Thunderbolts #7
The Revolt Within
With the Elements of Doom threatening the city, Citizen V has refused the assistance of the Thunderbolts until city hall gives them access to the Avengers database.[1] This comes as a shock to everyone, even the Thunderbolts themselves. Even though the majority of the team are secretly members of the Masters of Evil, they have grown accustomed to their new lives as superheroes. The denial comes as Citizen V, aka Baron Zemo, need the Avengers database as part of his latest scheme to take over the world.[2]
Unaware of the Thunderbolts’ secret, their newest member Jolt tells the others that they can’t sit by and do nothing while the city is in danger. Meteorite, seeing this as an opportunity to take advantage of, convinces the others that going against Citizen V’s orders is the right thing to do. She even convinces Techno by privately communicating with him through their radio receive and pointing out that not helping will make him look like Zemo’s bootlicker.
Soon the team is off to Central Park where the Elements of Doom have erected a hideout to operate from. As they head into action they are unaware that Citizen V is secretly following them and furious that his team is disobeying his orders. However, rather than scold them, Zemo decides to hold back and see what they do on their own.
When the Thunderbolts arrive outside the Elements of Doom’s crystal fortress, they are greeted by a whole army of elements. The team is quickly taken down by the Elements who have the advantage of numbers. Atlas is the first to be defeated after being out smarted by Chromium, Tungsten, and Nickle.[3] Jolt then gets subdued by Copper, the one element unphased by her electrical powers. When Meteorite tries to come to the young girl’s rescue she is brought low from the burning asses of Bromine. As Techno is swarmed by an army of Elements, Mach-1 breaks off his attack when Songbird is knocked out be Helium. As he rushes to her side, allowing an Element to get the drop on him and knock him out.
Watching this battle from under cover, Citizen V determines that the Thunderbolts lost this fight due to a lack of teamwork and direction. He figures if he acts quickly he could rescue his minions and retreat with everyone intact but decides against it. Mostly because the Thunderbolts betrayed his orders, but also because their capture will increase pressure on the government to release the Avengers top secret files to him.
Soon, inside the citidel, the Thunderbolts are strung up on Vanadium shackles. However, before they are trapped, Jolt manages to whisper to Songbird and tell her to crate some solid light constructs on her fist. When everyone is secured, they are greeted by Vassily Khandruvitch. He is the creator of the Elements of Doom, both the originals fought by the Avengers in Russia some time ago, but also this current crop.[4] After that situation, Vassily immigrated to America and sold his skills to the world. He amassed enough money to perfect the Elemental animation process so that it no longer requires a human host to create a sentient element. Now he intends to force the United Nations to give him ownership of a radioactive atoll in the South Pacific where he and his Elementals can start their own independent technocratic nation.
Meanwhile, Citizen V has returned to the Four Freedoms Plaza where he gets in touch with Dallas Riordan, the Thunderbolt’s liaison at the mayor’s office. He tells her that his team has been kidnapped and in order to properly prepare for a rescue mission he absolutely needs access to the Avengers files. Dallas agrees that this is a critical situation and promises to do what she can to add pressure to both Washington and SHIELD to release that data. Citizen V is unhappy that he still has to wait but figures that this is at least something.
While back that the cystal citadel, the Elements of Doom suddenly turn on their creator. As it turns out their autonomy also has allowed them to come to the conclusion that they want to rule over themselves. However, out of respect for their creator, Cadmium promises to spare Vassily’s life if he agrees to help them convert every living being into elements. They intend to transform the Thunderbolts first as part of their Elemental army that will be used to conquer the world.
Left to wait until they are needed, the Thunderbolts then begin plotting their escape. Techno is able to snake a wire up into a computer system and hack into the Element’s computers. From there he is able to send a call back to Four Freedoms Plaza to inform Citizen V of their current situation. He pipes the schematics for the citadel, but Citizen V claims that a frontal assault would be too dangerous and suggests that the team break free and capture Khandruvitch and use his knowledge against the Elementals. Techno tries to explain that they’re all stuck, but that’s when Jolt reveals their ace in the hole. Thanks to the hard light structures around her hands, Songbird is able to pull loose from her shackles. After checking to make sure Mach-1 is still alive, Jolt and Meteorite convince Songbird that she needs to find Vassily on her own while the others work on freeing themselves.
Flying high above the Elements to avoid detection, Songbird is navigated through the facility via radio by Techno, who manages to get himself free of his own shackles. As Melissa finds Vassily’s quarters she discovers that there is a massive steel looking Elemental guarding the door. As she asks Techno what to do next, he is caught by Iron who had come in to check on their prisoners. Grabbing Techno from behind, Iron shocks everyone by snapping his neck and killing him.[5] Unaware of what just happened, Melissa frantically tries to call Techno on the radio but gets no response.
Recurring Characters
Thunderbolts (Citizen V, Atlas, Meteorite, Mach-1, Songbird, Techno, Jolt), Dallas Riordan, Vassily Khandruvitch, Elements of Doom (Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Euopium, Iron, Nickle, Tungston, Zirconium)
Continuity Notes
The reason why the government has access to the Avengers database is because, at the time of this story the team was believed to have died in Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1. In reality, they were all transported to a pocket dimension where they are living out reimagined versions of their past lives. They will be found and returned to their proper reality in Heroes Reborn: The Return #1-4.
With the exception of Jolt, the Thunderbolts are all secretly members of the Masters of Evil, as seen in Thunderbolts #1. This truth won’t be revealed until issue #10.
Atlas mentions that he is getting used to being “mostly human” again. Erik Josten had been transformed into a being of pure ionic energy back in Avengers #21-22. However, more recently, he was reverted back to a mostly human form after being rescued from the Kosmos dimension. See Thunderbolts Annual 1997. Erik learned this last issue.
The Avengers fought the original Elements of Doom in Avengers #188.
Although the Fixer is seemingly killed here, next issue we are lead to believe that he transfers his mind into a robotic body. However, this is merely a copy of his mind, the real Techno will turn up alive and well in Thunderbolts #49.
