Contributed by Mike McDermott
Volya Sokolov was a homosexual German man who had the misfortune of living in Nazi Germany, and he and his lover were both rounded up and put in a concentration camp. His lover died in the camp, but during July of 1944 Volya escaped along with two women, Iskra Czerniak and Marta Pryzbyzla. While trying to escape to an Allied camp, the trio encountered Captain America and Bucky who were on a recon mission behind enemy lines. The group take shelter from Nazi patrols inside an old farmhouse, planning to travel at night under cover of darkness.
Volya explained to Captain America that the Nazi patrols were after them–they hated them very much, and were determined not to let them escape. He told Cap that he sometimes fantasized about being a Nazi hunter like Cap and Bucky, but as the expression goes, the best revenge is living well–and he knows that hunters die young. “So, I will simply keep living, and know they hate it”.
After Volya got shot in the leg while trying to sneak outside to relieve himself, Captain America decided they could not flee as far as France and wanted to turn back to find somewhere in Germany that the Allies had reached. However Volya said that he could not return to Germany, and explains to Captain America and Bucky that he is homosexual. Volya said that there was no future for him in Germany since he is on the Nazis’ pink lists, and that he wanted to create a new name and new life for himself in America. Volya asked Captain America if he still wanted to save him, and Cap assured him “more than ever” and called Volya a hero.
The five of them made their way past the Nazi patrol to reach a radio tower, where Captain America was able to signal a submarine with Dum Dum Dugan and the Howling Commandos to rescue Volya and the women and extract them to safety.
Volya Sokolov appeared in Captain America Annual #1 (2018) written by Tini Howard and art by Chris Sprouse and Ron Lim.
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