Thanks to his bionic arm, Bucky Barnes has one of the most recognizable looks in the Marvel Universe, even when he isn’t wearing a costume. Now, the legendary Winter Soldier has added to his ever-evolving look with a new redesign that not only replaces his iconic bionic arm with something entirely different, but also gives him a much more heavily armored appearance.
Marvel Comics has officially taken a page out of DC’s book and is trying its hand at a high-fantasy version of the Marvel Universe. Marvel fans who also dabble in DC’s narratives will know that, in 2021, writer Tom Taylor and lead artist Yasmine Putri launched Dark Knights of Steel, an Elseworlds series that gave DC’s most iconic characters epic fantasy-inspired reimaginings and redesigns.
This take on DC’s characters was so popular that it led to a Deathstroke-starring spinoff titled Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter, written by Jay Kristoff and illustrated by Tirso. Additionally, Taylor has now returned, this time alongside artist Otto Schmidt, for the official, ongoing sequel to the original series, Dark Knights of Steel II. And it now seems Marvel has been inspired by the success of DC’s high-fantasy alternate universe, with the comic publisher launching its own high-fantasy world in its ongoing Realmguard Infinity Comic series.
Written by Preeti Chhibber, with art by Lorenzo Tammetta and colors by Rod Fernandes, Marvel’s Realmguard Infinity Comic kicked off in July and has gotten to work reimagining its own characters with new high-fantasy-inspired looks and reimagined origin stories. Among the characters to make their debut is Bucky Barnes, who debuted an epic armored redesign in Realmguard Infinity Comic #2.
George R.R. Martin’s Starks and Sevro au Barca’s Howlers Approve of Bucky Barnes’ New Look
Comic Page Comes from Preeti Chhibber’s Realmguard Infinity Comic #2 (2026) – Art by Lorenzo Tammetta & Rod Fernandes
Set in the kingdom of Kironia, the high-fantasy version of the Marvel Universe, Realmguard Infinity Comic’s debut issue introduced us to reimagined versions of Peter Parker, Felicia Hardy, Mary Jane Watson, and Tony Stark. Realmguard Infinity Comic #2, which was released on July 15, then expanded the cast of characters with the notable debuts of Raven Darkhölme and James “Bucky” Barnes.
Bucky’s introduction to this high-fantasy world was particularly notable, as the hero got what is simply a badass redesign. Here, Bucky isn’t just a soldier but is, in fact, Sir Barnes, the current commander of the King’s knights. Bucky is thus rendered in a look befitting his title, wearing typical fantasy-appropriate knightly armor customized to make the design unique while still serving as a tribute to his main-universe design.
Bucky’s armor sets itself apart from typical knight attire by featuring a breastplate with a lone star, an asymmetrical white-fur cloak, and a singular wolf-head spaulder that sits atop his fully armored arm, which serves as a fantasy-appropriate substitution for his bionic arm. Hence, while Bucky remains instantly recognizable, the look is an epic fantasy reimagining of his typical design.
In fact, Barnes looks like he would fit right in among the Starks of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. And while taking place in the sci-fi genre rather than fantasy, Bucky even looks like he could somewhat fit in among Sevro au Barca’s Howlers from Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series. All this to say, Bucky Barnes is simply peak fantasy badassery with this look.
Realmguard Infinity Comic #2 from Marvel Comics is now available to read!