Crossbones

"I just want them to feel the pain, the loss, of everything they took from me. And make them pay for it. In blood."

- Brock Rumlow

Brock Rumlow was a HYDRA agent within S.H.I.E.L.D., and a STRIKE team commander. He is a world-class hand-to-hand combatant, with extensive experience in various street fighting, martial arts, and military combat techniques. During the HYDRA Uprising, Rumlow was ordered to lead the HYDRA team and assassinate Captain America, until Rumlow was nearly killed during the Battle at the Triskelion, gaining horrific facial scars.

Once he recovered, and hearing that Alexander Pierce had died, Rumlow escaped from the hospital and, assuming the codename Crossbones, became an independent terrorist, setting out on a path to exact revenge and make anyone involved in his downfall suffer the same pain and loss he endured. He lured the Avengers into a public fight in which he personally fought Captain America. Although he was defeated, Crossbones activated a bomb hidden within his suit and, despite Scarlet Witch's best efforts to contain the blast, killed himself and dozens of innocent people in the resulting explosion.

Double Agent
Brock Rumlow was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who, over time, was tasked with leading a STRIKE team. As the leader of a STRIKE team, he often partnered with Captain America and Black Widow after they joined S.H.I.E.L.D. During his career, he became a double agent for HYDRA, a terrorist organization with a goal to create a fascist New World Order.

Zodiac
"These people, whoever they are, stole the Zodiac from S.H.I.E.L.D., after S.H.I.E.L.D. swore they didn't have it." "And now they don't, and we're getting it back."

- Captain America and Brock Rumlow

One operation saw Rumlow assisting in the recovery of the stolen Zodiac weapon and the apprehension of the terrorists that stole it. During one of their missions together, Rumlow, partnered with Rogers and Romanoff, was able to stop a terrorist group led by a man only known as Baker from launching an attack with the stolen Zodiac weapon in Chicago.

Rumlow and Rogers then defeated most of the terrorists while Romanoff took care of Baker himself. She was unable to defeat the terrorist; however, after his men had fallen, he could not defeat all three of them, so Baker tried to flee by throwing himself from a window. As Captain America was unwilling to let Baker escape with the Zodiac, he too jumped off the Skydeck and struggled with Baker in mid-air. Unwilling to die in the fall, Baker released the Zodiac to Rogers and activated his parachute, while Rumlow snared Captain America in mid-air back on the Skydeck with a grappler arrow.

Retaking the Lemurian Star
"How many pirates?" "Twenty-five, top mercs, led by this guy. Georges Batroc. Ex-TGSE, Action Division. He’s at the top of Interpol’s “red notice”. Before the French demobilized him, he had thirty-six kill missions."

- Captain America and Brock Rumlow

Agent Rumlow and his STRIKE team, led by Captain America and Black Widow, were sent on a mission to recapture the Lemurian Star, a ship which had been hijacked by a group of pirates led by Georges Batroc. As Rumlow spoke about the number of pirates to expect, Rogers made his frustrations at it being a ship controlled by Nick Fury very clear, as he felt Fury should get much of the blame. Once Rumlow had debriefed the team on all the details of the plan, Rogers gave him his orders and left the Quinjet first, leaping out into the ocean in order to silently clear the top deck on his own before the rest of the team arrived. When Jack Rollins looked on his surprise at Rogers' bold move he questioned if he had jumped out without a parachute, Rumlow confirmed that he had while attaching his own parachute, quietly impressed by the incredible jump. Rumlow and STRIKE joined Captain America moments later, finding that he had managed to take out the vast majority of the pirates without raising the alarm, using just his Shield and fighting skills to take them out and therefore avoiding firing any guns. As Rumlow came down to the ship, he found a p pirate who had Rogers at gunpoint and killed him with a silenced shot to the back of the head, joking that Rogers clearly was helpless without him. With the pathway clear, Rumlow and Rollins made their way through the ship, taking a key position outside the kitchen where the hostages were held, using a Taser Rod to silently knock out on pirate who was guarding the door. Once Rogers and Natasha Romanoff were in position and ready to begin the assult, Rumlow and his team killed Batroc's men and rescued the hostages, including the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Jasper Sitwell who was among the hostages. While Rumlow and STRIKE made their escape from the Lemurian Star with the hostages close behind him, he informed Captain Rogers that Romanoff had failed to meet them and continue the drop off. Meanwhile Rogers personally battled Georges Batroc who eventually got away after Rogers became momentarily distracted upon finding Romanoff hacking into the ship's computer system and stealing the top secret intel as per Nick Fury's direct orders.

