Now

In the aftermath of a battle at Thunderbolts headquarters, Mach-IV (Abner Jenkins) and Radiactive Man (Chen Lu) discuss what went down. When the Sub-Mariner showed up earlier that evening, Chen admits that he had little sympathy for Namor or his people. Abner asks him what changed?[1]

Lu responds by asking Abner why he chose to become Mach-IV again instead of living a normal life once he got out of prison.[2] Abner admits that he got tired of being who he was — a criminal — but a normal life was impossible. Chen explains that he did what he did because of “the count” but doesn’t elaborate on what he means by it.

Earlier

When Namor showed up he demanded that Radioactive Man stop the plague he unleased upon the Atlantean people. Wanting revenge for those who were killed by Fathom Five in China, Chen refused, wanting them all to die. This led to the two powerhouses to come to blows as Atlantean soldiers came flooding into the Thunderbolts’ HQ. Speed Demon (James Sanders) quickly yanks away their guns at super-speed while Joystick (Janice Yanizeski) takes them out in hand-to-hand combat. Abner, not wanting a fight, tries to convince Namor and Chen to stop fighting. When reason doesn’t work, Atlas (Erik Josten) grows to giant size and splits the two apart.

When asked what is going on, Namor angrily explains that his people began to fall ill shortly after they brought Llyron, the leader of Fathom Five, into custody. The scientists of Atlantis determined that Llyron had been irradiated for the purposes of becoming a “poison pill” that would infect everyone he came into contact with and slowly kill them with radiation as well. They also determined that it could have been the work of one man, the Radiactive Man.

Chen Lu confirms that Namor’s accusations are correct, and explains that he irradiated Llyron’s gills causing him to irradiate the water he circulated through them. Abner is horrified and asks Chen to undo what he has done. Unfortunately, Lu refuses to do so, saying that there are no innocent people in Atlantis because of the number of times they have attacked the surface world. This angers Namor who once again makes threats. Eventually, Mach-IV manages to convince Chen to cure the Atlanteans because it is the right thing to do. As they make preparations to leave,[3] Abner asks Photon (Genis-Vell) to stay and keep an eye on Speed Demon and Joystick while he’s gone.[4] When the Blizzard (Donny Gill) finally arrives, he accompanies Abner and Chen on the trip to Atlantis.[5]

That’s when Speed Demon, who ducked out when Blizzard showed up, comes back out to tell the others that there is something on TV that they need to see. It is a news report about the former Avenger known as Photon (Monica Rambeau) who has appeared over the city. Genis realizes that she has likely come because he had taken a name she was using for the second time.[6] He figures he’ll have to talk it out with her, but assures the other that this isn’t going to be a pointless brawl between two heroes. Meeting up with Monica over the city, Genis-Vell confirms that this is exactly why she has come. Seeing Genis smiling over all of this angers Monica and she demands to know what they will do to resolve this situation.

Meanwhile, Songbird (Melissa Gold) is using her new security clearance from the Department of Homeland Security to review surveillance footage from the day the Thunderbolts first fought the Fathom Five. She is trying to find out if Atlas was the one who tossed Genis into the ocean. Unfortunately, the incident is blocked by a building. However, the officers did find an unidentified man who was watching whatever happened. He later left the in a taxi that originated from Gramercy Park.[7]

Now

As they are cleaning up debris from their headquarters, Abner realizes that “the count” is some kind of meditation technique that Chen does. He saw him doing it when they were on their way down to Atlantis. The Radioactive Man confirms that he does a number exercise since he left China. However, as his eyes begin to glow, he says that it is not something he does to cam himself.

Earlier

As the Sub-Mariner’s ship reaches the outskirts of Atlantis the Thunderbolts — Mach-IV, Atlas and Blizzard — are impressed by the sight of the city. Namor admits that he doesn’t show it the right amount of awe himself. Abner understands what he means, pointing out that they are the same way about the Empire State Building in New York. Radioactive Man chimes in, mentioning the recently destroyed Brooklyn Bridge. The Atlantean monarch reminds Chen that Fathom Five were responsible for its destruction, not his people. When they arrive, they are greeted by Tamara Rahn, who gives Namor an update on the number of sick.[8] With the number of sick growing Namor grows impatient and demands that the Thunderbolts provide a cure immediately.

