Dmitri Bukharin

Dmitri Bukharin, also known as the Crimson Dynamo and Airstrike, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe.

While he was not the first or last character to go by the Crimson Dynamo name, he spent the longest time using the identity and armor.

Publication history

He first appeared in Iron Man #109 (April 1978), created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Carmine Infantino.

Fictional character biography

Dmitri was born in Kuibyshev, Russia (some sources say Moscow). He was a KGB operative, who became the fifth Crimson Dynamo when the KGB stripped the previous Crimson Dynamo of his armor and gave it to Dmitri. Dmitri was sent to work with the Soviet Super-Soldiers, joining with teammates Darkstar and Vanguard. On the team's first recorded mission, they went to investigate a signal coming from the Blue Area of the Moon, and were shot by Rigellians who mistook them for their enemies, the Knights of Wundagore. When Jack of Hearts and Iron Man arrived to investigate, the Crimson Dynamo thought it was they who had attacked and fought the heroes. When the Super-Soldiers received a transmission from their superiors, they worked alongside Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. to combat the Rigellians. The conflict came to an end when one of the Rigellians' Recorders relieved the fleet commander of his command.^[1]

Later, the Super-Soldiers invaded the U.S. to kidnap Dr. Daniel Ironwood on behalf of the KGB, to help Nikolai Kutzov build an anti-matter bomb, and took his daughter Cissy captive as well. They were defeated by Alexi Vazhin, Spider-Man, and Bruce Banner.

Colonel Yuri Brevlov added Ursa Major to the Super-Soldiers' ranks and sent them to the site of a nuclear detonation by the Presence. When Darkstar teleported them to the site, they encountered the Hulk and fought him, though he defeated the whole team. The Super-Soldiers discovered that Dmitri was a KGB agent, and expelled him from the group.^[2]

Dmitri was later employed as defense at the Doppleganger's laboratory in Siberia. Wearing a gigantic version of the Crimson Dynamo armor, he fought X-Factor, but was defeated.^[3]

When the other Soviet Super-Soldiers quit working for the Russian government, they teamed up with the mutant Gremlin, who was using the Titanium Man's power armor. Dmitri convinced them to aid him on a mission to investigate the crash of Magneto's Asteroid M, although the team no longer trusted him due to his ties with the KGB. The X-Men and Avengers found Magneto first, and when they refused to turn him over, the Super-Soldiers attacked. Although Dmitri's armor was badly damaged by Captain Marvel, the Russians again pursued the American heroes. When the X-Men and Avengers revealed to the Super-Soldiers that the Crimson Dynamo was responsible for the crash in the first place, they turned Dmitri in to the authorities.^[4]

Later, the Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man were informed by the Russian government of how Iron Man had been attacking people in power-armor. Dmitri was committed to serving the government, but the Gremlin refused to co-operate, so the government used him as bait. When Iron Man finally did catch up with them, he destroyed the Titanium Man armor with the Gremlin inside and wrecked the Crimson Dynamo armor.

The Crimson Dynamo's armor was repaired, and he joined the Supreme Soviets, a group of superhumans who were loyal to the Soviet government. Meanwhile, the Soviet Super-Soldiers sought asylum from the Russian government at Avengers' headquarters. The Crimson Dynamo, along with the Supreme Soviets disguised themselves as members of the Avengers, and attacked his former teammates brutally, leaving them for dead. The three heroes' spirits took on a "Great Beast" energy form and attacked Moscow, and the Supreme Soviets tried to stop the creature but were absorbed into it. The dying heroes intended to have revenge by killing their assassins, but Captain America convinced them to let the others live.^[5]

Colonel-General Valentin Shatalov ordered the Crimson Dynamo to recover the original Titanium Man from New York City; Bullski was on a mission working with members of the Green Liberation Front, who had turned on him. The G.L.F. discovered the Crimson Dynamo's mission and attacked him, and he reactivated the Titanium Man, who slaughtered the G.L.F. members. The scandal over the massacre allowed Colonel-General Valentin Shatalov to use his rank to obtain the Crimson Dynamo armor from Dmitri Bukharin for his own use. Dmitri became a renegade from the KGB.

By this time, his former teammates were now calling themselves the People's Protectorate. Dmitri told them what happened, and they accepted him into the new team as Airstrike, and the rest of the Supreme Soviets merged with this team as well.

Dark Reign

When Tony Stark became the most wanted man in the world, he fled into Russian airspace, where he was shot down by Dmitri. Believing that the real Iron Man would not be shot down so easily, Dmitri presumed him to be an impostor. However, he managed to recognize his friend and lent him the Dynamo armor to reach a nearby Stark facility. He also denied Norman Osborn permission to enter his territory to arrest Pepper Potts, stating that he isn't fooled by the way Osborn deceived America.^[6]

The Winter Guard

As noted in the Hulk: Winter Guard special, Dmitri is now the liaison for the Winter Guard and the Russian Executive Security Committee.^[7]

Powers and abilities

As the Crimson Dynamo, Dmitri wore a suit of power-armor designed by the Soviet government. This armor grants him superhuman strength and durability, flight, hand-blasters, missiles, and radio equipment.

As Airstrike, he wears a different suit of power-armor. It contains wrist-blasters, and presumably affords defense and flight capabilities.

Other versions

Days of Future Past

Dmitri appears in the "Days of Future Past" storyline as the owner of a war veterans' bar in Moscow.

In other media

Video games

• In the Marvel Super Hero Squad video game, Dmitri's Airstrike costume appears as an alternate costume for Crimson Dynamo.

References

External links

• Dmitri Bukharin at Marvel.com
• Dmitri Bukharin at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe