Heroic Tendencies, Part 2: Heart and Soul

At Thunderbolts headquarters, Techno has been ripped to pieces by the assassin known as Scourge of the Underworld. Using Omega-32, Scourge has created a hard-air shell around Techno to prevent him from reforming his mechanical body.[1] However, rather than finishing Techno off, Scourge has been scouring the sentient robot’s hard drives for information.[2] Help is also not coming any time soon. Most of the Thunderbolts are on the Saturnian moon of Titan to learn the secrets of Moonstone’s powers,[3] while Atlas (Erik Josten) is recovering in stasis along with three others Techno has been keeping in this state,[4] and the outside world is still reeling from the after effects of the Ego-Spore that almost consumed the planet.[5]

Techno is able to remotely connect to the computers to ask Scourge why he is doing all of this. Instead, Scourge taunts the robot by using his Pym Particles to enlarge one of his grisly trophies: The severed head of Baron Zemo![6] Scourge explains that once he has found a way to sever Techno’s connection to the life support functions of the stasis pods he is going to kill the robot. When asked why he’s trying to save someone he’s already killed, Scourge reveals that he is merely a puppet being controlled. He’s already completed that mission and unless his handlers give him orders to kill the target again he is free to do as he choses. That’s when the subject in bio-chamber 3 becomes conscious, giving Techno a sliver of hope that he might get out of this alive.

Meanwhile, on the moon of Titan, Charcoal (Charlie Bulingame), Songbird (Melissa Gold), and Mach-2 (Abner Jenkins) sight see while their leader Hawkeye (Clint Barton) and Moonstone (Karla Sofen) learn more about the nature of the Moon Stone that gives Karla her powers.[7] They have been brought to Titan by Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell) who introduces Moonstone and Hawkeye to Mentor, leader of the Eternals of Titan. The hope is that the Eternal’s world mind ISAAC will be able to tell her more about the origins of her Moon Stone. Rick Jones — who is secretly bonded to Genis — is unhappy that they are helping Moonstone out when they have other problems to worry about.[8]

ISAAC begins by rehashing what the Supreme Intelligence already told them. Karla’s Moon Stone was pard of a set of elemental gems that made up the Lifestone Tree. These powerful items were originally used over 200 years earlier by a group of aliens who who were called the Guardians of the Galaxy. One of them was Ajesh’a the woman whose memories and personality have been affecting Karla. Also known as the Chosen Eight of Fate, these universal defenders. Eventually, four fell in battle, two died of old age, and one chose to retire from active duty. Growing impatient, Moonstone tells the ISAAC to get to the point as she cares little about the Chosen Eight. As galactic peace crumbled, the Lifestone Tree was brought to Kree-Lar for protection. However, an attack by space pirates seeking to steal the gems caused the stones to be lost through a fissure of space. Many of the stones ended up on Earth, empowering individuals like Doctor Spectrum, the Man-Wolf, Basilisk, Bloodstone, the Sphinx, and the Blue Diamond, among others.[9] ISAAC finally gets to the point, the gems form a biosynaptic processors that record the memories and experiences of their hosts to provide guidance to future wielders. The intelligent computer concludes that Karla — on a subconscious level — to resolve the her conflicting feelings about reforming.

Back on Earth, in the nation of Latveria, Dallas Riordan has been receiving around the clock medical attention since she was found. While her body is healing nicely, the prognosis is not good. Her spinal column has been crushed leaving her totally paralyzed leaving her wondering how she will endure living the rest of her life strapped to a bed.[10] While in London, another hospitalized individual — John Watkins III — has just woken up from a long coma. He is visited by Roger Aubrey and Elizabeth Barstow of the V-Battalion’s Penance Council. John demonstrates that he is ready to get back into the game by leaping out of bed and craving the letter V on the wall with a knife in one fluid motion. While in Washington, DC, Andrea Sterman continues her investigation into the Omega-32 conspiracy. She is meeting with FBI agent Vernon Hatchway. She has come to him because she believes that the man at the center of this conspiracy is someone that Vernon has been hiding for the past two years.[11]

Back at Mount Charteris, Techno is hoping for a miracle, that Jolt can be revived before he is terminated. That’s when there is an explosion from elsewhere in the facility. Scourge suspects that this is Atlas and heads off to make sure he hasn’t become a new threat. Once he is gone, Techno begins prodding Jolt to finally wake up while Scourge is distracted. However, in doing so, Techno will sacrifice his own life and struggles with the idea of self-sacrtifice.