Tamara tells Chen that his attempt at infecting At’La’Tique, the terrorist organization behind Fathom Five, remain untouched by his illness and are laughing at the hardship in Atlantis. She then reveals that she is a leader of the group. This throws Chen into a rage and he tries to attack her, but Namor fights him off. He explains that Tamara is a plant that is working to bring down At’La’Tique from the inside in the hopes that he can hamper their effectiveness and temper the militant beliefs. When asked why they didn’t prevent the attacks on the surface, Tamara defends her actions by saying she has thwarted even more heinous crimes from being committed. Since attacking the surface world is the core of their beliefs, Chen doesn’t see a reason to stop his plague from spreading and motions to leave the room. However, Namor throws his tridant against the door and demands him to look a dying child in the face and tell her that he would deny her aid.

While this does little to move Radioactive Man, it impacts the other Thunderbolts. Mach-IV tries reason, saying the child has nothing to do with the attacks. Chen agrees that while that may be so, he points to a society that is complicit in allowing the attacks to happen. People knew what was being planned and nobody responded until after the attack happened. Namor tries to justify this, by saying that they were acting according to Atlantean law, but Chen — from Communist China — doesn’t see the freedoms afforded to the people of Atlantis as a good thing. Lastly, he points out that there is no way of knowing if this child will not grow up to become a threat to the surface in the future. In his view, he is merely neutralizing a possible future threat. As the debate rages on, both Atlas and Blizzard begin regretting coming along on this mission and envy the others who stayed behind.

Meanwhile, back on the surface, Genis and Monica have gone to a local bar to sort out the issue of codenames. As they come up with various possible alternate names one of them sounds good to Monica. That name is Pulsar, but she decides that she wants it for herself.

At that same time, Melissa Gold goes to the apartment owned by the man in the taxi. She buzzes the apartment but nobody answers. Eventually, she gives up and leaves, unaware that she is being watched by Zebadiah Killgrave, aka the Purple Man.

Back below the waves, Namor and Chen’s argument explodes into violence once again. Blizzard uses his freezing powers to create a wall of ice between the two but nothing seems to stop them from wanting to fight to the death. That is until one of the medics tells them to stopas the child they were arguing over has stopped breathing. This causes both men to stop dead in their tracks. Surprisingly, Chen tells everyone to step aside. He then begins absorbing the radiation, saving the girl’s life. He then does the same thing with all of those infected, ending the threat posed by the radiation. When he is done, he also heals the radiation burn he gave Tamara Rahn as well.

There is an awkward moment where Namor doesn’t know how to address Chen. Lu isn’t interested in platitudes and asks to be returned to the surface. The Radiactive Man is pleased, having decided that leaving them with fear that he might come back and annihilate them all is a sufficient enough revenge and a means to prevent future attacks.

Now

As Mach-IV and Radioactive Man finish their work, Abner believes he has figured out what the count is. Chen confirms what he had figured out, that the count are the number of lives that have been ended due to long term exposure to Radioactive Man’s radiation. However, Abner is afraid to hear the number. He concludes by saying that while Abner is atoning for a single death, Chen’s numbers put him beyond things. When Abner points out that by saving the Atlanteans, he made sure that the number isn’t getting larger.

However, Chen Lu reveals that when he healed Tamara Rahn that is also infected her with another form of radiation. This one unique to her alien physiology and slow acting. This so that when she returns to At’La’Tique, she will infect them and they will all die.[9] Hearing how Chen would still take lives horrifies Abner.

