Thunderbolts (comics)

The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former villains. The group was conceived by writer Kurt Busiek and first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 (February 1997).

The Thunderbolts were first presented as a group of superheroes like the Avengers, both to readers and to the Marvel universe. However, in reality, the Thunderbolts were the Masters of Evil in disguise, a scheme by their leader Baron Zemo. This revelation, made at the end of The Thunderbolts #1 (April 1997), is considered one of the most well-conceived plot twists in the history of American comic books.

In subsequent storylines, the group rejected Zemo and attempted to become heroes in their own right under the leadership of the Avengers’ Hawkeye. The team stopped appearing after Thunderbolts #75 (February 2003), although the series continued to focus on the lives of former supervillains. It was soon after cancelled.

After much fan pressure, The Thunderbolts were revived in the miniseries Avengers/Thunderbolts, leading to a new monthly series featuring the team.

Publication history

The Thunderbolts was an original concept created for Marvel Comics by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley. Most of the characters used in the final concept were reimagined versions of existing Marvel characters, with additional original characters for the series developed by Busiek and designed by Bagley. The pair also created the new heroic identities for the Masters of Evil.

The Thunderbolts first appeared as a team in Incredible Hulk #449 (1997), written by Peter David and illustrated by Mike Deodato. Originally intended to be a similar team known as the "Echelon," the synchronity of the plans led to the Thunderbolts being used instead as a "teaser" for their own series. No mention was made of the connection between the Thunderbolts and the Masters of Evil in this appearance. The twist wouldn't be revealed until the first issue of their own series.

Soon after the publication of Incredible Hulk #449, the team's own series premiered. The first issue, cover dated April 1997, was played largely as a straight superhero story, until the reveal of the Thunderbolts' true nature on the last page of the comic. The team also appeared in a one-shot called Tales of the Marvel Universe.

Marvel Comics kept the series in continuous publication until issue #81, including a #0 issues published by Wizard Magazine. Issues #76-81 featured a new roster, and focused on characters and events completely unrelated to the previous 75 issues. Publication of Thunderbolts ceased with issue #81 in 2003.

In 2004, Marvel Comics launched a miniseries titled Avengers/Thunderbolts, which continued one year after the events of issue #75.

Soon after the completion of Avengers/Thunderbolts, Marvel Comics launched a second series featuring the characters with New Thunderbolts #1. The storyline continued the events from Avengers/Thunderbolts and returned to the original series concept. Despite the relaunch and retitling, New Thunderbolts reverted to the first series numbering with Thunderbolts #100 (which would have been New Thunderbolts #19).

History of First Series

Secret Origins

The villain Baron Zemo summoned several of his former allies from the fourth incarnation of the Masters of Evil during a rescue attempt of Goliath (Zemo's father's former bodyguard). The summoned members included Beetle, Fixer, and Screaming Mimi. Zemo took the accidental gathering as an omen, and decided to reform the Masters of Evil and attack the Avengers. Before they could strike, the Avengers (and many other Marvel Universe superheroes) were apparently killed by the villain Onslaught.

The death of the superheroes created an opportunity for Zemo and the Masters of Evil. Zemo realized that the world needed superpowered champions, and that his team could fill that need. By posing as superheroes, the Masters of Evil could gain the public trust and build a position of power that rivalled the status of the Avengers. Once they had gained the public's faith, Zemo believed they could gain access to all the secrets of the Avengers and the paramilitary organization S.H.I.E.L.D. once they were in ultimate power. Zemo then planned to sell the secrets they found to the criminal underworld.

Justice Like Lightning

The villains adopted new heroic costumes and codenames. Baron Zemo became the patriotic American Citizen V. Former Spider-Man foe Beetle became MACH-1. Fixer became the gadget-wielding Techno. Goliath became the powerhouse Atlas. Screaming Mimi became Songbird. The villainous and psychotic Moonstone was secretly freed from the Vault and added to the team by Zemo, who extracted a promise of loyalty from her. She was to be Zemo's personal enforcer against any betrayal committed by the others. She took the alias Meteorite. Calling themselves the Thunderbolts, the six new 'heroes' were ready for action.

The team found tremendous success as superheroic champions. Jolt, an Asian-American teenage girl whose entire family was killed by Onslaught, soon joined the team. Jolt, however, was not a supervillain. The young girl honestly believed that her new friends were heroes. After a few more adventures, some of the villains began to think of themselves the same way. Around this time, the public began to think of the Thunderbolts as heroes. Dallas Riordian, an aide to the Mayor of New York, befriended the new heroes.

