This week, on Space Bucky...

Special guest-star, Grandpa Space Bucky? From 2015, Bucky Barnes: the Winter Soldier #4, "Chapter four: Past the Known Universe" Written by Ales Kot, art by Langdon Foss and Jordan Boyd; and Marco Rudy.

This was during Bucky's brief stint as "the Man on the Wall," defending earth from alien threats. Wait, is "the Man on the Wall" a Game of Thrones reference? I don't think this lasted long, though; since I know he was with most of the original Thunderbolts sometime around then, too. Marvel seemed to love the Winter Soldier, yet either be at a loss as to what to do with him, or unwilling to commit to a direction. Meanwhile, DC has somehow decided Jason Todd absolutely should have a comic as the Red Hood, just let it run. Doesn't seem fair.

Bucky is partnered up with another character Marvel can't seem to do anything with comics-wise, Daisy 'Quake' Johnson. While Bucky is getting some lovin' from Ventolin, an alien queen he was supposed to be assassinating (he's going to kill her the Kyle Rayner way: date her, then wait, it'll happen...) Daisy tries to sort out the story of Bucky's future self. Old Man Bucky says Bucky and Ventolin have hooked up many times across the multiverse, and that he's seen it happen, and helped it happen. Weird, but I'm jealous; that's way more helpful than my future self has ever been. That bastard's probably pissed at past-me...Anyway, Old Man Bucky was basically a retiree from 200 years in the future, and why not? Thanks to him, his universe was at peace, and his job was done. His robot helper (resembling a chattier version of Tony Stark's robot helper arm from the MCU) 'tattoos' a white flag over the red star on his cyborg arm; but when he checks on alternate reality versions of himself and Ventolin, he sees the 616-Bucky--ours--dead. Time to take off the white flag, and say a sad goodbye to his helper, as he did not seem to think he'd be coming back.

While Ventolin shows Bucky "the polarity paradox engine," Daisy races to catch up to him and pass on a warning. She runs smack into an unexpected face, though: Crossbones! The recap page had mentioned he was there, but was lacking on the how or why. I wouldn't have expected to see him in space, but Marvel seems to have a clearer idea what they're doing with Crossbones than Bucky or Quake...