The Death of Nick Fury
"I'm sorry about what happened with Fury... Messed up what happened to him." "Thank you."

- Brock Rumlow and Steve Rogers

Rumlow accompanied STRIKE to the hospital when Director Nick Fury was shot and killed by a mysterious assassin. When he received a call from the Triskelion, Rumlow informed Steve Rogers that he needed to return to S.H.I.E.L.D. to debrief with Alexander Pierce. Rogers initially delayed as he was speaking to Natasha Romanoff, but Rumlow insisted that they had to leave immediately. Rumlow and the STRIKE team accompanied him back to the Triskelion.

Hunting Captain America
"Whoa big guy, I just want you to know, this isn't personal!" "It kinda feels personal."

- Brock Rumlow and Captain America

As Steve Rogers' meeting with Alexander Pierce resulted in Rogers being declared an enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D. by Pierce due to having key information about the murder of Nick Fury, which could endanger HYDRA's secrets. Rumlow and the STRIKE team attempted to capture Rogers inside an elevator; Rumlow spoke to Rogers to gain his trust, noting that he had been sorry to hear about the supposed death of Fury. However, Rogers soon became suspicious and gave the team one chance to escape; they refused and attempted to capture Rogers using Magnetic Handcuffs. After a brief fight, Rumlow and Rogers were the last men standing. Rumlow told Rogers the fight was not personal and attacked Rogers with Taser Rods. Rumlow was quickly defeated when Captain America knocked him out by throwing him against the roof of the elevator before escaping the building. Rumlow led the ensuing manhunt against Rogers under the orders of Alexander Pierce and Jasper Sitwell. HYDRA was able to track him to a mall in Washington, D.C. when he and Natasha Romanoff activated a flash drive with a tracker on it. Rumlow arrived at the mall with his STRIKE team including Jack Rollins, all eager to gain revenge of their defeat in the elevator, but despite a long search, they failed to spot the fugitives anywhere within the shopping mall.

Capturing Captain America
"Three holes, start digging."

- Brock Rumlow

Later, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff were located at Camp Lehigh, where Arnim Zola's computer hard-drive was located. Alexander Pierce destroyed the camp with a missile in an attempt to kill them. Rumlow explored the area, looking through the rubble for their corpses and discovered a pair of shoeprints, telling him that Rogers and Romanoff had survived and escaped. Rumlow reported back to base and told them to call in the Winter Soldier.

Rumlow and his STRIKE team captured Captain America, together with Black Widow and Falcon on the streets of Washington, D.C. after they had a prolonged fight with the Winter Soldier. As Rumlow and his team surrounded the three with their guns drawn, he noticed Jack Rollins attempting to execute Rogers by shooting him in the back of his head, Rumlow saw a news helicopter watching overhead and ordered him to stop and wait until they were clear of the media. Rumlow then took their captives to a secure location to execute them free of any media interference. As they stepped from the van, Rumlow turned to some of his team and ordered them to dig three graves for Rogers, Romanoff and Wilson. He and Jack Rollins led a team to the van and opened the doors with their guns drawn, only to find that Rogers and his team had escaped with help from Maria Hill and a Mouse Hole device to cut through the vehicle. Rumlow and Jack Rollins escorted Alexander Pierce to the Ideal Federal Savings Bank to begin questioning the Winter Soldier, who was struggling to understand why he seemed to remember Captain America from a past life. Rumlow acted as Pierce's bodyguard as he began questioning the Winter Soldier. Rumlow watched closely as the Winter Soldier was beaten and Pierce ordered his memories to be wiped once again so he could attack Rogers.