While on Titan, ISAAC concludes that Karla was seeking the memories encoded in the Moon Stone to justify her changing persona as well as her growing love for Hawkeye. However, the computer mind concludes that Karla is unworthy to wield the Moon Stone and it must be removed from her body. When both Moonstone and Hawkeye refuse to comply, ISAAC threatens to use force if necessary.

Meanwhile, Scourge has discovered that the explosion was indeed caused by Atlas, who has subconsciously grown to giant size and is now crackling with unstable ionic energies. While back in the lab, Techno contemplates why he came back to the Thunderbolts and spent the last few months posing as the Ogre and helping the team out. He ultimately decides that he wanted to be a hero after all and after making that conclusion, willingly uses up the last of his power to restore Jolt, ending his life. Jolt breaks free from her stasis chamber before Scourge can eliminate Atlas. Transformed into a being of pure electricity, Jolt is looking forward to eliminating the man who tried to kill her.

Primary Characters

Thunderbolts (Hawkeye, Moonstone, Songbird, Mach-2, Charcoal), Jolt, Techno, Captain Marvel, Atlas, Mentor, ISAAC, Citizen V (Watkins/Zemo), Dallas Riordan, V-Battallion (Roger Aubrey, Betty Barstow), Andrea Sterman, Vernon Hatchway, Ogre, Humus Sapien, Rick Jones

Continuity Notes

1. Scourge has been targeting the Thunderbolts since Thunderbolts #34. Omega-32 is a weaponized form of solidifying air that was developed by Roxxon. We’ll learn that Scourge is the pawn of Henry Gyrich of the Commission on Superhuman Activities, who himself has been compromised by Hydra. See Thunderbolts #49-50 for all the details.

2. Techno mentions how he was once human and is now a sentient robot. The real Norbert Erbersol had his neck snapped back in Thunderbolts #7. In the following issue, a copy of his mind was downloaded into his tech pack and took over Norbert’s identity as this is merely a copy. The real Erbersol will show up alive again in issue #49.

3. Moonstone’s power source has been plaguing her with dreams and changing her personality to match Ajes’ha, a Kree warrior who wielded the Moon Stone hundreds of years earlier, this began in Thunderbolts #28. Last issue, the Kree Supreme Intelligence revealed most of the secrets to Karla about the source of her powers.

4. Techno’s secret lab currently has four bodies being held in stasis, they are:

   • The Ogre, the Thunderbolt’s resident technician. Techno took his place in Thunderbolts #33 and he has been held in stasis ever since.

   • The second is Jolt (Hallie Takahama), who was Scourge’s first target. She was seemingly killed in Thunderbolts #34. Techno has been working to restore her since.

   • Atlas has been in stasis ever following a battle with Count Nefaria that resulted in Erik’s ionic powers getting out of whack. See Thunderbolts #42-44 and Avengers (vol. 3) #32-34.

   • The last individual is a powerful mutant named Humus Sapiens who Ogre has been keeping in check for years, as will be explained in Thunderbolts #54-55.

5. This story follows the events of Maximum Security in which the planet Earth was turned into a prison planet by the Galactic Council. This was all part of a master scheme by the Kree to turn Earth into a living planet whose cosmic energies they could harness to rebuild their fallen empire. Earth’s heroes had just thwarted this plot. See Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1 and Maximum Security #1-3, as well as the various crossover issues listed below.

6. Scourge seemingly killed Baron Zemo back in Thunderbolts #46. However, we’ll soon learn that Zemo cheated death thanks to a “bio-modem” that downloaded his mind into the body of John Watkins III, starting last issue. This will all be revealed and explained in Citizen V and the V-Battalion #3 and 61 respectively.

