Writer: Fabian Nicieza
S.h.i.e.l.d has finally closed in on the Thunderbolts Head Quarters because of all their activity in the area and Atlas smashing a hole through the side of the mountain. Ogre escapes from S.h.i.e.l.d. with a bio chamber by the use of a tesseract portal. Now he will hide deeper within the head quarters where no one will be ever be able to find him again.
The Thunderbolts return to Earth in their jump ship only to find S.h.i.e.l.d helicopters in the air above their damaged base. The Thunderbolts stare on in shock and then see what could possibly be Jolt outside. The Thunderbolts have a brief reunion with Jolt before having to take off because of S.h.i.e.l.d.
An hour later they arrive in the Canadian Rockies with a damaged jump ship. They had to shut down their systems so S.h.i.e.l.d would have less chance of finding them. Hawkeye contacts Ogre to see if he can help them and bring them some equipment. Ogre is deep in hiding from S.h.i.e.l.d. and after all Ogre is been though he doesn't want to help the Thunderbolts.
The Thunderbolts discuss what they have learned from Jolt about Scourge and how even though Atlas is 'dead' right now, he is made of Ionic energy so he will come back eventually. Mach-2 says he has a lock on where Scourge is now since he was covered in Pym Particles and Ionic fall out.
Elsewhere at the base that used to belong to the team called X-factor, Citizen V, the Beetle, and Smuggler train in combat. Warton interrupts their training and introduces the newest member to their group, Valerie Barnhardt who will take the alias Meteorite.
In a Los Angeles Apartment Andrea Sterman goes over her unpublished book. A knock at her apartment door brings Roger Aubrey to Andrea's aid that saves her from a hard air bullet. Roger says she better come with him if she hopes to survive past sunset.
At the Denver International Airport the Thunderbolts have tracked Scourge down to the plane he is currently in. The Thunderbolts ponder about their redemption campaign and what this will do to it as Hawkeye leads them to capture Scourge much to their reluctance. Not taking the subtle approach Charcoal rips open the roof of an airplane that Scourge is in. Scourge immediately materializes his armor around himself before Charcoal grabs him. Using the Unicorn's horn, Charcoal is knocked out of airplane.
Scourge out of Pym particles relies on his hidden weapons cache while attacking the Thunderbolts the best he can. The Thunderbolts come up with a strategy and eventually Scourge is brought down. Hawkeye pulls off Scourge's mask to see Captain America's mask. Hawkeye then pulls off the Captain America mask only to find Captain's America's face beneath it.
The Thunderbolts question their chances of redemption if the government is working against them as Jolt anger comes to the surface. Jolt reveals to everyone that Hawkeye lied to the team all along and he didn't have a deal to get them a pardon from the Commission on Superhuman Activities.
The Thunderbolts are astonished at the revelation while Hawkeye says he's sorry and tries to think of something to say. Jolt goes on about sorry won't make her normal again as she turns into her normal form that isn't in very good shape as it has partial paralysis among other problems
"By a miracle of advanced surgical procedures combined with the lingering essence of her bioelectric powers -- Hallie Takahama was returned to life. Now, looking at her the Thunderbolts ask themselves -- was it worth it?"
Comments: This issue took awhile to digest with all the various plots and surprises twisting there way through it, but it turned out to be very exciting. The Thunderbolts return home after their journey from Titan to run into a whole slew of things.
The first two pages with the real Ogre and Shield took me by surprise, there has been some passage of time and plenty has happened.
I didn't really think about Ogre's bio chamber coming open after Techno was deactivated but it makes sense. Considering that the third bio chamber was there before Techno arrived it would have likely been Ogre's but I wasn't sure he knew about the area that was Techno's lair. After being in the base so long I guess Ogre knows just about every location in the base. Now did Ogre actually venture outside to retrieve what was in the remaining bio chamber? He doesn't get out much so maybe the bio chamber was there when he first arrived at the base, or perhaps when he one of the various groups used the base he came upon a bio chamber one of them had. Maybe Shield had left it behind and forgot about it and now Ogre has it. The name Hs-1 possibly a code name for the contents of the bio chamber, scientific name or the initials of someone's name?
Ogre is just as interesting a character here as he was in Thunderbolts #33 and likely more so. He has all the equipment to fight but he doesn't want to kill a lot of Shield agents in escaping the base. He's led a solitary existence, a lonely life, given the chance to belong within a group of people only to have it ripped away from him. Have to feel a bit sorry for the guy after what Techno did to him. Now hiding further in the Thunderbolts base Ogre has a right to be angry at Hawkeye after all that has happened. With a Tesseract portal being in the Thunderbolts base that just makes the base so much bigger. I wonder what other things like that are sitting in there. Now there will be even more trouble in locating anyone in the base, not like it was totally mapped out in the first place.
I didn't expect Shield to be showing up anytime soon but it ties in with earlier issues well, when the Thunderbolts were on the run from Shield and trying to decide what to do. It would have been nice to see a little foreshadowing to this event like a shield agent checking out Burton Canyon after hearing many reports of Thunderbolts activity in the area. Atlas breaking out of the side of the Thunderbolts base is what tipped Shield off, the V-battalion ship and the interference that caused in that area wasn't enough? Something tells me they were a bit reluctant to find the Thunderbolts, as they don't even chase after them this issue too. Shield does have more immediate concerns I'm sure and with the Thunderbolts base.
The Thunderbolts loose another base for the present time anyway. They find another home only for it to be destroyed once again. They have wonderful luck. It is true that they were becoming too comfortable with their Mt. Charteris Head Quarters and thinking of it as home. It was the one thing that stayed the same and worked as their sanctuary during all the madness they have been through. Now that its gone they loose a place that was important to them and something that they got almost as a reward for defeating the Crimson Cowl's Masters of evil and having Hawkeye lead them. One more thing against Hawkeye's leadership even though it isn't really his fault, looks like its back to sleeping in the forests for the Thunderbolts.
