Does Anyone Remember the Squadron Sinister?

At the Commission on Superhuman Activities in Washington, DC, the new Doctor Spectrum has been brought in for examination after her defeat at the hands of the Thunderbolts.[1] She is examined by scientist Alice Nugent, who is trying to figure out why the Power Prism suddenly stopped working.[2] Janice finds the gem enticing as though it is speaking to her with words that only she can hear.

A few floors down, Erik Josten (Atlas of the Thunderbolts) has paid a visit to his ex-girlfriend, Dallas Riordan. She lets him view the records the CSA had on his brother Conrad. The younger Josten brother had become the hero known as the Smuggler and was recruited into the government’s Redeemer Program.[3] Tragically, during a battle with Graviton, Conrad was seemingly killed. Erik deeply upset to hear that his brother perished. Dallas, however, isn’t ready to write off Conrad, pointing out how many time Erik has cheated death and thanks to his own ionic powers.[4] That’s when the building suddenly shudders, prompting Erik to right Dallas’ wheelchair before she falls over.[5]

Meanwhile, at the Long Island, an armored car arrives at the Division of Accounts Transactions for Richmond Enterprises. As the guards being offloading bags of cash, they suddenly vanish out of thin air. This is the work of James Sanders, who is committing a robbery in his old Whizzer identity. He has been stealing money to help fund the Thunderbolts operations for some time now.[6] When he gets back to his getaway vehicle he notices that he was moving so fast that he was starting to burn through the insulated soles of his boots. He realizes that he has been running faster than ever before, particularly during the Thunderbolts recent battle against the New Avengers.[7]

When Sanders returns to Thunderbolts headquarters he finds Joystick (Janice Yanizeski) is there. She tells him that Songbird (Melissa Gold) and Radioactive Man (Chen Lu) have gone to the Chinese Consulate, while Photon (Genis-Vell) has remained in his room ever since their fight with the Avengers. At that very moment, Photon is peering through holes in time and space searching for himself, as he is the only blindspot when it comes to his Cosmic Consciousness. He particularly would like to know who saved his life when he almost drowned in the ocean. He survived when he was weaved into a cocoon, however it was not of his own making, but no matter how hard he looks he cannot figure out who was responsible or why.[8] Janice complains about how Photon won’t even sleep with her anymore. Sanders takes this as an opportunity to show off his enhanced speed as a means of trying to impress her now that Joystick is available.

Back at Richmond Enterprises, its own — Kyle Richmond, aka Nighthawk — goes over the security footage of the robbery. While the guards can’t slow the footage down enough to get a clear image of the thief, Richmond is able to recognize who it is. This is because his enhanced abilities have been growing stronger as well. He wonders what the Thunderbolts might have to do with Speed Demon’s theft.

Elsewhere, Songbird has joined up with her ex-boyfriend, Abner Jenkins (aka Mach-IV) for lunch. She is glad that he agreed to meet with her after she forcibly took over the Thunderbolts. Abe admits that she is doing a good job, and has decided to take the backseat and let Mel prove herself while he heals from his injuries.[9] The meal goes well, but Melissa needs to go back to the Chinese Embassy to pick Chen up and Abner needs to go to work. Little does Melissa know that Jenkins has started working with their old teammate the Fixer (Norbert Ebersol). They have been working on improving Donny Gill’s Blizzard costume, enhancing its freezing capabilities even more than before. However, despite this upgrade, Abner and Norbert are going to need more power than this if they are going to take on the Thunderbolts.

Later that evening, Kyle Richmond has changed into Nighthawk and has come to Thunderbolts HQ to figure out why they are robbing from him. Inside, Speed Demon is putting ice on his balls after getting a thrashing from Joystick. Photon has finally come out of his room to eat some four day old sushi that has been sitting in the fridge.

While at the Chinese Consulate, officials use a machine to absorb the excess radiation that has been building up in Chen Lu’s body.

