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Current Leader: Hawkeye
Current Members: Atlas, Charcoal, Jolt, MACH-1, Moonstone Past Members: Citizen V, Songbird, Techno Status: ACTIVE Location: Mobile, United States of America Function: Superhuman criminals who have banded together to make ammends for past criminal activities |
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| History: The Thunderbolts were formed to fill the gap when the premiere superhero teams in the Marvel Universe, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, were apparently killed during the Onslaught disaster. At least, that's what the team wanted people to think. The true story is a little more complicated. At the time of the Onslaught disaster, Baron Helmut Zemo had just finished organizing a new Masters of Evil which would have included Moonstone, the Fixer, Screaming Mimi, and the Beetle. Zemo had been eager to renew his efforts to destroy Captain America and the Avengers. Learning of the Avengers' deaths, he became depressed, feeling that nothing mattered anymore. At about the same time, the Fixer freed Goliath from the Kosmosian dimension, where he had been trapped. During his recovery, Goliath jokingly suggested that the Masters of Evil should become heroes to take the place of all those who had died during Onslaught. He figured there would have to be money to be made as heroes. Zemo seized upon that idea, and the Thunderbolts were born! Zemo's hope was that the Thunderbolts would be accepted as heroes and gain access to privileged information, like the Avengers' files. His scheme was successful, and the public, desperate for heroes, welcomed the team with open arms. Early in their history, the team was joined by Jolt, a new heroine with no criminal past. Jolt was not aware of the true identities of her teammates, and for the early part of the team's existence the other team members were able to hide their secrets from her. Being accepted as heroes was an intoxicating experience for long-time losers like the Beetle (MACH-1) and Screaming Mimi (Songbird). They began to enjoy their roles as heroes. Goliath (Atlas) was torn between being loyal to Zemo and being attracted to Dallas Riordan, the team's mayoral liaison. Zemo, realizing that his team's loyalty was wavering, leaked the team's secret to SHIELD, forcing the team to band together as they fled from the law. Zemo was not acting rashly, though; he felt the time was right to implement a world domination scheme he had prepared. The team retreated to a satellite of Zemo's from which Zemo launched his plan to mind-control the world. At this point, the team split into two factions with Meteorite, MACH-1, Songbird, Atlas, and Jolt deciding to oppose Zemo and Techno continuing to support Zemo. With the help of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, Zemo's plan for world domination was thwarted. Zemo and Techno narrowly escaped with their lives, and the five renegade Thunderbolts agreed to return to Earth with the Avengers to have their fate decided by the courts. However, just after agreeing to go with the Avengers, the remaining Thunderbolts were abruptly teleported away to the Kosmosian dimension. While on Kosmos the team became involved in a civil war. At one point, Meteorite killed a Kosmosian in cold blood as MACH-1 and Songbird looked on. The team returned to Earth and had skirmishes with the Lightning Rods, SHIELD, Graviton, the Masters of Evil, the Secret Empire, and Hydra. They've also been joined by Hawkeye and Charcoal, but have lost Songbird to the Avengers. During this time they've gradually come to the conclusion that they really do want to be heroes. But it's clear there will be lots of obstacles along the way. | |