7. When talking about how there are a lack of Black Eternals, Charcoal mentions how Abe and Melissa haven’t been intimate since his recent facelift. This is a reference to Jenkin’s recent facelift. See, back in Deadly Foes of Spider-Man #3, Jenkins — as the Beetle — murdered a dude. When Hawkeye took over as leader of the Thunderbolts (issue #21), he convinced Abe to surrender to the authorities and serve out his sentence as a good-will gesture in issue #23. However, Abe to got wrapped up in a the Omega-32 conspiracy and Hawkeye used it as leverage to get Abe out of prison. Techno gave Abe a facelift and made him appear African-American, as seen in Thunderbolts #37. This has caused friction in his romance with Songbird.

8. Rick Jones was merged together with Genis in Avengers: Forever #12. This partnership will continue until Captain Marvel (vol. 5) #25. Here, Rick mentions that they are dealing Zey-Rogg, a Kree who sought to avenge the apparent death of his father Yon-Rogg at the hands of Genis’ father Mar-Vell back in Captain Marvel #18, see Captain Marvel (vol. 4) #12-13.

9. A regular who’s who of who’s that on display here. Let’s break down who all these guys are:

   • The original Doctor Spectrum, Kinji Obatu, was given the Power Prisom by the Grandmaster as part of a contest against the Avengers, as seen in Avengers #69.

   • The original Moonstone, Lloyd Bloch, who first started using his gem in Captain America #169. He did so until Karla Sofen stole the Moon Stone from him in Incredible Hulk #228.

   • Man-Wolf, aka John Jameson discovered the so-called God-Gem in Amazing Spider-Man #125, while on a mission to the Moon.

   • Basilisk obtained his powers from the Alpha Gem in Marvel Team-Up #16.

   • The Sphinx has been powered by the Ka Stone since Nova #6.

   • Ulysses Bloodstone has obtained his namesake back in Marvel Presents #1.

10. Dallas was seriously injured in a battle with the Crimson Cowl in Thunderbolts #42. Dallas will remain paralyzed until Thunderbolts #57.

11. Andrea is referring to Jack Monroe, aka Nomad, who Vernon Hatchway placed into suspended animation to hide him from the authorities after Jack assassinated Senator Bart Ingrid, a Neo-Nazi who was secretly running an accelerationist militia. See Nomad (vol. 2) #22-25. Andrea states that Vernon has been hiding Nomad for two years. Which is more or less accurate, see below.

Topical References

• Charcoal complains about how boring things are on Titan, saying that you couldn’t make them duller if you ran the place through a V-Chip. The V-Chip was a blanket name given to technology that allowed people to screen television programs. It was primarily used for parental guidance, allowing parents to lock out television programs above a certain rating classification to prevent their children from watching things that were deemed inappropriate. This technology was brand new when this comic was published back in 2001. However, now that content filtering has become a standard function in digital media this reference should be considered topical.

• The doctor treating Dallas Riordan states that he has pirated CNN from nearby Symkaria. This should be considered a topical reference as this is a real world television network. She also has a CRT model television in her hospital room. This should be considered topical as this is now an obsolete technology.

• Andrea Sterman states that it has been two years since Vernon hid Nomad. Nomad (vol. 2) #25 was published in March of 1994, while this issue of Thunderbolts was published in January of 2001. Per the Sliding Timescale, the Nomad story took place around the start of “Year 9” while this story takes place in the last quarter of “Year 10”, so Andrea’s assessment of time is off by a few months give or take. That said, she is speaking pretty generally so this could be considered a topical reference.

Maximum Security Reading Order

Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1, Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #22, 23, 24, Iron Man (vol. 3) #32 33, 34, Peter Parker: Spider-Man #23-24, Captain America (vol. 3) #36, Maximum Security #1, Thor (vol. 2) #30, Uncanny X-Men #387, Black Panther (vol. 3) #25, Captain Marvel (vol. 4) #12-13, Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #21, Iron Man (vol. 3) #35, Bishop the Last X-Man #15, Maximum Security #2, Thunderbolts #45, 46, 47, Marvel Knights #6, Gambit (vol. 3) #23, X-Men (vol. 2) #107, X-Men Unlimited #29, Avengers (vol. 3) #35, Maximum Security #3