Redemption?

The Redeemers — a US government backed super team who are secretly backed by the clandestine V-Battallion — are heading to the administrative office of the Commission on Superhuman Activities. The team has recently learned that CSA operative Henry Gyrich is responsible for unleashing the Scourge of the Underworld (Jack Monroe) upon the world and have come to shut him down. Their leader, Citizen V (John Watkins III) leads his team — the Fixer (Norbert Ebersol), the Smuggler, Beetle, Scream, and Meteorite (Valerie Barnhardt) — into the facility.[1]

Once getting past the front door, they are attacked by a Destructon — a robot created be Heinrich Zemo himself.[2] The team makes short work of the robot, but before they can make it to the room where Omega-32 is being stored,[3] the entire team is incapacitated by some unknown force. That’s when Henry Gyrich enters the room and reveals that he has infected the Redeemers with nanites that allow him to control their bodies. The only one unaffected is Citizen V, whose suit is air-tight, preventing him from being infected as well. With the odds stacked against him, V decides to flee the scene. As he evades his enslaved teammates, he is pulled through a wall by and brought before the Thunderbolts — Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Moonstone (Karla Sofen), Songbird (Melissa Gold), Mach-2 (Abner Jenkins), Jolt (Hallie Takahama), and Charcoal (Charlie Burlingame).

However, the outlaw heroes are unsure if they can trust this Citizen V.[4] However, he quickly explains how he had infiltrated the CSA’s Redeemer program to stop Henry Gyrich’s plot. While this is enough to convince them that Citizen V is on their side, the team don’t fully trust him nor Hawkeye, after he lied about getting them all pardons for their criminal past.[5] Watching all this from the facility security system, Gyrich is pleased to see the amount of distrust among the Thunderbolts and views this as his key to victory over them. He then sends the nanite controlled Redeemers out to take them down.

The Smuggler tries to get the drop on them with his Dark Force powers, but Mach-2’s 360 degree vision is able to stop him sneaking up on them. As the Thunderbolts lay into him, but are shocked when they see that the Fixer is among the living. He quickly takes down Songbird before the rest of the team can react.[6] Mach-2 wonders who is in the new Beetle costume, but when he claims not to be Abner Jenkins, the Redeemers revealed that they know this is a lie.[7] While Moonstone fights Meteorite,[8] Songbird recovers and fights Scream until she notices that the creature’s sonic tune is familiar to her.[9] As Fixer hacks into and shuts down Mach-2’s flight armor, he reveals that he has no memory of his time as a robot. Even though he technically saved Jolt’s life recently, she reluctantly uses her powers to take him down, fearing that his tech-pack might be the only thing keeping him alive.

Jolt is quickly incapacitated by Smuggler’s Dark Force powers. Helpless to help his teammate, Mach-2 asks the Smuggler who he is. He is more than happy to reveal his true identity. Removing his mask, the Smuggler reveals that he is the long lost brother of Atlas (Erik Josten), Conrad![10]

Meanwhile, Hawkeye, Citizen V, and Scourge are heading to where Gyrich has been storing Omega-32. As they reach their destination, it turns ou that Citizen V was actually infected with the nanites after all, allowing Gyrich to listen in on their conversation the whole time. Having heard enough, the rogue CSA agent forces Citizen V to stab Hawkeye with his sword through the arm, rendering his bow and arrows useless to him. Scourge quickly gets between the two and begins fending off Citizen V, but it proves difficult because V is an accomplished swordsman. Clint convinces Scourge to press onward to get Omega-32, even if it means leaving Barton behind to deal with Citizen V alone.

When he enters the storage room, he finds Gyrich waiting for him. Although Henry can’t control Jack anymore since Mach-2 fried the receivers, he can use Monroe to broadcast his message to all the others who have been infected. Henry then details the true purpose of Omega-32, the weapon is so versatile it can be transmitted through electromagnetic data streams. He is about to explain why he is doing all of this when an arrow shoots through his hand, making him drop the transmission device. The shot was fired by Hawkeye, who was able to defeat Citizen V and catch up. When Clint demands answers from Gyrich, the CSA operative tells him that this all happened because of Hawkeye himself.

