Thunderbolts #3
Thunderbolts #3 (cover date June 1997) is the debut issue of the second Crimson Cowl — secretly Justine Hammer, daughter of industrialist Justin Hammer — and of the new Pierre Fresson incarnation of Cyclone, both created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley. The issue dramatically expands the book's thematic premise: Baron Zemo's Thunderbolts, themselves Masters of Evil in disguise, discover that a rival faction has co-opted the Masters of Evil name and is operating as hired mercenaries for New York organized crime, directly provoking Zemo's sense of legacy and ownership over that criminal brand. This tension — two competing teams of villains each pretending, in different ways, to be something they are not — deepens the moral complexity Busiek built into the series from issue one, and the Crimson Cowl goes on to become the series' most sustained antagonist across the Busiek run and beyond.
In "Too Many Masters!", the Thunderbolts face a surprising twist when a new Masters of Evil emerges, aiming to control New York’s underworld—forcing the team to confront a familiar threat with unfamiliar motives. Written by Kurt Busiek and brought to life by Mark Bagley’s dynamic art, this 1997 issue sets a tense, high-stakes tone as the Black Widow vows to bring the Avengers’ past enemies to account. The cover by Mark Bagley and Vince Russell captures the moment with sharp detail and dramatic flair.
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Written by Kurt Busiek and pencilled by Mark Bagley with inks by Vince Russell, the issue was edited by Tom Brevoort (with Glenn Greenberg as assistant editor) under editor-in-chief Bob Harras. It arrived just two issues into a series whose first issue had already stunned readers with one of the decade's most celebrated plot twists. Busiek's original plan for the Crimson Cowl identity was to use Alice Nugent, Hank Pym's former lab assistant, but that concept was ultimately set aside; it fell to Busiek's successor Fabian Nicieza, years later in issue #67, to retroactively name the Cowl as Justine Hammer and fully flesh out her backstory as Justin Hammer's daughter.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Title of story: 'Too Many Masters!' — written by Kurt Busiek, pencilled by Mark Bagley, inked by Vince Russell, colored by Joe Rosas, lettered by Comicraft/Dave Lanphear; published June 1997 by Marvel Comics.
- First appearance of the second Crimson Cowl (later identified as Justine Hammer, daughter of Justin Hammer), a character who became the Thunderbolts' primary villain across dozens of subsequent issues and whose identity was not revealed until Thunderbolts #67 (2002).
- First appearance of Cyclone (Pierre Fresson), the third character to use the Cyclone identity in the Marvel Universe, wielding a recreated version of the original Cyclone's wind-generating suit.
- The new Masters of Evil assembled by the Crimson Cowl in this issue consists of Klaw, Tiger Shark, Flying Tiger, Man-Killer, and Cyclone — a roster working as mercenaries for New York crime lord Don Fortunato in partnership with Hydra.
- Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) appears as a co-protagonist, having been conducting her own covert investigation of the new Masters of Evil before the Thunderbolts intervene; her frustration with the team's interference is a key character beat.
- Hallie Takahama (later Jolt) and Dallas Riordan (later Citizen V) both appear in cameo, early in their roles as supporting cast members central to the series' ongoing storylines.
- Busiek originally planned Alice Nugent (Hank Pym's former lab assistant) as the Crimson Cowl; successor writer Fabian Nicieza later substituted Justine Hammer and eventually used Nugent as the new Doctor Spectrum.
- The issue has been reprinted in: Thunderbolts: Justice Like Lightning (2001 trade paperback), Thunderbolts Classic Vol. 1 (2011), the Thunderbolts Omnibus Vol. 1 (2021 hardcover), and the Thunderbolts Epic Collection Vol. 1: Justice, Like Lightning (2023).
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Reprints
Reprinted in Marvel Select #4 (1998), Marvel Special #8 (1999), Thunderbolts: Justice Like Lightning #[nn] (2001), Colección Extra Superhéroes #3 (2011), Thunderbolts Classic #1 (2011), Thunderbolts Omnibus #1 (2021), Thunderbolts Epic Collection #1 (2023)
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