Soon after the addition of Jolt, Techno's neck was broken in battle. The rest of the Thunderbolts, believing him dead, transferred his mind into an android body built from his high-tech equipment.

Return of the Villains

Just as Zemo's plans were about to come to fruition, everything unravelled. To the astonishment of the entire world, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers returned. Faced with the return of the lost heroes, Zemo revealed the true nature of the Thunderbolts to the world. Ostensibly, he did this to ensure the loyalty of the team by ruining their chances of becoming heroes.

The Thunderbolts (minus the android Techno) turned on Zemo for his betrayal. In the ensuing battle, Zemo and Techno used a mind control device to turn the Avengers and Fantastic Four against the remaining Thunderbolts, who ultimately rallied and freed the other heroes. Together, they defeated Zemo and Techno. Unbeknownst to his teammates, Atlas helped the wounded Zemo escape, while Techno fled under his own power.

Amidst this chaos, Meteorite decided to return to her old identity. She altered her costume and changed her codename back to Moonstone. After a brief stop-over in an alternate dimension, the team learned that Moonstone had no intention of reforming and becoming a superhero. She told them she only turned against Zemo out of self-preservation.

Upon their return to Earth, the team set up shop in Colorado and pondered their next move.

Marvel's Most Wanted

Now fugitives, new members soon joined the Thunderbolts. These members included the former Avenger Hawkeye, and later a young African-American hero named Charcoal who had previously fought the team, having been created by a "Create a character" contest in Wizard. Hawkeye convinced his new teammates they would be pardoned if MACH-1, who had murdered someone as the Beetle, turned himself in to authorities. The team considered joining the mysterious Crimson Cowl's new Masters of Evil instead. Ultimately, the Thunderbolts followed Hawkeye's advice. MACH-1 turned himself in and pled guilty to murder. Even with MACH-1's surrender, the U.S. Government refused to pardon the group. Hawkeye hid this from the team with help from Valerie Cooper, who was sympathetic to the group's plight.

The Thunderbolts then defeated the Crimson Cowl's Masters of Evil and took over their headquarters. After unmasking the Crimson Cowl, the team discovered that she was their old friend Dallas Riordan. In truth, Riordan was not the Crimson Cowl. The real Crimson Cowl was Justine Hammer. Riordan had been framed by Hammer to take the fall for the Cowl's crimes. While Riordan wasn't the Crimson Cowl, she did have her own secret identity. Riordian was actually the new Citizen V, leader of the secret V-Battalion. Riordian decided to keep her secret to avoid exposure of the group. She was sent to jail for the Crimson Cowl's crimes. She would later be rescued by the V-Battalion.

Changes

While exploring their new headquarters, the Thunderbolts discovered Ogre. Ogre was a former member of the villainous Factor 3, the original owners of the base. Factor 3 made Ogre the new base caretaker after they disbanded. This also left him with custody of Humus Sapien, a dangerous mutant teenager that Factor 3 had kidnapped and placed in suspended animation.

Ogre was accepted as a member of the Thunderbolts. Soon after, Techno attacked him, placed him in stasis, and assumed his identity. At the same time, MACH-1 was freed from prison in exchange for stealing some top secret weapons technology from evil industrialist Justin Hammer. MACH-1 returned to the Thunderbolts after gaining his freedom. Upon his return, Techno upgraded MACH-1's armour. MACH-1 was now MACH-2.

Meanwhile, Moonstone found herself going through changes. She fell in love with Hawkeye. Soon after, she learned that the spirit of the Kree Moonstone that powered her tried to make her a more honest person. This conflicted with her naturally amoral personality, and slowly made her insane.

The Thunderbolts faced many more challenges. Henry Gyrich sought to destroy the team and Hawkeye. Gyrich changed a brainwashed Jack Monroe into the new Scourge of the Underworld. The Scourge then attempted to assassinate the Thunderbolts one by one. First he killed Jolt. He then travelled to South America and apparently killed Baron Zemo. After this, Scourge broke into the Thunderbolts headquarters and destroyed the robotic Techno. He then killed Atlas by allowing the giant to implode into a storm of ionic energy.