At that same time, the rest of the team has managed to incapacitate the Redeemers. Having fried both the Smuggler and Fixer’s nanites. They hear how Conrad wants to redeem his family name after it was ruined by his older brother. Jolt convinces him to stop attacking by reverting back to her disabled human form, telling him that all of the Thunderbolts have sacrificed a great deal in order to redeem themselves.[11] While they are convincing the Smuggler to stand down, Moonstone has defeated Meteorite and convinces Scream — who, as a being of pure sound, couldn’t be controlled by nanites — to fight on their side.

Back at the stand-off, Gyrich continues explaining his master plan. He explains how there is a now a satellite in Earth’s orbit that will flood the atmosphere with nanites, infecting every living being on the planet. Then, Gyrich will have the power to eliminate any superhuman he wants. Threats like the Hulk, Red Skull, Doctor Doom, and others could be executed at the push of a button. This horrifies Hawkeye, who believes strong in everyone’s right to due process, even villains, and demands to know what gives Gyrich the right to circumvent all that and decides who lives and who dies. All Gyrich can do is smirk and take ownership for this. As the rest of the team arrives, Henry details how he targeted the Thunderbolts first as their attempts to redeem themselves in the media would impact his plan if they managed to win the hearts and minds of the public. He turned Jack Monroe into the new Scourge to also keep the team pre-occupied while he was working on his master plan. He particularly enjoyed making Hawkeye squirm due to a long standing grudge Gyrich has had against Clint.[12]

Then, before they can grab the control device, Gyrich stomps on it with his foot. This causes the Thunderbolt’s nanite infested bodies to begin expanding with hard air, causing them all extreme agony. Luckily, Mach-2 is able to push through the pain and blow up the massive device pumping them full of Omega-32. As the others recover, Jolt uses her powers to zap all the nanites in her teammates. That’s when she makes a startling discovery, Gyrich was infested with nanites himself. While Henry admits that the entire plot was his idea, it was the individuals controlling him that were making him follow through on his fantasy.

When Hawkeye vows to expose this master plan, Val Cooper and a team of CSA guards enter the room. She tells Clint that he cannot expose this conspiracy as it could spark a war between ordinary humans and superhumans, leading to mutually assured destruction, something she cannot allow. Clint doesn’t like it but will only agree to keep silent about it if the CSA grants full pardons for the Thunderbolts and Jack Monroe. Gyrich also threatens to go public unless his demands are met as well, and he wants Hawkeye to go to prison for the various crimes he inadvertedly committed while leading the Thunderbolts. Although the Thunderbolts protest this idea — as Clint wouldn’t survive in prison alone — Barton agrees to the terms if it means that he follows through on his promise to get the team full pardons. Cooper agrees, and Hawkeye is put under arrest.[13] Before he is taken away, he tells Moonstone that he is in love with her. To her own surprise, Karla admits that she loves him as well and they share one last kiss before he is taken away. That’s when everyone notices that Jack Monroe had disappeared while they were all deal making.

Epilogue

After stripping off his Scourge outfit, Jack slipped away. Using his holographic projector to disguise himself as a woman, he gets about ten minutes away before dropping his disguise and returning his solitary life as Nomad.[14] A day later, Citizen V returns to Castle Masada in Symkaria. There he meets with the Penance Council of the V-Battalion to give them a debriefing. While he was able to stop Gyrich’s mad scheme, he was unable to learn who was responsible for controlling him. Roger Aubrey is disturbed that someone was able to compromise the CSA and vows to stop them, unaware that this course of action will lead to a battle with Baron Strucker and Hydra.[15] Back in America, the Redeemers have set up operations in the Mount Chateris facility that once served as the Thunderbolts base of operations. Since Gyrich’s defeat, Jolt and Charcoal have joined up with the group as they continue their government training. There, they meet with SHIELD operatives G.W. Bridge who introduces them to their new temporary leader, Captain America![16]

