Thunderbolts Annual 1997
Origin of the Thunderbolts!
Now
Hallie Takahama, aka Jolt, is the newest member of the Thunderbolts.[1] Since returning to their headquarters, Techno has run her through a series of tests to figure out the scope of her powers. Per his readings, Hallie is able to absorb ambiet energy sources to enhance her speed and agility as well as create he electrical “jolts”.
With these tests out of the way, Jolt asks to know more about the Thunderbolts as a team and how they came together. Since Hallie has no idea that the Thunderbolts are actually members of the Masters of Evil, posing as heroes as part of a scheme to take over the world.[2] Citizen V tells her to meet him in a few hours while he gathers his thoughts on the subject. By the time Jolt meets up with him in the study, Citizen V has crafted an alternate narrative to explain the origins of the Thunderbolts to her without exposing the team’s dark secret….
A Few Months Earlier
Baron Zemo had escaped from custody but at the cost of his wife.[3] Reduced to hiding in his underground hideout while his enemies flourish, Zemo is at his whit’s end. Deciding to scan other dimensions for some sort of inspiration, Zemo managed to make contact with a familiar voice who is screaming in constant agony from across the void and decides to help free the man imprisoned in this other dimension.
The Baron then traveled out to Atlanta to seek out Bert Ebersol, aka the Fixer, and secure his expertise. Entering his home, Zemo quickly discovers that the quaint suburban house hides a high tech facility inside. The Fixer hears Zemo out and decides to partner up with him because he has grown bored with tinkering and needs something else to do.
Returning to Zemo’s castle, the Fixer gets to work trying to confirm the identity of the man trapped in another dimension. He confirms that this is indeed Erik Josten, aka Goliath. The Fixer had heard that Josten was recently rescued from a dimension called Kosmo by Giant-Man not so long ago but was stuck in a coma. Then, one day, he suddenly vanished from his prison hospital room. The Fixer surmises that someone or something in the Kosmos dimension wanted him back pretty bad.[4] Deciding the time is ripe to reform the Masters of Evil, Zemo instructs the Fixer to do whatever it takes to liberate Goliath while he seeks to recruit others onto the team.
Later, the criminals Screaming Mimi and Angar the Screamer have pulled off another daring bank robbery thanks to their sonic powers. Although they make their escape into a nearby forest, Angar suddenly collapses and dies because he was shot by one of the cops while they were escaping.[5] This deeply upsets Screaming Mimi and she unleashes a scream of anguish that lasts for over 43 minutes before she passes out. Zemo is easily able to find her thanks to the decimation caused by her sonic scream. Her vocal chords damaged from the excessive use of her powers, Zemo promises Mimi that he will keep her safe and she agrees to accompany him.
In New York City, the Beetle has returned home after a robbery went sour when the gang he put together ran off with the stolen loot. Deciding not to let this go, Abner Jenkins goes back out into the night to hunt down the guys who screwed him over. While trying to recover the stolen loot from a guy named Carlos, the Beetle is attacked by his old foe the Daredevil.[6] Not wanting to mix it up with the Man Without Fear, Beetle runs for it and has to dive into the Hudson River in order to get away. However, getting back to his apartment turns out to be a slog from the bottom of a river. Soaking wet and flat broke when he returns to his apartment, Abner is surprised to see Baron Zemo waiting for him. Since he has nothing else going on, the Beetle accepts the offer to join the Masters of Evil without a moments hesitation.
When Zemo returns to his hideout with the Beetle, the Fixer has just finished building a mechanical carapace for Screaming Mimi which will restore her damaged vocal cords and allow her to create solid sound constructs. After giving Mimi a pet talk about finding new purpose on his team, he then assigns the Fixer to work with the Beetle to design a new suit of armor for him to wear.
Zemo then goes to his private chamber to check on what his enemies the Avengers are up to. What he witnesses is the final battle with the psionic entity known as Onslaught. In order to defeat the monster the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and their allies seemingly sacrifice their lives.[7] Zemo is furious at being denied the chance to get revenge against his foes. This sudden change of events gives Zemo a lot to think about. He contemplates for some time until an alarm draws him to the lab.
At that moment, the Fixer has managed to get a lock on Goliath and is in the process of pulling him out of the Kosmos dimension. They get resistance from the beings on the other side, who warn them that Josten is theirs and to take him will ultimately lead to their destruction. Zemo defies these warnings and ultimately the Fixer manages to pull Goliath back into this dimension.
A few days later, when Baron Zemo goes to check on how Josten is recovering, he overhears him talking with the Beetle. Hearing how the Avengers and the Fantastic Four are apparently dead, Erik jokes that they should try taking their old jobs. Although this is meant as a joke, this it suddenly gives Zemo the stroke of inspiration he was looking for.