The Redeemers

In actuality, all four would survive in some form: the robotic Techno had recovered Jolt's body and used her electrical powers to resurrect her from the dead, even while he "died," imbuing her with the knowledge that Hawkeye had failed to get the team pardoned in the process. The Thunderbolts were upset with Hawkeye, but, on unmasking Monroe, decided that confronting Gyrich was more important. While all this happened, Val Cooper had gathered her own army of heroes she named the Redeemers. This team included a new Citizen V, Atlas' brother Smuggler and the resurrected, original Fixer.

The Redeemers helped the Thunderbolts battle Gyrich, who had acquired experimental nannite technology. Gyrich wanted to use the nannites to kill off all heroes and villains on Earth. Gyrich's scheme was foiled. It was soon revealed that he had been infected with nannites, and had been secretly manipulated by Baron Strucker of the terrorist group HYDRA. Hawkeye tried to use this information as blackmail to get the Thunderbolts pardoned. Gyrich countered that he would tell the public himself about HYDRA's scheme. Ultimately, Gyrich agreed to stay quiet and give the Thunderbolts their pardon. In return, Hawkeye turned himself in for aiding the fugitive heroes. Hawkeye went to prison, and the team disbanded.

Eventually, all the others murdered by Jack Monroe returned from the dead. Baron Zemo's mind had been transferred into the comatose body of the man whose role as Citizen V he had usurped in the first place.

Later, after a teleportation accident Zemo's mind was transferred into Techno's mechanical "Tech-Pack", which had also cybernetically replaced the broken segment of Techno's real body's spine. Much later, Atlas would be raised from the dead after a merger with Riordan, who had been crippled in battle with the Crimson Cowl.

Jolt and Charcoal, the only Thunderbolts without criminal records, were assimilated into the Redeemers under the leadership of Captain America and the Zemo-possessed Citizen V. The Redeemers, were promptly slaughtered by the Thunderbolt's deadliest foe, the powerful supervillain Graviton with Citizen V, Fixer (who ran away), and Jolt (who would reform her electric form).

Rebirth and Endings

The Thunderbolts reformed to defeat Graviton. During the fight, several of the team members present (Fixer, Jolt, Moonstone, Jenkins as MACH-3 and the merged Atlas/Dallas Riordan, along with Zemo's mind - accidentally transferred into Fixer's tech-pack by the teleportation) were transported to Counter-Earth, the same parallel Earth the Avengers and Fantastic Four were sent to after their final battle with Onslaught. The Thunderbolts met Counter-Earth versions of Henrich Zemo, Helmut Zemo and the first Moonstone, the last of which was known as Phantom Eagle.

Under duress - Zemo being able to disable his ability to walk at will - Fixer transferred Zemo's mind from "Tech-Pack" into the body of Zemo's counterpart. Zemo then killed the Counter-Earth version of his father. Soon after, the Thunderbolts stopped the Nazi Germany of Counter-Earth from taking control of all of Counter-Earth's computers. Zemo convinced the team to remain and help rebuild Counter-Earth. The team reluctantly agreed and based themselves in the mobile Counter-Earth Attilan. Then, Moonstone stole the mentally-unstable Phantom Eagle's moonstone for herself, boosting her powers to godlike levels.

Back on Earth-616, many things happened. Hawkeye escaped from prison alongside several supervillains just as S.H.I.E.L.D. contacted him with an offer to be freed from prison. Industrialist Justin Hammer died. His daughter Justine (the Crimson Cowl) discovered her father had exposed every super-villain he ever employed to a poison that enslaved their minds. This included members of the Crimson Cowl's Masters of Evil. However, the villain Plantman had helped create the poison and was the only one who could activate it.

With the telepathic terrorist Mentallo serving as a middleman, Hawkeye tried to help Plantman in order to give him to Crimson Cowl. During the escape, Hawkeye watched helplessly as Plantman murdered a prison guard. Before Crimson Cowl could kill Hawkeye or take Plantman, they were rescued by Songbird.

Hawkeye and Songbird then formed a second group of Thunderbolts. He explained to the Crimson Cowl's Masters of Evil that if the Crimson Cowl wasn't stopped, they would all become her slaves. Plantman, using the codename Blackheath, was their first new member. Most of the members of Crimson Cowl's Masters of Evil also joined, including: Cardinal (now Harrier); Gypsy Moth (now Skein); Man-Killer (now Amazon); and Cyclone, who did not change his codename.