Two days after that, at a CSA facility in Cliff’s Edge, Virginia, the remaining Thunderbolts meet with Val Cooper. Abner, Melissa, and Karla all sign their Presidential pardons. However, their new clemency comes at a price: They are no longer allowed to use their superhuman powers. This has effectively shut down the Thunderbolts, something none of them are happy about but the sign their pardons anyway as they have no other choice. Once they are outside, Karla dips out on them without much of a word. Faced with an uncertain future both Abe and Melissa are unsure what to do next.[17]

Primary Characters

Thunderbolts (Hawkeye, Moonstone, Songbird, Mach-2, Jolt, Charcoal), Redeemers (Citizen V (Watkins/Zemo), Beetle, Meteorite, Scream, Smuggler), Scourge, Henry Gyrich, Destructon, Val Cooper, V-Battalion (Roger Aubrey, Miles Worton), G.W. Bridge, Guardsmen

Continuity Notes

1. The Scourge of the Underworld has been active and has carried out a series of assassinations since Thunderbolts #34. His true identity and the fact that he was being controlled by Gyrich were revealed last issue.

2. The Destructon was first seen in Captain America #100. That Citizen V knows what it is and who created it is a hint at his true identity. See, at the time of this story, John Watkin’s body was being controlled by Helmut Zemo, Heinrich’s son. See Citizen V and the V-Battalion #3, Thunderbolts #39, 54, and 61 for the slow drip of facts explaining that one.

3. Omega-32 is a hard-air compound that is used to make Scourge’s untraceable bullets. See Thunderbolts #35-37.

4. Hawkeye makes a sarcastic comment about that Citizen V must come in bulk. This is reference to the fact that many people have held the title. They include:

   • The original, John Watkins, who operated as Citizen V in World War II starting in Daring Mystery Comics #8. He was strangled to death before the end of the war by Baron (Heinrich) Zemo, as told in Thunderbolts #-1.

   • Helmut Zemo usurped the Citizen V persona from Thunderbolts #1-12 to form the Thunderbolts and pose as heroes, all in a bid to take over the world.

   • Dallas Riordan who operated as Citizen V from Thunderbolts #16 through 43.

   • John Watkins III has been active as Citizen V since issue #47.

   • Other individuals who have operated under this identity in the past, but hadn’t been revealed at the time of this story include Paulette Brazee and John Watkins, Jr, as will be revealed in Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting #1.

5. When Hawkeye became leader of the team in Thunderbolts #21, he convinced them that he talked to the CSA about getting them pardons after they have done enough to atone for their criminal pasts. Clint was lying to them as the CSA rejected his proposal, a fact that the Thunderbolts recently discovered in issue #48.

6. There is confusion among the Thunderbolts because they aren’t entirely sure how the Fixer can be alive. It’s very complicated and all the details will get ironed out in later issues, but let me fill in all the facts and blanks for you.

   • The Fixer was a founding member of the team when they first formed, as seen in Thunderbolts Annual 1997, taking on the name Techno. However, he was seemingly killed when his neck was snapped by the Elements of Doom back in issue #7.

   • A copy of his mind was downloaded into his tech-pack which became a sentient robot in the following issue. For months everyone — including the robot itself — was believed to be the real Techno in a mechanical body.

   • A quick mention is made here about how the Techno robot resurrected Jolt. She was seemingly killed by Scourge in Thunderbolts #34. She was brought back to life in issue #46. It’s also mentioned how the Techno robot posed as the Ogre, the Thunderbolt’s resident technician. He maintained this ruse from issues #33 through 46.

   • The real Fixer was revealed to be alive last issue. What’s not explained is that when he died, his body was preserved by the robotic Fixer to escape in to in case his mechanical body was ever destroyed. This body was later confiscated and revived by the government. This will all be explained in Thunderbolts #61.

7. Mach-2’s situation and his ties to the Beetle armor and the person wearing it are all complex too, let me explain.

   • Abner Jenkins was the original Beetle, first appearing in that identity way back in Strange Tales #123. As per Thunderbolts Annual 1997, he was another founding member of the Thunderbolts, taking on the identity of Mach-1.