Battle at the Triskelion
"Move away from your station!" "Like he said, Captain's orders." "You picked the wrong side, agent."

- Brock Rumlow and Sharon Carter

Rumlow then made his way into the control center of the Triskelion to ensure the launch of the Helicarriers while Captain America revealed HYDRA's infiltration within S.H.I.E.L.D.. When Cameron Klein refused to help, Rumlow threatened to shoot him in the head. Sharon Carter defended Klein by pointing her own gun onto Rumlow's head as well. Despite telling Carter and Klein that they had chosen the wrong side, Rumlow seemingly surrendered, dropping his sidearm, only to draw a knife which he used to cut Carter across the arm, causing her to drop her weapon. A gunfight between S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA agents ensued, and Rumlow attempted to kill Klein but Carter managed to save her ally. As chaos erupted, Rumlow was able to get the Project Insight Helicarriers in the air and then escape. On his way through the Triskelion, Rumlow managed to kill several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, using his knife and disarming various agents to take their weapons and shoot others. He received a call informing him that both Black Widow and Nick Fury had attacked and also captured Alexander Pierce. Knowing that the capture of Pierce put Project Insight at risk of being stopped, Rumlow made it his priority to protect Pierce so HYDRA's plan could go underway.

Showdown with Sam Wilson
"This is gonna hurt. There are no prisoners with HYDRA, just order, and order only comes through pain. Are you ready for yours?" "Man, shut the hell up!"

- Brock Rumlow and Sam Wilson

As he went to protect Alexander Pierce from being arrested, Rumlow was cornered and ambushed by Sam Wilson. However, he was soon able to knock Wilson to the ground with a head-butt. Rumlow prepared for a long fight and told Wilson that their fight was going to hurt as HYDRA did not take prisoners, bragging that Wilson was out of his depth in challenging him, smugly asking Wilson if he was even ready for the pain which Rumlow planned on inflicting. Growing tired of Rumlow's bragging, Wilson simply told him to shut up as they began to fight, charging at each other and exchanging blows. As Rumlow gained the upper hand due to his rough and dirty style of fighting, he threw his opponent across the room while taunting him that he was out of his depth fighting HYDRA while he jumped onto one of the desks so he could look down at the bleeding and almost defeated Wilson who was now lying on the ground. However while Rumlow smugly prepared to kill his enemy, he did not spot the incoming Helicarrier, which had been damaged during the battle and was heading straight for them. Seeing Wilson had spotted something behind him and had turned and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction, Rumlow turned and saw the danger but not until it was unfortunately too late and it crashed straight into the side of the Triskelion directly behind Rumlow. Rumlow attempted to flee but was soon knocked over and crushed by the crumbling building as the bricks and flames trapped his body under the rubble and nearly killing him. Rumlow however somehow managed survive despite being badly wounded, gaining horrific facial and body scars, and was taken away by medics. The incident also left Rumlow almost completely immune to pain and with a hatred for Captain America who he blamed for his terrible injuries.

Deserting HYDRA
"I didn't do this for HYDRA. You want in on this next job, you better leave all that shit at the door."

- Crossbones

Months later, Rumlow watched a report on the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. from his hospital bed. Disillusioned and furious at HYDRA's defeat, he assaulted his nurse and escaped. Rumlow began robbing police stations over various countries. In 2016, recovering some items from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research labs and set up an arms sale to draw out HYDRA, before opening fire to send a message while getting satisfaction by subjecting them to the pain he suffered. He took up the alias "Crossbones" and was spotted in Lagos, Nigeria.

Lagos Catastrophe
"We're not gonna outrun them, lose the truck." "Where are you going to meet us?" "I'm not."

