Warning! Spoilers ahead for Falcon & Winter Soldier #4
In Marvel Comics' Baron Zemo, who's long been the usual and traditional leader of HYDRA managed to convince Bucky and Sam to go after this new mysterious leader, claiming that they're worse than he is. As a result, the duo decides to go after the believed lesser of two evils first. Now, in the latest issue of the series, Falcon and the Winter Soldier manage to track down this new leader, but she's definitely not who they were expecting to find.
The reason for Sam and Bucky teaming up in the first place was due to some key disappearances. For Sam, a young woman in his group went missing, and he's worried she got recruited by HYDRA in her vulnerable state. Bucky's government handler Veronica Eden went missing as well after they visited her for information The Natural to and help them out, to be an actual hero just like Captain America would.
Now, Falcon & Winter Soldier #4 from writer Derek Landy with art by Federico Vicentini has finally revealed the true identity of the new HYDRA Supreme-hopeful, and it's none other than Veronica Eden herself. Apparently, Eden was using her position in the government to recruit new agents for HYDRA and Zemo. However, somewhere along the way she started saving the best recruits for herself, creating an elite HYDRA of her own to lead and to eventually make a play to lead all of HYDRA in total one day. It also seems as though her goals are different than that of Zemo, as she truly believes she may be able to forge HYDRA as a weapon to do good in the world and make it better for everyone.
Eden seems to be much less of a stereotypical villain leading a bunch of goons, and more of a radicalized young person in power, becoming pretty fed up with the current state of the world and its large levels of evident corruption. In her mind, the power she now wields can be used to do some good by taking out those who believe themselves to be untouchable. She even arranges a sit-down in a diner to set the record straight with Bucky and Sam, promising that if she's elected the new Hydra Supreme, no innocents will be harmed, unlike what would happen if Zemo got his way and stayed in control.
In any case, Sam and Bucky aren't interested in any kind of HYDRA being in existence, so they remain pretty resolved to bring Eden in. However, it looks as though The Natural isn't as lead to a pretty bloody issue. All in all, if Eden does indeed become the new HYDRA Supreme in Falcon & Winter Soldier, Marvel fans can expect to see a much different organization than they've seen in the past, with possibly more relevant missions and goals for the current times.