At Empire State University, Melissa Gold is sleeping in her dorm room when she is woken up by one of her classmates knocking at her door. When she answers it, she comes face-to-face of the Purple Man. Controlling her with his pheromones, he tells her that she is to cease her investigation into Atlas and Photon. He then decides to have his way with her and asks Melissa to strip naked.[10] However, before he can rape her, the Swordsman arrives and stabs Zebadiah through the chest from behind. As Purple Man collapses to the floor, the Swordsman asks for Melissa’s help to save the Thunderbotls!

Recurring Characters

Thunderbolts (Mach-IV, Atlas, Photon, Speed Demon, Joystick, Radioactive Man, Blizzard), Songbird, Sub-Mariner, Puslar, Tamara Rahn, Purple Man, Swordsman

Continuity Notes

1. Radioactive Man wanted revenge against the Fathom Five after they attacked his homeland of China. To that end, he irradiated the group during their fight with the Thunderbolts in New Thunderbolts #5-6. Namor showed up last issue demanding that Chen cure his people. As we’ll learn later, the radiation has begun to infect innocent Atlanteans.

2. It is mentioned here that Abner Jenkins recently got out of jail. He was serving out a murder conviction. Back when he was still the Beetle, he murdered a guy in Deadly Foes of Spider-Man #3. He oriignally went to jail in Thunderbolts #23 to serve out his sentence, but was roped into a conspiracy and was released in issue #37 to cover it up. Eventually, Abner decided to surrender himself to the authorities and finish his sentence in Thunderbolts #75. He finished his sentence in New Thunderbolts #1.

3. Jenkins states here that his Mach-IV suit is fully operational. It was damaged in New Thunderbolts #3, it had been under repairs until this issue.

4. Here, Genis states that he is staying because he has an issue with water. He nearly drowned when he was tossed into the Atlantic in New Thunderbolts #1. Instead, his body was sealed in a cocoon and he was reborn with new powers in issue #6.

5. Donny complains that he was left tied up on the Throg’s Neck Bridge. That happened last issue, after he tried to stop Speed Demon from committing a crime.

6. Monica Rambeau has had some issues with names in the past. When she first gained her powers in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16. After meeting Genis-Vell (back when he was calling himself Legacy) she was convinced to change her name to Photon, as seen in Avengers Unplugged #5. Genis eventually started calling himself Captain Marvel starting in Avengers Forever #12. More recently, he started calling himself Photon, as seen in New Thunderbolts #6.

7. This mystery man was Zebadiah Killgrave, aka the Purple Man, as seen in New Thunderbolts #4.

8. Namor mentions that Tamara is unaffected by radiation due to the fact that she is an alien. Rahn is a member of the Banari race, as per Sub-Mariner #56. Namor is protecting himself by wearing a suit that filters out toxins. Namor had this suit created for him years ago after he was exposed to a deadly nerve gas back in Sub-Mariner #67.

9. It is unclear if this worked in any capacity as we have seen members of Fathoms Five after this. Nagala appeared again in Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch #1, Bloodtide and Manowar appeared in Avengers (vol. 8) #9. As of this writing (October, 2023) Tamara Rahn, Llyron, Dragonrider, and Sea Leopard have not been seen. Nor has At’La’Tique been referred to since. Their current activities are unknown.

10. Purple Man asks Songbird if she knows Jessica Jones. Jones was once enslaved by Purple Man for months while he repeatedly abused her. The experience has traumatized her for years. See Alias #22-23.

Topical References

• The TV in Thunderbolts HQ is depicted as a CRT model. This should be considered a topical reference as this is an obsolete technology.

• Speed Demon mockingly refers to Photon as “E.T.” Which is the name of the title character of the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. This was a dated reference even then and as such its reference should be considered topical as a more contemporary nickname could be used in its place.

• As Melissa buzzes the apartment owned by Killgrave, she quips that she knows what an Amway salesperson feels like. Amway is a multi-level marketing company that employs door-to-door sales people to sell their merchandise. It has been frequently accused of being a pyramid scheme, but has yet to be convicted despite paying out millions in court settlements. It’s reference here should be considered topical.