- Crossbones and Mercenary

Seeking to draw out the Avengers and cause a devastating attack, Crossbones assembled a group of mercenaries and organized the theft of a biological agent at an Institute for Infectious Diseases laboratory in Lagos, Nigeria. Crossbones' men drove a truck through the entrance before opening fire on the guards, filling the building with poisonous gas. Crossbones and one other mercenary made their way through the building, using his battle suit to smash through several wall with ease until he found a chemical weapon and stole it. However, they were soon confronted by the Avengers who interfered and fended off his mercenaries before seeking him out. As Crossbones then stepped outside, he witnessed Scarlet Witch sucking the poison gas out of the building, indicating that the Avengers had arrived. Quickly making his way downstairs to make his fast getaway while Captain America was still inside the building searching for him and his soldiers, Crossbones soon found Black Widow attacking his men and charged at her, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her back into a scuffle atop an armoured truck. Widow soon freed herself and fought against the merciless terrorist before attempting to electrocute him with one of her Taser Disks on his exposed neck. Crossbones, however, informed her that he did not feel pain like that anymore, due to his injuries from the Battle at the Triskelion, before locking her inside a tank and dropping a grenade in with her. Leaving some of his own men inside the vehicle as well, Crossbones moved to another armored car while Widow barely managed to escape by using one of the mercenaries as a human shield to protect her from the deadly explosion, despite causing her great pain. Crossbones and his remaining mercenaries got in their armored vehicle and Crossbones took control of the main gun, aiming it at the IFID building just as Captain America was exiting to hunt down the terrorist and regain the stolen biological weapon. While the Captain attempted to escape, Crossbones continued to fire at his enemy until eventually he was able to shoot him out of the building where he fell several floors down to the ground. As they attempted to escape their attackers while the Falcon hunted them down, Crossbones gave the chemical weapon to one of his men to take to the airport before ordering them to ditch the armored truck as they would never outrun them. They crashed and departed, with each of the soldiers running in an different direction hoping to mislead the Avengers and escape with the biological weapon. When one of the mercenaries asked where Crossbones would be meeting them, Crossbones made it clear that he knew he would die during this fight. Before long, all the men had been killed and the weapon had been secured and taken away by Redwing.

Showdown with Captain America
"There you are, you son of a bitch! I've been waiting for this! Come on! This is for dropping a building on my face!"

- Crossbones to Captain America

Crossbones soon located Captain America and threw a magnetic bomb at his shield, forcing him to throw it out of danger to protect himself and the various innocent citizens of Lagos surrounding him. With Rogers without his own protection, Crossbones charged in and used the momentary distraction to begin furiously beating him, using the added strength from his armoured suit and overpower his most hated foe. Having pinned Rogers to a wall, Crossbones noted that this was for for nearly killing him during the Battle at the Triskelion as the falling Triskelion had crushed his body and scarred his face. Although his new battle suit gave Crossbones strength that rivalled Rogers' own, he was unable to defeat him in combat. Seeking to end the fight, Crossbones revealed that his armoured gauntlets held hidden blades with, which he attempted to punch through Rogers' skull. However Rogers was able to dodge out of the way of Crossbones' deadly attacks and eventually, his opposition had the upper hand when Captain America was able to break his arm and ripped off his armored gauntlets. Refusing to give up now, Crossbones continued fighting until Rogers delivered several powerful punches, damaging his mask and, with a final power kick which sent Crossbones flying backwards, overthrew him out of his chance for victory.

Sacrifice and Death
"Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky. I was there; he got all weepy about it. Until we put his brain back in the blender. He wanted you to know something. He said to me, "please tell Rogers, when you gotta go, you gotta go", and you're coming with me!"

- Crossbones to Captain America

With Crossbones defeated, Captain America demanded Rumlow to reveal for whom he was working. However Rumlow refused to answer, instead commenting on his own scars before claiming that the Winter Soldier had remembered his old friend before HYDRA had scrambled his brain again by putting him back inside the Memory Suppressing Machine. With Rogers distracted, Rumlow armed the bomb applied in his own suicide vest, intending to take Captain America's life along with his own. Just as Rumlow activated the bomb, Scarlet Witch used her powers to contain the explosion as Rumlow screamed in horrific anguish as his body was consumed in the fireball. She was able to whisk his exploding body away from Rogers but unintentionally placed him next to a building filled with several Wakandan nationals. Rumlow was among those who perished in the resulting explosion after Maximoff could not contain the deadly blast any longer.

