and fought to reclaim his humanity, Bucky’s path was once again derailed during a solo mission to sabotage Hydra’s Charteris Base. Captured and subjected to horrifying experiments, he awoke to find his cybernetic arm replaced with eldritch tentacles — the result of dark, arcane science. Fortunately, a rescue team led by Hawkeye arrived just in time, though the mission quickly spiraled into a battle against twisted super-soldiers and a reality-tearing portal.
Determined to shut down Hydra’s ritual once and for all, Bucky sacrificed his mutated arm to sever the ancient link, risking everything to stop the monster emerging from beyond. As the chamber collapsed, a mysterious new Captain America from the future arrived through the portal and saved them at the last moment, leading the exhausted heroes to a strange, futuristic Wakanda. There, Bucky received a high-tech replacement arm and was asked to join a new fight. No longer a pawn or a weapon, the Winter Soldier had reclaimed his agency — and with his old friends at his side, he was ready to pull the trigger on a better future.
Essential Winter Soldier Comics
- Captain America (2005) #1–14 – Ed Brubaker’s seminal Winter Soldier saga (resurrection & redemption)
- Winter Soldier (2012) #1–14 – Covert ops with Black Widow; defines solo ethos
- Thunderbolts (2025) – Bucky leads a reformed anti-hero squad
- Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty (2022) #6 – “Revolution” turn sets up modern arc
- The Winter Soldier: The Bitter March (2014) – Flashback spy thriller by Remender & Boschi
Winter Soldier in Marvel Rivals TL;DR
- Hook-and-fist Duelist who chains abilities to auto-reload & snowball.
- Bionic Hook → Trooper’s Fist → Kraken can wipe a back-line in seconds.
- Preserve arm cooldowns; without them you’re a sitting duck with 3-shot ammo.
- Use Voltage to slow/ground fliers; execute with Kraken resets when health bars dip.
- Pair with Cap; avoid diamond shields & instant CC traps.