Every Thunderbolts Team (So Far)

The Thunderbolts introduced themselves to the world with a lie. The original roster started as a group of villains pretending to be heroes, but that deception later revealed the heroic nature hidden deep within many of the team's members.

Although the Thunderbolts have evolved since, the group continues to put the lethal skills of villains to good use. True to their name, the Thunderbolts move with all the violence and unpredictability of a lightning strike. Throughout its many incarnations, the Thunderbolts proved that some of the most dangerous people in the Marvel Universe can also be its most heroic.

Now, let’s look back at every Thunderbolts team, from the wide range of leaders to the motivations that brought them together.  

THE ORIGINAL THUNDERBOLTS

With the Avengers and Fantastic Four thought dead, Baron Zemo and the Masters of Evil pretended to be the heroic Thunderbolts to gain the public's trust in THUNDERBOLTS (1997) #1 by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley. While Zemo posed as the patriotic Citizen V, the other Thunderbolts embraced heroic alter egos as Songbird, Atlas, MACH-1, Fixer, Techno, and Meteorite; however, when Zemo revealed his master plan, most Thunderbolts turned against him.

Enjoying their life as heroes, most of the original Thunderbolts remained on the team and welcomed other reformed villains and heroes like Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Jolt, and Charcoal in their ranks.

NEW THUNDERBOLTS

After the Thunderbolts briefly broke up, the always-upgrading MACH-IV (previously the tech-based villain known as Beetle) assembled a new team in NEW THUNDERBOLTS (2004) #1 by Fabian Nicieza, Kurt Busiek, and Tom Grummett. Using funding from Baron Strucker and Hydra, MACH-IV assembled veteran Thunderbolts like Songbird and Atlas, villains like Radioactive Man and Speed Demon, and heroes like Genis-Vell into a new team with mixed success.

Around the same time, Baron Zemo formed another Thunderbolts group with villains like Swordsman (Andreas von Strucker). The two Thunderbolts squads eventually merged to stop the out-of-control Genis from destroying the universe. 

THUNDERBOLTS ARMY

During CIVIL WAR (2006), Iron Man needed an army to enforce the Superhuman Registration Act, and in THUNDERBOLTS (2006) #103, Baron Zemo turned the Thunderbolts into that army. With dozens of new members like Bullseye, Venom (Mac Gargan), Green Goblin (Norman Osborn), and Doctor Octopus, the Thunderbolts Army hunted down vigilantes that operated without government permission.

The Thunderbolts also provided critical support to Iron Man's forces during some of CIVIL WAR's most significant battles. Once the conflict ended, many Thunderbolts stayed with the team long enough to take on the Grandmaster in a struggle that sent Zemo hurling through time.

NORMAN OSBORN'S THUNDERBOLTS

Following CIVIL WAR (2006), the Thunderbolts continued to operate as an officially sanctioned team tasked with bringing in outlaw heroes. Norman Osborn — taking medication to suppress his Green Goblin persona — oversaw the team, which had Venom (Mac Gargan), Bullseye, and Penance (the hero formerly known as Speedball) join semi-reformed veterans Songbird, Moonstone, Swordsman, and Radioactive Man. Between the volatile personalities of its members and the manipulations of the imprisoned telepaths known as the Caged Angels, this team almost tore itself apart from the inside.

Osborn also played a crucial role in saving Earth from a Skrull alien invasion, dramatically increasing his influence beyond the Thunderbolts.

DARK REIGN THUNDERBOLTS

During the DARK REIGN era, Norman Osborn became one of the most influential people in the Marvel Universe. Transforming S.H.I.E.L.D. into H.A.M.M.E.R., the former Green Goblin moved some of the most violent Thunderbolts onto the newly formed Dark Avengers. He also refashioned the Thunderbolts as H.A.M.M.E.R.'s black ops team in THUNDERBOLTS (2006) #128 by Andy Diggle and Roberto de la Torre.

Osborn's new Thunderbolts team included experienced killers and criminals like Nuke, Ghost, Mister X, Headsman, Paladin, Grizzly, and the irredeemable Ant-Man (Eric O'Grady). While posing as Yelena Belova, Black Widow (Natasha Romanova) joined the team undercover until her true identity was revealed.

LUKE CAGE'S THUNDERBOLTS

When Osborn fell out of power, Luke Cage took command of the Thunderbolts. He reformed the team to provide villains imprisoned in the Raft a shot at redemption in THUNDERBOLTS (2006) #145 by Jeff Parker and Kev Walker. With supervision from Songbird, MACH-V, and the Fixer, this Thunderbolts team included Ghost, Moonstone, Juggernaut, as well as Crossbones, and used Man-Thing for transportation.

This successful program grew to include others like Hyperion, Satana, Mister Hyde, and the teen Asgardian Troll. After several Thunderbolts got lost in the timestream, Cage took over a new group of Dark Avengers. The Thunderbolts split up on good terms once their time-traveling mission ended. 

