Beyond Redemption

After preventing Baron Zemo from using the energies of the Wellspring of Power, Songbird (Melissa Gold), finds herself transported to an alien world where she is attacked by aliens who she recognizes as the ancient universal protectors known as the Guardians of the Galaxy.[1][2] Just when it looks like Melissa is going to be overpowered, she is rescued by an unexpected new comer, her former teammate Moonstone (Karla Sofen)!

Meanwhile, at a facility run by the Commission on Superhuman Activities on Earth, Abner Jenkins and the Fixer (Norbert Ebersol) are trying to repair Abe’s Mach-IV armor, which was fried by the Wellspring’s power. They are being overseen by Dallas Riordan, who is now walking after Atlas used his power to seal the portal the rift into the Wellspring of Power.[3] It’s been a week since the Thunderbolts save the Earth, and Dallas is still trying to wrangle what will happen to the team in the aftermath. Given everything they have sacrificed, Riordan assures them that she is doing everything in her power to make things right.[4]

Back in Germany, where the final battle took place, SHIELD is securing the site. With them is the Smuggler (Conrad Josten) who hasn’t left the side of his brother, Atlas (Erik Josten), since he used his ionic powers to seal the Wellspring. As a result, Atlas has been put in a coma and is now stuck at giant size. With his Darkforce harness destroyed in the battle, Conrad feels even more powerless to help his brother.[5] A SHIELD agent assures him that they will do everything they can to help Erik.

The media, meanwhile, is hailing the Thunderbolts as heroes but have questions as to what became of their leader notorious, Baron (Helmut) Zemo.[6] Seeing this on TV, the Radioactive Man (Chen Lu) turns off the TV so he can get back to focusing on his work at the CSA facility. He would have returned to his native China if not for Songbird needing him since she fell into a coma after being covered in the shattered remains of Zemo’s Moon Stones. Since Moonstone’s comatose body was began convulsing at the same time, Chen has been examining how the two women might be linked and how to revive them.[7]

At that same moment, both Moonstone and Songbird have fled from the Guardians of the Galaxy. Karla theorizes that they are somehow tapped into his subconscious mind and that the world around them is a product of the Moon Stone’s collective archive.[8] When Melissa asks how they can get free, Sofen admits she doesn’t know. Until Melissa appeared, her mind was a complete blank. They fly past stone carvings of the Thunderbolts original roster, then a huge statue of Hawkeye (Clint Barton), their former leader. Lastly, they arrive at a version of Mount Rushmore with a carving of Baron Zemo among the likes of Washington and Lincoln. Seeing the statue of Clint prompts Melissa to ask if Karla ever truly loved the archer. This strikes a nerve with Moonstone, who tells her to shut up.[9] However, Karla realizes that in order to save herself she is going to have to work with Melissa, despite how much she hates her.

Back in the waking world, the Swordsman (Andreas Von Strucker) is caring for his sword while watching the news coverage on the team. He is visited by Donny Gill, aka the Blizzard. While Strucker is remaining on the team, Donny is out because his Blizzard suit was ruined in the final battle and it is unknown if it can be repaired, leaving him powerless.[10] Speed Demon, on the other hand, took off before they were picked up by SHIELD at the battle’s end. As he walks Donny out, the Swordsman tells him that he will continue working on the Thunderbolts who are now assigned to tracking down and capturing those who have not registered with the government.[11] Andreas says that he will do this, at the very least, until he has secured a pardon from the government. They then pass a holding cell containing Joystick (Janice Yanizeski), who is being punished for betraying humanity to the Grandmaster.[12] Meanwhile, the Norbert and Abner have been asked to work for Dallas Riordan directly, an offer that they take immediately.

Meanwhile, the energies linking Songbird and Moonstone begin to synchronize the pair even more. This is because, within Karla’s mind, the two women are fighting with one another. This is because Melissa has decided she isn’t sure that she wants Karla to awaken from her coma. This is because while Songbird has worked hard to turn her life around and atone for her criminal past, she doesn’t believe Karla has.[13]

The fight is interrupted when Karla’s subconscious conjures up versions of Baron Zemo and Hawkeye. Both men tells Songbird and Moonstone that they both need each other, not only to survive this experience but to thrive in the future. While Melissa tires to accept it, Moonstone fights it, leading to another brawl between the two women. However, they both come to the conclusion that they need each other and upon making this realization they are pulled back to the waking world. The others are called into the lab by Radioactive Man as Mel and Karla wake up and now that their situation has been resolved, it leaves the Thunderbolts to wonder what happens next.

A few days later, Donny Gill is cleared of all his past criminal records. Before he leaves, he goes to say goodbye to Joystick who is going to be hauled off to the Negative Zone prison. He tells her to take care, but Janice remains silent until Donny leaves and calls him a loser under her breath.[14] Meanwhile, Melissa is saying goodbye to Abner Jenkins as he heads off to his new assignment. While their romantic relationship is over, the two still care for one another and wish each other luck.[15]

Songbird then goes outside to meet up with her current team — Moonstone, Radioactive Man, and Swordsman — and an uncertain future. She doesn’t have a very positive outlook as they will no be working as puppets for people that don’t understand them, what makes them tick, and how far they have fought for the slightest bit of dignity. The whole thing makes her want to scream.

