Valerie Barnhardt

A minor but memorable face in Marvel's Modern Age, Valerie Barnhardt stepped onto the scene in 2001 courtesy of the celebrated creative team of Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley in Thunderbolts #48. She moves in remarkable company — sharing pages with the likes of Jolt, Meteorite, Smuggler, Leila Davis, and Clint Barton — which speaks to the richly populated, morally complex corner of the Marvel Universe that Thunderbolts carved out for itself. With only a handful of appearances to her name, she's the kind of deep-cut character that rewards the dedicated reader who wants to know every thread of that series' tapestry.