Charles Burlingame

Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley introduced Charles Burlingame to Marvel readers in 1999's Thunderbolts #25, dropping him into one of the most electrically inventive corners of the late '90s Marvel Universe. Over the following quarter-century he's turned up across Thunderbolts, Avengers, and Avengers Assemble, sharing pages with heavy hitters like Clint Barton, Karla Sofen, and Jolt — serious company that puts him right at the heart of Marvel's morally complicated action landscape. With 35 catalog appearances spanning 26 years, Burlingame is the kind of persistent background thread that rewards the devoted reader who pays attention to the full tapestry of a story.