Recurring Characters

Thunderbolts (Songbird, Moonstone, Mach-IV, Fixer, Atlas, Radioactive Man, Swordsman, Blizzard, Smuggler), Joystick, Baron Zemo, Dallas Riorden, SHIELD, Guardsmen

Continuity Notes

1. The Thunderbolts have been working to prevent the Wellspring of Power from falling into the wrong hands as it would trigger the Guardian Protocols, leading to Earth being destroyed by a galactic armada. See Thunderbolts #106-108.

2. No, this isn’t Starlord and his crew (you newb), but an ancient order gathered centuries earlier to defend the universe from threats. We learned all about them in Thunderbolts #45-47.

3. Here’s something complicated, Dallas Riordan was crippled from the waist down in Thunderbolts #42. She was confined to a wheelchair until she and Atlas were merged together in issue #56. They two were separated in Thunderbolts #74, however Dallas retained some of Erik’s powers. Later, when he needed to restore his lost powers, Josten absorbed the share he gave to Dallas in New Thunderbolts #1, crippling her again. Atlas put his life at risk trying to seal the portal last issue.

4. There is a casual mention of how Dallas and Atlas had a relationship. The two had fallen in love in Thunderbolts #6. However, they have been kind of on-and-off since issue #12. Here she says that they’re still in a relationship, but it is unclear on what she means by this since they’ve been apart since New Thunderbolts #1. As of this writing (November, 2023), the two have yet to get back together.

5. Atlas will remain incapacitated until his condition is reversed. He will turn up back to normal in Last Defenders #3.

6. Zemo seemingly perished when he was sucked into the Wellspring last issue. In reality, he has been cast back through time and space where he is currently living the lives of his ancestors until he is ultimately reborn in the present day. See Thunderbolts Presents: Zemo Born Better #1-4.

7. Moonstone has been in a catatonic state since Zemo stole her Moon Stones, see Avengers/Thunderbolts #1-6.

8. As explained in Thunderbolts #45, the Moon Stone was also a repository of memories of those who wield it.

9. While making sense of their situation, Moonstone and Songbird fly past some stone carving of the Thunderbolts as they appeared when they first seen in Incredible Hulk #449. Hawkeye took the Thunderbolts under his wing back in Thunderbolts #21. Moonstone and Hawkeye began a relationship in issue #29. However, when Hawkeye left the team in Thunderbolts #75, Moonstone chose to remain behind.

10. Donny Gill will remain powerless until his dormant Inhuman DNA is activated, giving him ice powers that are independent of technological means. See Infinity: Heist #1-4.

11. This story follows the events of the Civil War event, which saw the implementation of the Super Human Registration Act (SHRA), forcing heroes to register with the government or lest they become outlaws. While the conflict ended with victory for the pro-registration side, many heroes have refused to sign up. The majority of these developments were covered in Civil War #1-7. This law will remain in effect until Siege #4.

12. The Grandmaster was attempting to seize control of the Wellspring since New Thunderbolts #15. Joystick was revealed to be working as a mole within the Thunderbolts in Thunderbolts #102. Her betrayal was revealed to the others in issue #106.

13. As per Thunderbolts #1, the team started off as former members of the Masters of Evil posing as heroes. Over time, the team pivoted from trying to take over the world to legitimately trying to redeem themselves. Here, Moonstone refers to Melissa by her old criminal nom-de-gurre, Screaming Mimi. This was the name Melissa used starting in Marvel Two-in-One #54 and used until she became Songbird in Thunderbolts Annual 1997.

14. Joystick will presumably remain incarcerated at Prison 42 at least until the facility is taken over by Blastaar in Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #8-10. She was later seen incarcerated at the Ravencroft Institute in Ravencroft #3.

15. Melissa and Abe had been in a long term relationship dating back to Thunderbolts #2. The two have been on the outs since New Thunderbolts #1.

Topical References

• The Fixer refers to the facility they are in as the CSA’s version of “Guantanamo”. He is referring to the Guantanamo Bay, a US military run prison facility off the coast of Cuba. This story was written in the early years of America’s failed “War on Terror” in Iraq and Afghanistan following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. A prison at Guantanamo Bay had been set up to imprison captured combatants that were accused of acts of terrorism against the United States. It gained instant infamy due to the lack of due process given to the prisoners, many being incarcerated without trail, and frequent reports of prison abuse. In more recent years, various politicians have promised to shut the prison down. As of this writing (November, 2023) it still houses about 30 inmates apparently even though the United States pulled out of Afghanistan with its tail between its legs in 2021.

• When Fixer and Mach-IV are offered a job working directly for the government, Jenkins refers to it as being like “MacGyver meets X-Files”, prompting Dallas to ask which one is going to be her Scully.

  • MacGyver was an action adventure series that ran from 1985 to 1992. It starred Richard Dean Anderson as the titular Angus MacGyver. The character was a secret agent that solved crimes using his unorthodox scientific skills. The show was best known for MacGyver using a combination of every day items to get himself out of dangerous situations. The series spawned two made-for-TV movies in 1994 and a reboot that ran from 2016 to 2021.

  • The X-Files was a science fiction series that followed the FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) as they investigated cases of the paranormal. It ran from 1993 to 2002, spawned two feature films in 1998 and 2008 and enjoyed a brief revival for two seasons from 2016-2018.

  • That said, these should be considered topical references as one could replace these references with more contemporary examples.