   • When Hawkeye took over leadership of the team, he asked Jenkins to surrender to the authorities to serve out a murder wrap. See, Jenkins murdered a dude back in Deadly Foes of Spider-Man #3. Jenkins surrendered in Thunderbolts #23.

   • While serving time in Seagate prison, Abner was tapped by the CSA to operate a new suit of Beetle armor as part of a sting operation to bust criminal industrialist Justin Hammer. It was also a cover for Gyrich to steal Omega-32. This began in Thunderbolts #26.

   • Hawkeye and the Thunderbolts worked to free Abner in Thunderbolts #35-37. Clint was able to blackmail Gyrich into letting Abe go free. In order to cover up the fact that Jenkins was out of prison, the “Ogre” gave him a new face and identity as an African-American man named Matt Davis. Abe will retain this appearance until Avengers/Thunderbolts #1.

   • The identity of the person in the Beetle armor is not revealed until Thunderbolts #56. They are actually Leila Davis, who ironically had an axe to grind with Abner Jenkins as he once tormented the Ringer, her former lover. See Spectacular Spider-Man #58 and Deadly Foes of Spider-Man #1-4, as well as Lethal Foes of Spider-Man #1-4.

8. Meteorite is using Moonstone’s superhero name from back when the Thunderbolts were simply the Masters of Evil in disguise. Karla took on the name in Thunderbolts Annual 1997, but went back to calling herself Moonstone in Thunderbolts #12. There are no ties between Moonstone and Meteorite other than the similar codenames.

9. Songbird is recognizing Scream’s sonic signature is a hint about his true identity. As we’ll learn in Thunderbolts #59, he was previously Angar the Screamer, Songbird’s former partner in crime back when she was Screaming Mimi. Angar caught a bullet in Thunderbolts Annual 1997 and seemingly died. He was brought back to some semblance of life thanks to Baron Zemo, as will be explained in issue #59.

10. As explained in Thunderbolts #17, Conrad Josten ran away from home and disappeared after his family’s reputation was ruined by Erik’s criminal past. Where’s Atlas in this story? His body exploded back in issue #47, he’ll be back by issue #57.

11. Jolt’s physical disability (partial paralysis) is a bit of a complicated matter. She was shot and seemingly killed in Thunderbolts #34. However, this was one of those “faintest spark of life” situations and Techno was able to restore her by issue #46. She was revealed to be partially disabled in issue #48. She will struggle with this disability until Exiles #81.

12. Hawkeye mentions how he tied Gyrich up the first time they had met. That was back in Avengers #172. Having just become the new government liaison with the Avengers, Gyrich had broken into Avengers Mansion to show how lax their security was. He was ambushed and tied up by Hawkeye who had no idea who Gyrich was.

13. Hawkeye will remain in prison until he breaks out in Thunderbolts #61.

14. Nomad’s fate doesn’t have a happy ending, as we’ll learn in Captain America (vol. 5) #3 & 7. His powers begin to fail him and he then gets murdered by the Winter Soldier.

15. The V-Battalion will uncover Hydra’s role in Gyrich’s conspiracy in Citizen V and the V-Battalion #1-3.

16. The Thunderbolts set up shop in this mountain base in Thunderbolts #26. They were forced to abandon it in issue #48 when its location was compromised, leading the facility to be raided by SHIELD.

17. This will begin a long stretch where the Thunderbolts book does not feature the Thunderbolts themselves as the team has been disbanded. They will ultimately be reformed in issue #57.

Topical References

• When hearing the Smuggler’s sob story, Charcoal tells him to tell it to Jerry Springer. Jerry Springer (1944-2023) was a daytime talk show host at the time this comic was published. The Jerry Springer Show ran from 1991 to 2018. It was best known by its infamous moniker, “Trash TV”. Most of his talk shows featured bizarre subject matter and was best known for brawls breaking out. This should be considered a topical reference because TJSS ended its run in 2018 and Jerry himself has since passed away.