Later, there is a break out at the Vault super-max prison for super-villains. Among the escapees are the U-Foes, the Wizard, Hydro-Man, the Mandrill, the Armadillo, Kaine, Speed Demon, and Radioactive Man. However, as they make it out the front gate they are blocked by Zemo, Mimi, and Goliath in their new identities of Citizen V, Songbird, and Atlas. The trio quickly take down all of the villains and turn them over to a grateful Eric Jzemlico, the Vault’s warden. Citizen V asks him to keep their involvement a secret as his team is not ready to go public yet.
However, there is one prisoner who is not accounted for, Karla Sofen, aka Moonstone. This is because the break out was used as a cover so Beetle and Fixer could break Moonstone out of prison. When Zemo and the others catch up with them in the woods, Moonstone is less than happy that Zemo broke her out of prison. Moonstone sees right through Zemo’s disguise and explains that she wanted to serve out her sentence so she could come up with now schemes while maintaining a low profile, something that has been ruined now that she is a fugitive again. Zemo then tells her that she has no choice but to join his Masters of Evil or return to prison with a harsher sentence.[8]
They all then return to Zemo’s hideout to continue coming up with their new phony superhero identities. Not only are they given new costumes and identities, but the Fixer is able to provide finger print and retinal disorders, voice modulation chips, and a bio-plasmic disguise that allows them to change their physical appearance, all in the effort to fully disguise themselves. Josten is so impressed with his new face, he even decides to make the cosmic changes permanent. With the plan well under way, the only thing left is coming up with a name for their team. Zemo takes inspiration from the storm troopers and Blitzkrieg of Nazi Germany during World War II. He offers a name that is crypto-fascist but friendly by suggesting their name be the Thunderbolts….
Now
…. Citizen V has finished telling Jolt a version of these events without revealing that they are secretly the Masters of Evil in disguise. Jolt thinks about how she they arrived on the scene shortly after she was kidnapped and now she is a member of the group. She is so grateful for this opportunity that Hallie hugs Citizen V, much to his surprise, before leaving. Knowing the Meteorite was listening in on the entire conversation, Zemo tells her to come out. Karla is unamused by his made up story about her being a “new age philosopher” who got her powers through a “harmonic convergence”. He is glad that she is there and asks her to send in the other members of the team to meet with him one-on-one so he can inform them on their new back stories. Karla warns Helmut that these stories have too many plot holes that even a simpleton can figure out. Zemo dismisses these concerns, pointing out that Jolt was too starstruck to see through his lies and assures her it’ll be fine. As he walks away, Meteorite puts on a sinister smile as this is yet another situation she might be able to leverage to her advantage.
Recurring Characters
Thunderbolts (Citizen V, Atlas, Meteorite, Mach-1, Songbird, Techo, Jolt), (in flashback) Masters of Evil (Baron Zemo, Goliath, Moonstone, Beetle, Screaming Mimi, Fixer), Angar the Screamer, Daredevil, Armadillo, Hydro-Man, Kaine, Madcap, Mandrill, Orka, Speed Demon, U-Foes (Vector, Vapor, X-Ray, Ironclad), Wizard, Eric Jzemlico
Continuity Notes
It is mentioned here how Hallie’s parents were killed during the Onslaught crisis and that she was subsequently kidnapped and experimented upon by Arnim Zola. See Thunderbolts #1-4 for the skinny on that.
The revelation that the Thunderbolts are secretly the Masters of Evil in disguise was revealed in Thunderbolts #1. Jolt and the general public won’t find out the truth until Thunderbolts #10.
Helmut is referring to Heike Zemo a woman who he meet and fell in love with in Spider-Man: Fear Itself #1. The two were married sometime just before the incarceration as seen in Captain America #431-434. This is the first time it is referenced that Heike had died while in prison. The circumstances behind her death remain unrevealed as of this writing. She is also still considered among the dead as of November, 2022.
Goliath was previously used by criminals from the Kosmos dimension as a gateway to conquering the Earth. See Avengers #379-382.
Although Angar is killed here, he is revived as a being of purse sonic energy (called Scream) in Thunderbolts #49.
Daredevil quips that he hasn’t fought the Beetle in a while. The last time the pair fought was in Daredevil #140.
The Avengers and the Fantastic Four seemingly died to destroy Onslaught in Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1. In reality though, they were whisked away to a pocket dimension where they have been living out reimagined versions of their past lives. They will be located and brought back to their proper reality in Heroes Reborn: The Return #1-4.
Zemo recounts how Moonstone tried to betray him the last time they worked together. That was during the Masters of Evil’s siege on Avengers Mansion that took place in Avengers #273-277.
