New Thunderbolts #17
Bad Blood
Moscow, Three Days Ago
The Swordsman preparing for his next mission and takes some time pause and think about how he got this place. He recalls how his namesake, the original Swordsman, was the original “Thunderbolt”, a villain who reformed and dying an Avenger. He was given a similar uniform, trick swords and trained to be the next Swordsman. He was trained to become a hero.
His first mission was to infiltrate a Hydra base in Manhattan and eliminate their leader Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker. This mission was interrupted by the renegade mutant, Wolverine. At this time, the Swordsman was being controlled by Zebadiah Killgrave, aka the Purple Man, who manipulated him into trying to join the Thunderbolts. When he got close to the team, he betrayed them. However, the Thunderbolts eventually defeated Killgrave. Finally free after all this time, the Swordsman left to pursue his own goals. He now sits in a hotel room, wrapping a piece of leather around the hilt of his sword. He thinks of his late sister, and how he was humiliated by Killgrave, lastly he thinks of killing his father.[1]
Novosibirsk, Russia, Now
The Swordsman attacks another Hydra base searching for his father, Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker. He has been trying to track down Strucker who lost the civil war within Hydra and was reportedly killed.[2] He slaughters his way to the lower lab and then channels his mutant power through his sword to blast open the doors. Inside, he finds what appears to be Baron Strucker floating in some kind of stasis tank.
New York
The Thunderbolts — Songbird (Melissa Gold), Atlas (Erik Josten), Radioactive Man (Chen Lu), Joystick (Janice Yanizesky), and Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond) — return to their headquarters following their battle with the Squadron Sinister. The find the place had been totally trashed by Hyperion.[3] As they pick through to finding their belongings, Nighthawk offers one of his properties upstate for the Thunderbolts to use as a headquarters. Songbird doesn’t want to be far away from the action, but accepts the offer as Richmond can arrange for a proper headquarters in about a month.
While in Manhattan, Mach-IV (Abner Jenkins), the Fixer (Norbert Ebersol), and Blizzard (Donny Gill) have recovered someone from the Darkforce Dimension. The individual is brain dead and begins attacking with darkforce energies.[4] That is until the Fixer puts on some porn on all of the computer monitors. Surprisingly, this works, allowing them to get their newest recruit to calm down. The Fixer tells the others to call the boss and tell him they’ve succeeded.
Russia
The Swordsman shatters the stasis chamber, and sure enough his father is inside. When Baron Strucker is surprised to see the Swordsman again and demands to know who he is. The Swordsman obliges him, removing his helmet, revealing that he is Wolfgan’s son, Andreas Von Strucker. This moment is interrupted by Baron (Helmut) Zemo, who uses his Moon Stones to create a barrier between Wolfgang and Andreas.[5] The younger Strucker is furious to see Zemo, as he is the one responsible for killing his sister, Andrea.
Zemo fights back, revealing he knows that Andreas flayed a portion of his sister’s skin and had it tanned and wrapped around the hilt of his sword so he can still use his mutant powers. The Swordsman tries to blame this grisly truth on Killgrave. Zemo tells him to stop making excuses that prevent him from becoming the man he is destined to be, as Helmut knows exactly what going down this path can do to oneself. Andreas mocks Zemo for hiding behind the power of his two Moonstones, but Helmut tosses them aside so it can be a fair fight.[6] As the two lock swords, Andreas realizes that Zemo is a more accomplished swordsman.[7]
As they struggle with one another, Baron Strucker begins to slip away. It’s then that Zemo reveals that he was the one who was responsible for Andreas becoming the Swordsman. That he was the real puppet master who was controlling Zebadiah Killgrave, who in turn controlled Von Strucker. That he did all of this to make Andreas surpass his father. Learning that Helmut was the one really responsible for all of his torment pushes the younger Strucker over the edge. With the tide of battle changing, Zemo tries to recover the Moon Stones, but has his hands impaled to the floor with one of his swords. However, before Andreas can run Zemo through, his father —armed with his Satan Claw — stays his hand.[8]
As it turns out, Zemo had come to recover Wolfgang Von Strucker himself. They reveal that the Strucker that was killed by Gorgon was a clone that was needed to make the world think that Strucker is dead following his defeat at the hands of the Thunderbolts.[9] Wolfgang now has the anonymity to work at world domination. When Andreas asks why Zemo would allow this to happen, Helmut explains that he needs someone to become the king of the world so he can take away their crown. The younger Strucker things this plan is sheer madness. Wolfgang swats his son aside, calling him a coward and that his sister would prefer death over seeing him like this, posing as a failure.
