At the end of Avengers: Armageddon #4, Red Hulk detonated and seemingly killed Bucky Barnes. While the comic quite clearly showed the hero being incinerated in the blast, the prevailing theory was that it might be a fake-out. Well, it most definitely wasn't.
A preview of this Wednesday's Avengers: Armageddon #5 shows Wolverine and Sam Wilson/Captain America recovering Bucky's remains, and there's no coming back from this. While heroes rarely stay dead in comics, it's hard to see how the former Soviet assassin can recover from these wounds.
A major death like this will help the event series—which is set to usher in a new era for Earth's Mightiest Heroes—stand the test of time, but Bucky fans are understandably upset today. Of course, it's not the first time Steve Rogers' former sidekick has died and come back to life.
Originally killed during World War II, we'd later learn that the Soviet Union had discovered Bucky's frozen body and brought him back to the land of the living as their brainwashed assassin. Captain America eventually discovered this, and used the Cosmic Cube to restore his best friend's memories.
After finding redemption, Bucky became the new Captain America when Steve died, but was killed again in the pages of Fear Itself. That didn't go down well either, though it was a fake-out that enabled him to go back to his Winter Soldier persona (this time as a hero).
There hasn't been a clear creative direction for Bucky since then, so putting him on the shelf for a while may not hurt. For what it's worth, at this July's San Diego Comic-Con, writer Chip Zdarsky said he had "plans for Bucky," adding that he "features pretty prominently at the end of Armageddon." We know what that means now, of course, though the writer did say he would "do right by him."
Check out this Avengers: Armageddon #5 preview below, and stay tuned for updates on Bucky's status as we have them.
DARKNESS BEFORE THE DAWN: THE FALL OF THE AVENGERS... The point of no return! After the cataclysmic events of AVENGERS: ARMAGEDDON #4, the world is torn asunder. Humanity turns against super heroes. And for David Colton, what is the price of all that great power? See where the pieces fall in preparation for Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto's AVENGERS #1!
AVENGERS: ARMAGEDDON #5
Written by CHIP ZDARSKY
Art by DELIO DIAZ, FRANK ALPIZAR
Cover by DIKE RUAN
On Sale 10/21