Thunderbolts #1

History

The core concept grew out of a long solo car drive by Busiek: brainstorming Avengers plots to stay awake on a New Jersey–to–New England trip, he imagined the Masters of Evil slowly replacing the Avengers by posing as heroes, then filed the idea away, believing readers would reject losing familiar characters for a team later revealed as villains — an instinct he likened to the comparatively small-scale Terra deception in New Teen Titans. The 1996 'Onslaught' crossover inadvertently solved his problem: with the Avengers and Fantastic Four declared dead and banished to a Heroes Reborn pocket universe, Busiek could introduce an entirely new team and hide the twist inside a genuine publishing vacuum. Marvel kept the secret tightly guarded through the teaser appearance in Incredible Hulk #449 (January 1997, written by Peter David with art by Mike Deodato Jr.) and a Tales of the Marvel Universe one-shot, neither of which revealed the Masters of Evil connection. The series launched cover-dated April 1997 under editor-in-chief Bob Harras, with Vince Russell on inks and Joe Rosas on colors.

Trivia · 9 facts

• Written by Kurt Busiek, penciled by Mark Bagley, inked by Vince Russell, colored by Joe Rosas; cover-dated April 1997, released February 1997.
• Final page twist reveals the Thunderbolts are the Masters of Evil: Baron Helmut Zemo as Citizen V, Karla Sofen (Moonstone) as Meteorite, Erik Josten (Goliath) as Atlas, Abner Jenkins (Beetle) as MACH-1, Norbert Ebersol (Fixer) as Techno, and Melissa Gold (Screaming Mimi) as Songbird.
• First appearance of Hallie Takahama (Helen 'Hallie' Takahama), the 15-year-old who will later become Jolt — she appears here as a civilian kidnapped amid the post-Onslaught wreckage.
• First appearance in-continuity of Erik Josten under the Atlas identity (his first use of the size-changing Atlas code name, having previously operated as Power Man, the Smuggler, and Goliath).
• First appearances of supporting characters Dallas Riordan (mayoral aide who becomes the team's closest civilian ally) and TV journalist Megan McLaren.
• The Wrecking Crew (Wrecker/Dirk Garthwaite, Bulldozer/Henry Camp, Piledriver/Brian Calusky, Thunderball/Eliot Franklin) serve as the issue's main physical antagonists, battling the Thunderbolts at the Statue of Liberty; Spider-Man, the New Warriors (Namorita, Night Thrasher, Nova, Speedball, Robbie Baldwin), and Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) appear in cameo.
• The issue sold out its first printing so rapidly that Marvel issued a second printing with a distinctive pink cover background (the first print has a green background), and also packaged it with issue #2 in a 'mini-trade paperback.'
• The story's title and the team's motto — 'Justice, Like Lightning!' — was attributed in the issue to a poem by Thomas Randolph; Busiek later acknowledged he could not verify the attribution, having inherited it from Roy Thomas-era Captain Marvel comics.
• The issue has been collected in: Thunderbolts: Justice Like Lightning (2001 TPB), Thunderbolts Classic Vol. 1 (2011 TPB), Marvel 75th Anniversary Omnibus (2014), Thunderbolts Omnibus Vol. 1 (2021 hardcover, ISBN 978-1302927073), and Thunderbolts Epic Collection: Justice, Like Lightning (2023).

Cast · 23 characters

Full credits

Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers

Key issues in Thunderbolts

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#19 1st appearance — Charcoal

Variants (2)