These new Thunderbolts were eventually captured by the Crimson Cowl (who was helped by Cyclone). Crimson Cowl vivisected Plantman. Soon after, Plantman mutated into a plant creature that neutralized the mind-control poison. The group was then sent to the V-Battalion's base. The Counter-Earth group returned to Earth at the V-Battalion base through a rift in space. The new and old teammates were reunited. Jolt stayed on Counter-Earth and joined the Young Allies). Closing the rift between Earth and Counter-Earth destroyed the V-Battalion's base.

In the aftermath, Atlas and Dallas were split into separate bodies, with Dallas retaining the remainder of Atlas' ionic power, allowing her to walk again with enhanced agility and strength. Zemo convinced Hawkeye that he wanted to reform and help the world instead of ruling it. Hawkeye, Amazon and Skein left the team. MACH-3 & Harrier returned to prison. Zemo then revealed to the team that he had lied to Hawkeye and that he still wanted to conquer the world. However, he wanted to conquer the world in order to save it. The Thunderbolts comic then shifted focus for six issues.

Other Thunderbolts

From Thunderbolts #76-81, the Thunderbolts were no longer featured. The focus of the comic shifted to Daniel Axum, a former supervillain known as the Battler. Axum joined an underground fighting circuit that employed other supervillains, including the Armadillo. Axum, along with fellow combatant Man-Killer, turned on his criminal manager Rey Trueno, and refused to return to the supervillain lifestyle. Despite continuing the title and numbering, this incarnation had no connection to the better-known team listed above. The new direction was unpopular with fans, and the title was cancelled.

Avengers/Thunderbolts: The Best Intentions

In 2004, the six issue Avengers/Thunderbolts mini-series was launched, picking up a year after the events of Thunderbolts #75. Zemo led the Thunderbolts (now including Dallas Riordan, under the codename Vantage) in an attempt to drain the powers of all superhumans on Earth, using Moonstone. They fought the Avengers, including former Thunderbolt Hawkeye. The Avenger Iron Man infiltrated the Thunderbolts disguised as Cobalt Man. Eventually, all the power absorbed by Moonstone caused her to snap. Jolt returned from Counter-Earth to help stop Moonstone. Finally, Iron Man convinced Hawkeye to lobotomize Moonstone to save the planet.

Zemo vowed revenge against the Thunderbolts and the Avengers for putting Moonstone into a coma. Jolt returned to Counter-Earth. A depowered Blackheath returned to prison. The Fixer fled. Vantage retired to a government job. Songbird was offered reserve membership in the Avengers but turned it down. MACH-3 was paroled from prison and decided to form a new team of Thunderbolts.

New Thunderbolts

Zeroes to Heroes

Marvel subsequently launched New Thunderbolts #1. MACH-3 (now called MACH-IV), Atlas and Songbird were now the New Thunderbolts. The team's new recruits included Photon, Speed Demon, Joystick, Blizzard and the Radioactive Man. The new team has battled Atlantean superhuman terrorist group the Fathom Five and Baron Strucker's Hydra organization, which funded the team's return.

Purple Reign

In Purple Reign, Swordsman, along with his master, the Purple Man, plotted to enslave New York City by drugging the water supply with the Purple Man's pheromones, which allowed him to control his victims.

Purple Man was teleported away from the Thunderbolts right after his defeat and was brought before Baron Zemo, his boss. Zemo then tortured the Purple Man by inducing rigor mortis in his body and threatened to send him back to prison where his powers would be nullified.

Vs. the New Avengers

Later, Hank Pym and Warbird offered to pardon the members of the Thunderbolts (who still had outstanding legal problems), if the Thunderbolts would attack and humiliate the New Avengers in public.

Only Spider-Woman survived unscathed from the Thunderbolts' sneak attack, beating Joystick senseless. The rest of the team were beaten back before the Thunderbolts left. Songbird told Captain America that the Thunderbolts could beat the New Avengers senseless anytime they wished. In the end, it was revealed that Baron Zemo spearheaded the attack. He did this to humiliate Captain America but also to see how far the Thunderbolts would go for the chance at being pardoned.

Fixer and the Squadron Sinister

Meanwhile, new threats were rising as Fixer resurfaced and recruited both MACH-IV and Blizzard to work with him on a top secret project, which was also run by Zemo. Meanwhile Speed Demon was confronted by the new female Doctor Spectrum, who was out to reform the Squadron Sinister and take over the world. In the end, Speed Demon quit the Thunderbolts to join Dr. Spectrum while the former Defender (and member of the original Squadron Sinister) Nighthawk was offered membership on the Thunderbolts by Songbird.