Zemo and Wolfgang then teleport away leaving Andreas alone. In the aftermath of this encounter, Von Strucker finallty feels in control of his life for the first time in a long time. However, he wonders how he can become the man he has wanted to be. He figures that this will eventually be told in blood, but wonders what it will all mean.
Recurring Characters
Swordsman, Thunderbolts (Zemo’s team: Mach-IV, Fixer, Blizzard, Blackout (unidentified)), Thunderbolts (Songbird’s team: Atlas, Joystick, Radioactive Man, Photon, Nighthawk), Hydra (Baron Strucker)
Continuity Notes
We get a huge exposition dump on the Swordsman here for those who aren’t keeping track. So let’s get this out of the way:
The original Swordsman was Jacques DuQuesne, when he first appeared in Avengers #19, he was a criminal mercenary-for-hire. He eventually reformed, joining the Avengers in Avengers #113. He would later sacrifice his life in Giant-Size Avengers #2. As of this witing (October, 2023), DuQesne is still considered among the deceased.
This new Swordsman was depicted as being enslaved by Purple Man in New Thunderbolts #2. He fought Baron Strucker and Wolverine in issue #4.
He later earned the trust and betrayed the Thunderbolts in New Thunderbolts #10-12. In his internal monologue, Swordsman states that he acts as though Killgrave might not be alive. He was left in a catatonic state in issue #12, but he’ll turn up alive and well in Civil War: Choosing Sides #1.
Swordsman’s sister was Andrea Von Strucker, she was killed in Citizen V and the V-Battalion #3 by Baron Zemo. A clone of Andrea, claiming to be the genuine article will turn up in Thunderbolts #122.
This war within the ranks of Hydra took place in the pages of Wolverine (vol. 3) #21-25. Here, Andreas states that his father has died 50 times. This is a bit of hyperbole (probably). Around the time this comic was published Strucker has only died one, in Strange Tales #158. He was resurrected years later in Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD (vol. 3) #20-21.
The Thunderbolts fought the new Squadron Sinister in New Thunderbolts #15-16.
The mystery man they pulled out of the Darkforce Dimension is Marcus Daniels, aka Blackout, as will be revealed next issue. Blackout was seemingly killed years earlier when Zemo fried his brain in Avengers #277.
Zemo states here that he knows what it is like to try and curry his father’s favor. Helmut’s father, Heinrich Zemo was a Nazi war criminal who survived into the Modern Age and died battling Captain America in Avengers #15. Helmut spent years trying to avenge his father starting in Captain America #168.
These Moon Stones were taken from Karla Sofen, aka Moonstone as seen in Avengers/Thunderbolts #1-6.
Andreas Von Strucker notes all the life changes that happened to Helmut Zemo that has made him a better swords man:
First, when he was posing as Citizen V back when he led the Thunderbolts, as seen in Thunderbolts #1-12.
Next when he possessed the body of the current Citizen V, John Watkins III. This happened after Zemo was decapitated in Thunderbolts #32. His mind was transferred into John Watkin’s body from Thunderbolts #45 until he was ripped from his mind in issue #58.
Lastly, transferring his mind into the body of his Counter-Earth counterpart, that happened in Thunderbolts #62.
Wolfgang is reminded that Zemo was the one who severed his hand to begin with. See Citizen V and the V-Battalion #1-3.
Baron Zemo was defeated by the Thunderbolts in New Thunderbolts #9.
Topical References
The Fixer states that he had invented beer flavored Viagra. This should be considered a topical reference as Viagrea is a brand Sildenafil, an erectile dysfunction medication. This wouldn’t necessarily be considered a topical reference as Viagra has become a proprietary eponym.