Legacy
"I should have clocked that bomb vest long before you had to deal with it, Rumlow said Bucky and all of a sudden I was a sixteen year old kid again in Brooklyn."

- Steve Rogers to Wanda Maximoff

The attack on Lagos, Nigeria and Rumlow's catastrophic suicide bombing that had killed dozens of civilians, was deemed a public relations disaster and with divided opinions on the Avengers after the Battle of Sokovia, confirmed the Sokovia Accords in hopes of preventing a similar conflict, supported by T'Chaka and various other world leaders.

Personality
"I think I look pretty good, all things considered."

- Brock Rumlow to Captain America

Originally, Rumlow was extremely loyal to HYDRA, as well as being slightly cocky, like when he saved Captain America aboard the Lemurian Star. He had a strong attitude, as well as a tendency to go to extreme lengths to do things, like when he threatened to kill Cameron Klein if he did not launch the Insight Helicarriers.

As for when he took up the Crossbones alias, Rumlow was unapologetic, vicious and murderous. Following his escape from the hospital, Rumlow completely abandoned HYDRA's ideals, quickly becoming obsessed with only one thing - revenge. Rumlow was carelessly willing to sacrifice two of his men to kill Black Widow with a grenade and brutally attacked Captain America with no remorse. When he was finally defeated, he didn't hesitate to blow himself up if that meant that his enemies would die with him.

Abilities
"Thanks." "Yeah, you seemed pretty helpless without me."

- Captain America and Brock Rumlow

"I don't work like that no more."
 * Expert Tactician: Due to his military training, Rumlow is a highly skilled strategist with extensive knowledge in warfare and military combatives. After abandoning HYDRA and becoming Crossbones, Rumlow was able to stay ahead of the Avengers and law enforcement for six months. He was able to swiftly escape various scenes where he had staged heists or attacks. When he and his mercenaries planned to storm the Institute for Infectious Diseases laboratory in Lagos, Rumlow used a garbage truck to break into the area to avoid suspicion.
 * Master Martial Artist: Rumlow is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant. He was able to evade the knives thrown by one of the men in Baker's terrorist cell and easily defeat him, able to fight evenly against Black Widow, and hold his own against Captain America for the longest when the whole STRIKE team tried to subdue him, though he was ultimately defeated. He also dominated Falcon in their fight and mocked him for being in a superior fighting level, as Wilson only hit Rumlow when he ambushed him. Whilst in his Battlefield Suit Rumlow managed to go toe to toe against Captain America a super soldier with reflexes faster than any human.
 * Expert Marksman: Rumlow is a very accurate marksman skilled in sharpshooting, being able to, among other things, shoot a rope with a crossbow to catch Captain America to prevent him from falling from a building, or accurately land a single shot to a target's head while parachuting.
 * Spy: Rumlow managed to hide his true identity as a HYDRA sleeper agent from S.H.I.E.L.D., forming a partnership with Captain America and Black Widow in the process.

- Brock Rumlow and Black Widow


 * Nigh-Immunity to Pain: When he was severely burned, Rumlow's pain receptors were damaged, resulting in him being almost completely immune to pain. When Black Widow attempted to electrocute him with her gauntlets, Crossbones informed her that he did not feel pain the way he did before, yet he still screamed in pain as his suicide vest went off.

