The origin story of the Thunderbolts in Marvel Comics is quite unique and full of surprises! Here’s the gist:
During the aftermath of the “Onslaught” event, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four were presumed dead. This left a void in the superhero landscape, and the world was in need of new protectors.
Enter a brand-new team of heroes calling themselves the Thunderbolts! They seemingly appeared out of nowhere, a group of charismatic and powerful individuals eager to fill the gap left by the fallen heroes. They quickly gained the public’s trust and admiration.
However, in a shocking twist revealed at the end of their first comic issue, it turned out that the Thunderbolts were actually the Masters of Evil in disguise, led by Baron Helmut Zemo! They had orchestrated this entire charade to gain access to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers’ secrets and ultimately take over the world.
The original Thunderbolts team consisted of:
* Citizen V: Baron Zemo
* MACH-1: Beetle
* Techno: Fixer
* Atlas: Goliath
* Songbird: Screaming Mimi
* Meteorite: Moonstone
Interestingly, as they spent time posing as heroes, some of the Thunderbolts members began to genuinely enjoy the feeling of doing good and being praised. This led to internal conflict and eventually a split with Zemo, with some members wanting to become true heroes.