True enough, but it fits HYDRA's M.O. to infiltate, corrupt and utilize the resources of a pre-existing agency. Remember at the end of the movie, Natasha gave Steve the Winter Soldier file after "calling in a few favors from Kiev." The fact that the official file on the Winter Soldier existed at all would indicate that he was outwardly a Soviet agent secretly controlled by HYDRA.
Interesting. I've heard several different fan theories about how Bucky fell into Hydra's hands. On the one hand, we do know that he was being brainwashed by Zola for Hydra apparently fairly early on; on the other hand, as you note, there was a file on the Winter Soldier's origins from Kiev.
My speculation is that perhaps Bucky was initially found alive by Soviet forces, and put into cryo-sleep until they could figure out how to weaponize him for their purposes. Some time by the late 1940s, I would assume that Hydra began to infiltrate the Red Army using whatever links they could find through Fennhoff, and from there that Hydra usurped control of the Winter Soldier program -- perhaps keeping it under nominal Soviet control, or perhaps bringing Bucky in to their own facilities away from the Soviets.
Alexander Pierce, a Hydra Agent who hired Nick Fury, was Nick Fury's boss who controlled S.H.I.E.L.D. .
I thought the Council controlled SHIELD.
The impression I got was that Alexander Pierce was both the United States Secretary of Defense and
ex officio the United States Representative to the World Security Council. Certainly he seemed to have some sort of operational authority over SHIELD -- in
Agents of SHIELD Season One, when May meets up with Maria Hill post-Battle of Triskelion, they describe Secretary Pierce as the only man able to give Director Fury orders.
Alexander answered to two masters, but Nick Fury didn't seem to have any other immediate superiors.
Fury would report to the World Council rarely
The MCU comics tend to imply he reports to them on a regular basis. So too does
Captain America: The Winter Soldier; the Council seems to regularly examine SHIELD operations.
So what, he had a horrendous case of food poisoning, and was doubled over the throne during the Battle of New York?
Great timing, Alex!
Who knows? Maybe Pierce wasn't a member of the World Security Council at the time.
The Battle of New York occurred some time in the summer of 2012. (4 May according to the MCU Wiki.) And of course, 2012 was a presidential election year in the United States. President Matthew Ellis appears to have won re-election that year, but it's very common to change Cabinet secretaries when a President's second term begins. Maybe President Ellis only appointed Alexander Pierce after his second term began in 2013.
Hmmmm?
Alternate theory.
Each member of the World Security Council has it's own answer to S.H.I.E.L.D. and together they protect each part of the world they are responsible, while fussing about exactly what parts of the world overlap into each others protection.
Which would explain why S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't allowed into Russia.
That's one possible interpretation. Or, maybe not so much that each member state has its own "answer to SHIELD" as that each one has its own
division of SHIELD, integrated into their national chain of command in some way but answering to the Council. That might go a long way towards explaining why the SHIELD badges we see in
Agents of SHIELD Season One have an emblem stylized after the U.S. flag in the center of the eagle, when SHIELD is constantly referred to as an international organization. Would also nicely explain why SHIELD is referred to colloquially as being "ours" in
Captain America: The Winter Soldier--it's "ours" in the same way that NORAD is. It's an international defense organization, but it has a powerful U.S. division that's part of the U.S. defense system.
I thought the Council controlled SHIELD.
Yes, and Pierce was the American member of the Council.
I'm pretty sure Alan Dale's character (Rockwell?) was the American representative on the council (as Powers Boothe probably was in 'Avengers'), while Pierce was the Council Secretary. As such, his nationality is probably about as relevant to the position is the UN Secretary-General's.
I mean, I think that begs the question of why he's addressed as "Mister Secretary" rather than as "Mister Secretary-General." And Councillor Rockwell could easily have been Canadian.
Hmmmm?
Alternate theory.
Each member of the World Security Council has it's own answer to S.H.I.E.L.D. and together they protect each part of the world they are responsible, while fussing about exactly what parts of the world overlap into each others protection.
Which would explain why S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't allowed into Russia.
Who the hell said SHIELD isn't allowed in Russia?
Phil Coulson said:
You're at 114 Solenski Plaza, 3rd floor. We have an F-22 exactly eight miles out. Put the woman on the phone or I will blow up the block before you can make the lobby.
Who the hell said SHIELD was in Russia legally when Coulson made that threat?
EDITED TO ADD:
Side-note:
Man, Matthew Ellis has to be, like,
the unluckiest President in the history of the United States. Under his watch, the Chitauri damn dear destroy Manhattan, and then he suffers
two different attempted coups d'etat in the span of less than eighteen months!
