Dustin Gebel
Marvel announced that a new Thunderbolt team will strike in the aftermath of Captain America: Cold War this December. Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing and featuring art from Geraldo Borges, the new series will see Bucky Barnes forming a new Thunderbolts roster as he continues his role as the Revolution. Armed with the knowledge of the dark underbelly of the century, the assassin turned hero gathers others to help stop some of the largest threats to society.
The team is set to include both Black and White Widow, Sharon Carter’s new mantle, Destroyer, Red Guardian, U.S. Agent, and Shang-Chi. Bucky is set to share leadership of the team with superspy Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, in a line-up that mirrors the upcoming Thunderbolts movie. The black-ops team already has Marvel villains in its crosshairs, and promises that Red Skrull, Doctor Doom, and the Kingpin are just the beginning of the hitlist.
In the press release, Kelly and Lanzing stated about the book:
“Welcome to Operation: Worldstrike! The Hivemind is wildly excited to continue the saga we began with Carmen Carnero in Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty – while also starting anew with a dangerous and unpredictable cast from across the Marvel Universe. The call has gone out to all those who call the shadows their home; every spy, assassin, and renegade has a part to play in Bucky Barnes’ all-encompassing and uncompromising hit on the singular, monstrous living symbol of fascism: the Red Skull. Alongside our old friend Geraldo Borges, we’re taking this opportunity to tell a very different kind of team book. This is a whole new era for the Thunderbolts and it starts with a four-part espionage epic, an ever-shifting cast and a single overarching goal: to tear down a century of Nazi evil with justice like lightning.”
The title spins out of Lanzig and Kelly’s Captain America run and Cold War event, picking up on threads like Outer Circle and Sharon Carter’s new mantle. It’s also tying back even further to elements introduced during Devil’s Reign, as Bucky’s tie-in to the event kicked off the larger story and set him against Kingpin and his files of secrets.
Devil’s Reign is also relevant as it was the last time that a Thunderbolts book launched at Marvel. In the aftermath of Wilson Fisk’s plot to control New York, and then the White House, Luke Cage was elected mayor and sought to reform the Thunderbolt name. (Fisk had been using the name for a police force made up of villains to hunt down heroes.)
That Thunderbolts team from writer Jim Zub and artist Sean Izaakse was made-up of Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Monica Rambeau, the new Power Man, America Chavez, Persuasion and Gutsen Glory. The team operated under the direction of Mayor Cage and fought monsters and public perception for five issues before the book ended.
Stay tuned to Comic Watch for more information about the upcoming Thunderbolts series, and to read the conclusion to Lanzig and Kelly’s Captain America run.