Weapons

 * Taser Rod: While attempting to capture Captain America, Rumlow and his STRIKE team used Taser Rods to weaken the super soldier and arrest him. However, they quickly learned that the Rods were not strong enough to stop Captain Rogers and he escaped.
 * : Rumlow's personal handgun during his career as a STRIKE operative. He carried it while looking for Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff in a mall in Washington, D.C. He also used it to threaten Cameron Klein inside the Triskelion, but he was forced to drop the weapon.
 * : A regular handgun that Rumlow had to use after losing his custom handgun. Rumlow obtained this pistol from a deceased S.H.I.E.L.D. agent while navigating inside the Triskelion to ensure HYDRA's plans.
 * : The Glock 19 pistol is the standard sidearm carried by STRIKE operatives, and, as such, Rumlow carried it as his main sidearm during missions. He used it to threaten Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson and Natasha Romanoff in Washington, D.C., right before capturing them following a confrontation against the Winter Soldier.
 * : Sharon Carter's weapon of choice. Rumlow disarmed her and took the gun for himself to escape from loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents inside the Helicarrier Control Room at the Triskelion.
 * : A high-caliber semi-automatic handgun used by Crossbones during one of his many attempts to attack police stations in Nigeria. Crossbones was depicted dual-wielding these pistols on a newspaper photograph.
 * : The standard weapon used by S.H.I.E.L.D. Strike Team members, that Rumlow used while trying to capture Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff in Camp Lehigh.
 * : A bullpup assault rifle that Rumlow carried on a mission to retake the Lemurian Star and liberate hostages inside. He used it even before landing on the ship, killing a pirate that was about to attack Captain America, and navigated with it inside the ship.
 * : An automatic grenade launcher which was mounted to the roof of an IFID armored truck. While making his escape from the IFID Headquarters, Crossbones fired this weapon at Captain America in an effort to slow him down.
 * : A hand grenade that was dropped by Crossbones into an IFID armored truck in an attempt to kill Black Widow.
 * Magnetic Bomb: An advanced explosive that was capable of attaching to magnetic surfaces before detonating. During the skirmish with the Avengers in Lagos, Rumlow threw this bomb onto Captain America's Shield, forcing Rogers to throw the shield away to prevent civilian casualties while allowing Rumlow to attack Rogers by surprise.

Others

 * Battlefield Suit: In the aftermath of the HYDRA Uprising and when he became a mercenary, Rumlow began wearing a specialized body armor alongside a standard tactical combat suit, outfitted with multiple hand explosives. Rumlow also wore a helmet, which served to hide his facial scars.
 * Weaponized Gauntlets: Crossbones wears specialized gauntlets that a have hydraulic functions that grant him superhuman strength. They boosted his physical attributes enough that he was even a match for Captain America, who is a super-soldier. The gauntlets also have large retractable blades hidden inside.
 * Explosive Vest: Crossbones' suit contained a hidden explosive vest, designed to be used as a last resort against his opponents. After being defeated in battle by Captain America, Rumlow activated the vest, intending to take Captain America with him, but Scarlet Witch intervened and moved the explosion away - but at the cost of 11 Wakandan relief workers.
 * Gas Mask: Rumlow utilized a gas mask to protect himself from the toxic gas his mercenaries used to clear the IFID Headquarters.

Allies

 * HYDRA - Former Allies turned Enemies
 * Alexander Pierce † - Leader
 * Jasper Sitwell † - Former Ally
 * STRIKE
 * Jack Rollins - Subordinate

Enemies

 * S.H.I.E.L.D. (First Incarnation)
 * Nick Fury - Former Director
 * Maria Hill - Former Deputy Director
 * Sharon Carter - Former Colleague
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Former Colleague turned Enemy
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow - Former Colleague turned Enemy
 * Cameron Klein - Former Colleague turned Hostage
 * Baker
 * Georges Batroc
 * Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes - Ally turned Enemy
 * Avengers
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Colleague turned Enemy
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow - Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Colleague turned Enemy
 * Sam Wilson/Falcon
 * Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch

Trivia

 * In the comics, Crossbones is an agent of the Red Skull, and became romantically involved with his daughter Sin.
 * In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Brock Rumlow wears equipment under his Bulletproof Vest that is meant as a reference to his attire in the comics.
 * In spite of the character's apparent suicide bombing in Civil War, Frank Grillo indicated that we haven't seen the last of the character; addressing his short filming schedule prior to the film's release.
 * Rumlow's popular alias "Crossbones" was never mentioned in the film although being notified and identified as Crossbones.
 * He is the fourth minor villain to be killed early into his second appearance, other three being Arnim Zola, The Other, and Wolfgang von Strucker.