At that same moment, Photon becomes aware of the fact that they are going to be or already have been gassed. Unfortunately, he can’t figure out the timing right and soon he and Speed Demon succumb to it. When Nighthawk grabs James, he also senses when Joystick enters the room and throws her trademark weapon at him. He manages to deflect the staff, as the two fight Songbird and Radioactive Man arrive on the scene. Seeing that there is a fight going on, Mel rushes upstairs and unleashes a sonic scream that is murder to Nightwing’s enhanced hearing. By this time, Speed Demon and Photon have recovered from the gas. When the Thunderbolts demand to know why Nightwing attacked his base, Richmond retorts by asking why Speed Demon stole millions of dollars from him.

Before answers can be given, the team gets a distress call from Erik in Washington. He tells them that the Power Prism of Doctor Spectrum has found a new host and that she said something about reforming the Squadron Sinister. That’s when Spectrum and Hyperion smash through the wall of Thunderbolts HQ. They demand that they hand over Nighthawk and the Whizzer or else they will be put to death.

Recurring Characters

Thunderbolts (Songbird, Atlas, Photon, Speed Demon, Joystick, Radioactive Man), Dallas Riordan, Mach-IV, Fixer, Blizzard, Squadron Sinister (Hyperion, Doctor Spectrum, Nighthawk)

Continuity Notes

1. The Thunderbolts beat Doctor Spectrum in New Thunderbolts #13.

2. It is mentioned here that the Power Prism was previously destroyed. That happened way back in Avengers Annual #8.

3. As per Thunderbolts #16, Conrad Josten ran away from home after Erik’s criminal career ruined his family reputation. Nobody heart from him for years until he resurfaced as the Smuggler in issue #47, however we didn’t learn his relationship to Atlas until Thunderbolts #50. Conrad was seemingly slain by Graviton in Thunderbolts #56. This reference to Conrad was likely to get new readers up to speed so they wouldn’t have questions when Conrad was rescued from the Darkforce Dimension in Thunderbolts #100.

4. Atlas is no stranger to cheating death. He survived exploding in Thunderbolts #47, coming back to life in issue #56. He did it a second time between New Thunderbolts #10 and 12.

5. Dallas recounts how she used to be able to move that fast. Poor woman was crippled in Thunderbolts #42, confining her to a wheelchair. When Erik was resurrected in issue #56 he and Dallas merged together allowing her to walk whenever she used his ionic powers. She still retained some of that power after they were separated in Thunderbolts #74. Not only did she regain her mobility, but she had superhuman speed, strength, and agility. These powers and her ability to walk were all taken away when Atlas needed to draw all of his ionic energies to get his powers back in New Thunderbolts #1.

6. When the Thunderbolts reformed in New Thunderbolts #1, they were accepting money from Hydra. That was until Hydra tried to destroy Manhattan, prompting the team to stop them in issue #6. Sanders has been stealing money for the team to keep operating since New Thunderbolts #8, however until now he was stealing from criminals.

7. Sanders started running faster than before last issue. This was due to the Wellspring of Power increasing his power levels. See Thunderbolts #101-109.

8. Genis was tossed out to sea by Atlas in New Thunderbolts #1. He survived thanks to a cocoon that was wrapped around his body that helped him be reborn in issue #6. In Thunderbolts #100 we’ll learn that this was Baron Zemo, who was trying to save Genis from becoming a threat to all creation. Unfortunately, that doesn’t end up working out so great….

9. After learning that Hydra was funding the Thunderbolts, Songbird quit the team as seen in New Thunderbolts #7. Later, Abner was seriously wounded by the Swordsman in issue #10. When he later asked Melissa to rejoin in issue #12, she would only agree to it if she was allowed to lead the team. Abner is okay with things now because he has been recruited by the Fixer, as seen in New Thunderbolts #13.

Topical References

• Speed Demon refers to himself as “Speedy Gonzalez with a caffeine rush”. This character was once a prominent member of the cast of characters in Warner Brother’s Looney Tunes cartoons. He was a mouse that could move incredibly fast, able to out run his prey. However, the character has long since been retired due to his problematic characterization which reinforces negative stereotypes regarding Mexicans. That said, the reference here should be considered topical, particularly since a more contemporary example could be used in its place.

• The amount of money that Speed Demon stole from Nighthawk is said to be 2 million dollars. Adjusting for inflation, that’d be worth over 3 million in 2023 money.