Right of Power

Baron Zemo's group would then openly reveal itself to the Thunderbolts, sending a Moonstone puppeteered by Zemo to kill Genis-Vell.

When the initial strike failed, Zemo would reveal that he had used the Moonstones to accelerate Genis' return from death, and in the process made the mistake of siphoning energy from the beginning and end of time itself, caused by inexperience with his Moonstones, creating a link between Genis and the universe that threatened to end existence. Zemo explored all future timelines with the Moonstones, but failed to find a way to save both Genis and the universe.

To prevent the other Thunderbolts intervening, Zemo revealed that Atlas' brother Smuggler had survived Graviton's massacre of the Redeemers, trapped in the Darkforce dimension. Using the prospect of his release to make Atlas stop the other Thunderbolts interfering, Zemo bested Genis in battle and, apologising for both his mistake and the necessary solution, sliced Genis' body into pieces and scattered them through both time and the Darkforce dimension to prevent Genis returning from the dead a third time. He then fully released Smuggler.

An epilogue later revealed that Zemo - his face apparently fully-healed from Moonstone's attack - and Songbird were now allies... and lovers.

Civil War: Hero Hunters

The new Thunderbolts engaged and defeated Quicksand in a battle in Manhattan during the early days of the Super Hero Civil War. After this, they were summoned to Washington where they met with Iron Man, Mister Fantastic and Yellowjacket. The three heroes, all supporting the Super Human Registration Act, informed Zemo that they wanted the New Thunderbolts to hunt down super-villains and recruit them to the Pro-Registration cause- their big shot at redemption. Unknown to Iron Man, the Thunderbolts had been doing that in secret for three weeks.

The New Thunderbolts grew rapidly, the team vastly expanding. It now included dozens of other super-villains, including most notably Doctor Octopus, the Wrecker, Ox and many many more. The new team dispersed to battle super-villains, capture them and offer them a choice; join the Thunderbolts or go to prison. Of course they all chose to join the Thunderbolts. What exactly Zemo intends to do with his new team is unknown, however in Thunderbolts #104 he met up with the leading Anti-Registration heroes, including Captain America, and offered them the chance to allow renegade Avengers to escape prison, suggesting that he is once again playing both sides against each other for his own gain.

It has been confirmed that Zemo will battle Captain America in issue #105.

Trivia

Marvel managed to keep the secret of the Thunderbolts' true villainous identities tightly under wraps before the book launched. When word got out, the first issue sold out so quick, Marvel not only offered a second printing but also did a "mini-trade paperback" collecting the first two issues.
"Wizard Magazine" would vote the revelation of the Thunderbolts' identities at the end of the first issue "Comic's Greatest Moment of 1997" and in 1999, would place it at number 11 on a list of "The 25 Greatest Comic Moments Ever."

Bibliography

Team

Thunderbolts #1-75, 100-present (Marvel Comics; April 1997 - March 2003, and May 2006-present)

Thunderbolts #-1 One (Marvel Comics, July 1997)
Thunderbolts Annual '97 (Marvel Comics; 1997)
Thunderbolts #0 (Marvel Comics/Wizard Entertainment; 1998)
Thunderbolts Annual 2000 (Marvel Comics; 2000)
Thunderbolts: Life Sentences (Marvel Comics; 2001)
- Avengers/Thunderbolts #1-6 (Marvel Comics; May 2004 - September 2004)
New Thunderbolts #1-18 (Marvel Comics; January 2005 - April 2006)

"Fight Club" issues

Thunderbolts #76-81 (Marvel Comics; April 2003 - September 2003)

Graphic Novels

Thunderbolts: Marvel's Most Wanted (Marvel Comics; 1998. Contains origins of many of the Thunderbolts members)

Thunderbolts (Marvel Comics; 2001. Contains issues #1-4 and other early appearances)

Thunderbolts: How to Lose (Marvel Comics; 2003. Contains Thunderbolts #76-81)

Avengers/Thunderbolts Volume 1: The Nefaria Protcols (Marvel Comics; 2004. Contains the first ever crossover involving Avengers and Thunderbolts)

Avengers/Thunderbolts Volume 2: Best Intentions (Marvel Comics; 2004. Contains Avengers/Thunderbolts # 1-6)

New Thunderbolts Volume 1: One Step Forward (Marvel Comics; 2005. Contains New Thunderbolts #1-6)

External links

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