Alexander Pierce

"Captain, to build a better world sometimes means tearing the old one down. And that makes enemies."

- Alexander Pierce

Alexander Pierce is the head of the World Security Council and a former leader within S.H.I.E.L.D.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Secretary Alexander Pierce was meeting with the World Security Council via holograms at the Triskelion over the matter of the hijacking of the Lemurian Star. Afterward, Fury arrives and informs Pierce that they need to delay Project Insight. Pierce approves, but on the condition that Fury have Iron Man stop by his niece's birthday.

Later, after an attack on Fury and his apparent death, Steve Rogers is brought in to speak with Pierce, who asks Steve why Fury was in his apartment, hoping to find clues to who killed him. They suspect Georges Batroc, leader of the hijacking, after he was found the previous night in a safe house. Pierce insinuates that Fury hired the pirates to infiltrate the ship so that he can acquire classified information, and was then killed after the deal went wrong. Steve denies this claim and only says that Fury told him not to trust anybody.

After he leaves, Pierce, brands him a fugitive for withholding information on Fury's death. Pierce meets with the WSC members again, defending Fury as a martyr, though they believe he was killed for trying to cover up his own illegal dealings. They all opt to reactivate Project Insight.

Later, Pierce is in his home, just as the Winter Soldier appears in his kitchen. Pierce starts to talk to him when his housekeeper, Renata comes back to get her phone. Pierce then shoots and kills her now that she's seen both him and the Winter Soldier talking.

The next day, he arrives at a base hidden within a bank, where HYDRA agents work to fix up Winter Soldier's metal arm after a fight with Steve. Pierce comes in, praising Winter Soldier's work and asking him to come back to do it again. Winter Soldier asks about Steve, claiming to know him. Pierce orders the agents to get him back to his original killing mindset.

Afterward, the WSC members arrive at the Triskelion for the launch of Project Insight, guided by Pierce. He gives them electronic pins that will give them access to anywhere in the building.

After Steve accesses a mic that patches him through to every speaker and tells the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that Pierce is a traitor who is working with HYDRA agents, and that they must stop Project Insight from happening, Pierce tries convincing the WSC members to join him in their project, making it sound as a peaceful effort to subdue potential attacks around the world.

He hands Councilman Singh a glass of champagne, but Singh refuses to join him and tosses the glass. Pierce pulls out a gun and aims at Singh, but Councilwoman Hawley kicks Singh away, then takes down the other HYDRA goons in the room before taking the gun. She removes her disguise to reveal Natasha. Her backup comes when Fury steps out of a helicopter, to Pierce's surprise.

Knowing Pierce probably changed the retinal scan, Fury removes his eyepatch to reveal his scarred dead eye to override Project Insight along with Pierce, as they are the only two agents of the highest degree needed for that. Pierce then sets off the pins he gave the council members, causing it to burn deeply into their sternum. He threatens to set it on Natasha, forcing her to walk out with him. Natasha activates it herself, burning herself, but not as deep. Fury then shoots Pierce twice, killing him. His last words are "Hail HYDRA."

Character traits
To be added

Relationships
To be added

Appearances/Actors

 * Marvel Cinematic Universe (1 film)
 * Captain America: The Winter Soldier (First appearance) - Robert Redford

Behind the scenes
To be added

Trivia

 * In the comics, Pierce is a much younger field agent. Robert Redford let slip that he accepted the role because he wanted to portray a villain; leading some to speculate that Pierce is a cover for Aleksander Lukin, who is the man who controlled the Winter Soldier in the comic books.
 * In an interview with USA Today, Samuel L. Jackson revealed that Alexander Pierce is a member of the World Security Council, but was not present during The Avengers.
 * Robert Redford was cast in part as a homage to his roles in 1970s thrillers like "Three Days of the Condor".
 * Pierce was the one to recruit Nick Fury into S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Pierce is a former leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.