Thunderstrike #6
The Hidden War!
NYPD’s Code: Blue has been arrested by SHIELD for accessing classified files during their investigation into a serial killer named Pandara.[1] With them is Mary Jane Watson, one of the only witnesses to the incident they are investigating. Seeking to rescue their friends, Thunderstrike has brought Code: Blue’s Jock Jackson and Spider-Man aboard the helicarrier to rescue them. However, upon their arrival, they are surrounded by a group of SHIELD agents in Mandroid armor under the command of Agent Alex DePaul, the man responsible for the arrests.
Not looking for a fight, Thunderstrike raises his hands in surrender and tries to use his Avengers clearance to request an audience with SHIELD director Nick Fury. DePaul refuses to allow this and orders Thunderstrike to drop his weapon. Caught in a stale mate things get worse when someone strikes DePaul’s Mandroid armor with an energy blast. The shooter — the alien named Stellaris — then races onto the scene looking forward to a fight, much to Thunderstrike’s dismay.[2] He tries to get her to stand down but Stellaris has already commanded her modular armor to bulk up so she can go toe-to-toe with the Mandroids.
While down below, SHIELD agents are attempting to debrief the other members of Code: Blue regarding their illegal access to the Tantalus file. The first one they pick is Mad Dog Rossitano, who puts up a fight the whole way and has to be strapped into the interrogation chair. While the other agents are following Alex DePaul’s order, one of the SHIELD scientists thinks this is type of interrogation is too Nazi-esque for his likings and decides to get someone of higher authority involved.
Back on the upper deck of the helicarrier, the battle between the Thunderstrike and his allies and the Mandroids continues to heat up. When Stellaris tries to toss one of the agents off the side of the helicarrier, Thunderstrike leaps in to prevent him from falling to his death.
While below, Mad Dog Rossitano is brought back to the holding cell where SHIELD is keeping the rest of Code: Blue and Mary Jane Watson.[3] Once the door is open, Rossitano trips up one of the guards allowing Code: Blue to rush the rest of them and make their escape.
At that same time, the heroes on the flight deck have incapacitated all of the Mandroids. Stellaris then yanks Agent DePaul out of his suit so they can question him about the location of Code: Blue and Mary Jane. That’s when SHIELD director Nick Fury shows up and demands to know why they are wrecking his ship and equipment.
After a quickly explanation, Fury and Dum Dum Dugan take Thunderstrike and the others to find their friends. They catch them just as Mother Majowski is about to hack into SHIELD’s computers to get more details on the Tantalus file. Dugan confiscates what he thinks are all the copies of the file that Majowski made. Soon, Thunderstrike and the others are sent back to Manhattan. Once they are gone, Nick Fury orders a full investigation as he fears that Tantalus may have planted a leak within SHIELD.[4]
Once everyone is back at metro police headquarters, Spider-Man takes off to bring Mary Jane Watson home. Once Code: Blue has reported back to their boss, Captain Shelly Conklin, Stellaris reveals that she knows where Pandara’s hideout is. That’s when Majowski reveals that Dugan didn’t confiscate all of the copies of the data he stole from SHIELD. Looking over the Tantalus file, he discovers that Pandara and Tantalus are involved in some kind of secret war that is being waged underground.[5]
Back aboard the SHIELD helicarrier, Fury and Dugan have finished debriefing Agent DePaul who takes ownership of everything that happened and is willing to resign. Fury, however, still has a need for Alex in the coming conflict between Tantalus and a mystery man named Blackwulf.
While underground, Tantalus contacts Pandara in her hideout again and warns her that the authorities are onto her and to flee immediately. Before she can, she is ambushed by the enigmatic Blackwulf himself.
Not far away, Thunderstrike, Stellaris, and Code: Blue have made their way into the sewers and are en route to Pandara’s hideout. Along the way they are attacked by a trio of Tantalus’ soldiers: Lucien a warrior with a long black scar that runs down half his face, the hallicinatory Schizo, and the dart shooting Bristle. Although the trio have the element of surprise, Thunderstrike and his allies are joined by Blackwulf. In the ensuing clash, Blackwulf tries to convince Lucien that his father Tantalus is the real enemy but this warning falls on deaf ears. Lucien and his men then retreat with Blackwulf hot on their trail. The masked man tells Thunderstrike that he’ll handle things from here and that there is a surprise waiting for him in Pandara’s hideout.
Reunited with Code: Blue, Thunderstrike heads into the hideout where they find that Pandara has been tied up for them courtesey of Blackwulf.
Recurring Characters
Thunderstrike, Spider-Man, Pandara, Stellaris, Code: Blue (Marcus Stone, Rigger Ruiz, Mad Dog Rossitano, Fireworks Feldstein, Jock Jackson, Mother Majowski), Mary Jane Watson, Blackwulf, Lucien, Bristle, Schizo, Shelly Conklin, SHIELD (Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Alex DePaul), Tantalus
Continuity Notes
Pandara was posing as an employee for a health spa. She used this position to murder horny men as we saw in Thunderstrike #4-5.
This reveals that Stellaris was the one who saved Thunderstrike’s ass during his fight with Bloodaxe in issue #1 and the Juggernaut in issue #2. Eric has had encounters with Stellaris in the past, specifically Thor #419-424 and 438-439. She has been slumming it on Earth ever since their last encounter together.
Mother Majowski refers to Mary Jane as “Mrs. Parker” here. At the time this story was published Mary Jane had been married Peter Parker in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21. However, years later, their marriage was erased from existence by the demon Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. In the new timeline they never got married but are still engaged. One could even say they are a common-law couple.
We will learn the identity of the mole within SHIELD next issue. It’s just a dude named Simon.
Pandara is part of a group of universal Deviants led by Tantalus that are engaged in a secret war against the baseline members of their races. You know the whole Deviant/Eternals/Normies thing that Kirby started in Eternals #1? Well that, but on a planetary scale. Blackwulf is part of a resistance trying to foil their plans. See Blackwulf #1-10.
Topical References
The computer that Mother Majowski accesses on the SHIELD helicarrier is depicted as having a CRT monitor. This should be considered topical as this is an obsolete technology. He also copies the data on a CD, which is another topical reference as this is generally considered an obsolete data storage format. The computers at NYPD HQ also have CRT monitors and CD-Rom drives. More topical references.
Mother Majowski is depicted smoking a cigar inside police headquarters. This should be considered a topical reference as indoor smoking has been banned in the state of New York since 2003.