RED HULK'S THUNDERBOLTS

In his guise as the Red Hulk, General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross assembled a new version of the team that shared his nickname in THUNDERBOLTS (2012) #1 by Daniel Way and Steve Dillon. With this group of killers, Ross built a team to aggressively target and eliminate potential threats.

This ensemble saw the Punisher, Deadpool, Elektra, Agent Venom (Flash Thompson), and Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze) team up with former Hulk villains like the Leader and Mercy. After the Thunderbolts took on missions for specific members, the Leader manipulated the Punisher into hunting down his teammates, and the group split up.   

WINTER SOLDIER'S THUNDERBOLTS

After the reality-warping Cosmic Cube took the human form of a little girl named Kobik, S.H.I.E.L.D. used her to create Pleasant Hill, a prison where her powers rewrote inmates' memories. When Kobik escaped, the Winter Soldier formed a new Thunderbolts squad to protect her from S.H.I.E.L.D. in THUNDERBOLTS (2016) #1 by Jim Zub and Jon Malin. 

This group reunited several original Thunderbolts, including Atlas, Moonstone, Fixer, MACH-X, and eventually Songbird. As they evaded S.H.I.E.L.D., the outlaw team also rescued their long-lost teammate, Jolt. When Hydra and a Captain America doppelganger conquered the United States, Baron Zemo convinced several team members to join Hydra's cause and his new Masters of Evil. 

MAYOR FISK'S THUNDERBOLTS

In PUNISHER (2018) #13 by Matthew Rosenberg and Szymon Kudranski, Wilson Fisk reinstated the Thunderbolts as an anti-Punisher task force. The short-lived team, which officially operated out of his office as New York City Mayor, saw Zemo return to his Citizen V identity and Jigsaw pose as the mercenary Paladin. The roster also included Thunderbolt veterans Moonstone, Fixer, Radioactive Man, and Ghost. With help from a team of street-level heroes, the Punisher defeated Zemo, who was seemingly killed by Ghost on Mayor Fisk's orders. 

KING IN BLACK THUNDERBOLTS

When the symbiote god Knull attacked Earth, Mayor Fisk reformed the Thunderbolts to protect New York in KING IN BLACK: THUNDERBOLTS (2021) #1. This squad brought together villains like Taskmaster, Mister Fear, Star, Batroc the Leaper, and Rhino.

As they tried to find the Sentry and rescue Norman Osborn from the Ravencroft Institute, the ensemble also recruited Figment, Grizzly, and Mister Hyde. At the end of the crisis, Taskmaster used Figment's illusion powers to fake the team's heroic deaths and blackmailed Fisk into giving them better pay.

DEVIL'S REIGN THUNDERBOLTS

When Mayor Fisk outlawed all vigilante activity in New York, he appointed the Thunderbolts as the officially sanctioned enforcers of that law in DEVIL'S REIGN (2021) #1 by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto. With the support of Thunderbolt Unit police troopers, the Thunderbolts expanded to include Taskmaster, Doctor Octopus, Electro (Francine Frye), Agony, Whiplash, Abomination, Crossbones, Kraven the Hunter, and a mind-controlled U.S.Agent, who initially joined as a double agent.

These Thunderbolts successfully captured several heroes until Rhino betrayed the team since he did not feel uncomfortable targeting children. Under the Purple Man's influence, this group remained Fisk's primary fighting force until the former Kingpin lost his re-election to Luke Cage.

HAWKEYE'S THUNDERBOLTS

After DEVIL'S REIGN (2021), Luke Cage was elected Mayor of New York and the Thunderbolts still operated as the only legal heroes in the city. To restore the Thunderbolts' image, Mayor Cage recruited Hawkeye, America Chavez, Power Man (Victor Alvarez), Persuasion, Photon (Monica Rambeau), and the mysterious Gutsen Glory in THUNDERBOLTS (2022) #1.

This iteration of the team rounded up villains who served on Fisk's Thunderbolts, fought threats like the Super-Apes and Nightmare, and also recruited a small monster called Eegro the Unbreakable.

BUCKY'S NEW THUNDERBOLTS

After taking down a secret organization called the Outer Circle, Bucky — using the codename Revolution — formed the new Thunderbolts to bring down the Red Skull in THUNDERBOLTS (2023) #1 by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Geraldo Borges. Bucky assembled a team of veteran heroes including Black Widow, White Widow, Sharon Carter, Red Guardian, Shang-Chi, U.S.Agent, Songbird, and a robotic Life Model Decoy of Valentina de Fontaine.

Bucky's mission caught Doctor Doom's attention just before the Latverian ruler took over the world. When the former Winter Soldier refused to join Doom, the villain formed a rival Thunderbolts team with Fixer and the real Valentina (who took the Citizen V codename) — and set the two Thunderbolts groups against each other.

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