Magnificent Baddie Wiki

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See, I took a seat on the Council not because I wanted to, but because Nick asked me to—because we were both realists. We knew that despite all diplomacy and the handshaking and the rhetoric, that to build a better world? Sometimes means having to tear the old one down. And that makes enemies.
~ Pierce's most famous quote.

Alexander Pierce is a major antagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, serving as the main antagonist of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He was a member of the World Security Council, the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the secret head of HYDRA who planned to use Project Insight to eliminate any threat to S.H.I.E.L.D.

He was portrayed by Robert Redford.

What Makes Him Magnificent?[]

  • He's a well-intentioned extremist, much like Thanos. After his daughter and a dozen other political officers nearly got killed by guerillas due to his own inaction as he tried to negotiate, Pierce decided that he wanted the power to stop threats worldwide before they had time to occur. His very first scene in the movie makes it clear from the get-go from that he genuinely believes in his viewpoint, stating that he cares about an entire fleet more than just one boat.
  • He's impeccably affable and polite, respecting even his enemies (i.e. Captain America and Nick Fury) and offering Bucky Barnes some milk, while also being given a memorably charming performance by Robert Redford.
  • He's the Secretary of Defense, indicating that he has a ton of political savvy.
  • Dialogue shows that he cares for his family, thanking Nick for saving his daughter while also wanting Iron Man to attend his niece's birthday party.
  • He usurps Nick by ordering the Winter Soldier to assassinate him so he can take over Project Insight's plans for himself, all the while nobody except the main heroes suspect him of anything. If only Nick didn't have Bruce Banner's tetrodotoxin to fake his own death, Pierce most definitely would've won everything in the end.
  • He forces Cap to go on the lam by branding him a fugitive for withholding information from Nick Fury, which he found out pretty quick and easily as well. This is a feat which only one other villain has been able to achieve, and even then, Pierce did it first.
  • He shows an insane level of preparation by having rigged the security badges of the council to kill them despite already having them surrounded by armed guards.
  • He comes deathly close to victory's grasp in the film's climax, Cap stopping 20 million deaths with only one second left to spare on the countdown sequence. Even after Project Insight fails, Pierce then nearly escapes scot-free by using Natasha as a hostage to fly him out of the battle zone, which only fails because she uses both a taser disk and the element of surprise to knock herself out.
  • After getting shot by Fury, he spends his dying moments breathing out a defiant "Hail HYDRA" rather than begging for undeserved mercy which would've been too late anyway.

What Makes Him a Baddie?[]

  • In season 2 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., it's mentioned that he had Werner Reinhardt released from prison in 1989, thus making him responsible for every single evil deed that he committed afterwards (e.g. vivisecting Jiaying and brainwashing Agent 33).
  • He shoots his maid to death for walking in on him and the Winter Soldier, although he was clearly ashamed in having to do so.
  • He uses three heavily-gunned helicarriers in the sky to nearly kill 20 million people who pose a threat to HYDRA.
  • He helps torture and brainwash Bucky Barnes into the Winter Soldier against his will.
  • He murders three councilmen with explosive security badges in an attempt to escape.

External Links[]

Navigation[]

           Marvel Cinematic Universe Magnificent Baddies

Movies
Alexander Pierce | Baron Zemo | Doctor Octopus | Ghost | Iron Monger | Namor | Power Broker | Thanos | Vulture | Whiplash

TV Shows
Live-Action
Arthur Harrow | Agatha Harkness | Grant Ward | Hive | Jiaying | Kingpin | Khonshu
Animated
Justin Hammer (What If...?) | King Loki | Prince Killmonger

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