The tension that was present in previous issues only increases in this one as the issue goes on, and the Thunderbolts seem all the more impulsive like they used to be. The stress is getting to them. Hawkeye says they should be cautious with Shield surrounding their base and the Thunderbolts ignore Hawkeye for a brief reunion with Jolt. Later they get into a squabble about their public image and redemption campaign in which they don't all agree with the methods Hawkeye is using to capture Scourge. Charcoal the impulsive one and showing previous anger about Jolts death rips through the roof of the plane that Scourge is in maximizing how bad this incident could be for them.
After Moonstone's problems with her gem have been solved it seems her other side has been showing through just a little even though she is logical at every point. Reminding Mach-2 about Shield when he is having a brief reunion with Jolt and next with saying the Charcoal deserved to get hurt after being recklessness when ripping the roof of a plane off while looking for Scourge, when she could have done it easier with less damage.
Jolt sure has lost her optimistic, joyful, innocent side; all it took was Hawkeye to bring it out. Last issue with Jolt helping Scourge and talking to Atlas, Jolt did seem a little too happy with just a streak of vengeance in her. Now Jolt has turned into quite the opposite and will fit perfectly into the team with every one of them having their own problems. Maybe it wouldn't be so easy to keep the team together now if they do get rid of Hawkeye permanently or just for a while since Jolt was the one that wanted to keep them together and away from crime before. Her revelation about Hawkeye never having a deal with the Commission on superhuman activities is going to shake the team. Jolt will have trouble attending school is she ever does again with the fact that she has been considered dead all this time and that she is partly disabled with other problems in her human form, and looks like she still has the wound from the hard air bullet in her head. It isn't that difficult to figure out that Hallie is indeed Jolt and with the Thunderbolts no longer having a base in Burton Canyon it doesn't look like she would even get a chance to go to school again there. This will also affect Charlie having been taken away by the Secret Empire earlier he will be suspected as Charcoal and having to confront things about Jolt death if people find out.
The Redeemers team is coming along nicely as they train in the old X-factor base. Compared to Citizen V leaping around the Beetle looks fairly bulky and slow moving like I thought it originally did but with the proper person controlling it, it can be so much better like when Abe was controlling it. The person in the black costume with the omega symbol across his chest is revealed as the Smuggler this issue, a tie in with the Atlas' criminal life as he once used the name. Warton also introduces a new member to the team called Meteorite, the old name that Moonstone used to use. Only a name or two to go and the team will be all set up.
Andrea Sterman, doesn't look like she will ever get to write that book as there are more hints on just what she wrote. With all her running around for the secrets of hard air someone should know of her activities so its not too surprising that she is targeted to be killed here. Roger Aubrey showing up might be in response to what he viewed as 'the weapon' being activated last issue when he views Atlas and Scourge on a view screen. Someone else besides Scourge is using hard air; perhaps there is more than one Scourge. If they were hiding in Andrea's home why didn't they take another shot at her after Roger intervened? They took a shot with hard air and fled or they didn't want to be seen By Roger? A thought the whole purpose of the hard air was that it disappeared on impact when hitting its target, so no one could trace the bullet. It didn't hit its target but it did hit something and it didn't dissolve as Roger holds up the bullet. I don't see Andrea becoming another member of the group that Warton is assembling but with the group having connections with the V-battalion who knows.
At the airport I think I would have went with Mach-2 and Moonstone on their analysis of the situation instead of Hawkeye's decision of getting to the plane now instead of later. There is the possibility that when Scourge got off the plane he would go directly to his base, get more Pym Particles and then there wouldn't be a chance to capture him. He would be well armed plus with the resources a base would bring him. At least the Thunderbolts would know where Scourge's base is and just before he's at the base the Thunderbolts could have captured him. The plane could be taken in by a large ship in the air that is the base that Scourge wants to get too but it probably would be best just to catch Scourge sitting on the toilet in his apartment, maybe he wouldn't be able to reach his matter-matrix card in his wallet in time to materialize his armor.
Hawkeye doesn't even really consider Moonstone's comments about Scourge's murders not being random. Its true that Scourge was only after the Thunderbolts and wouldn't be "planning anything dangerous" so Hawkeye's reasoning about keeping innocent people from getting hurt isn't a good one. That just sets himself up for another failing in his leadership. It doesn't really matter what the Thunderbolts do though, they haven't really made any strides forward with their redemption, they may have got a few heroes to think differently about them and a discreet attack on an airplane won't hurt their image much. If they did something really bad then it might have a more negative effect. Of course with Charcoal the capturing of Scourge on the plane the way he did isn't discreet at all.
The Thunderbolts capture scourge when he doesn't have a supply of Pym Particles I wonder how good he would have done if he had all his resources with him. Scourge's comment about his original protocol is interesting, that won't be carried out now. Through Scourge's thoughts he wanted to get captured by the Thunderbolts. He runs out of weapons and he thinks that is good. He's one odd fellow. He might think that the revelation about his identity might shake the team, is what he is hoping for? That still seems a bit strange.
The cover already pointed to one revelation that was going to take place in the issue and knowing what the next month's cover was going to be I didn't expect to see Scourge's identity revealed this issue. It was a surprise. Hawkeye's comment about it not being someone they will recognize was a bit of what I was expecting if not one of the many suspects. Captain America as Scourge? Didn't see that coming, although the theory about it being the 1950's Captain America is looking real good right now.
Captain America and his association with the Avengers would certainly have the resources but it's not in his character to do what Scourge did. He shot Hallie in a coffee shop, that's not him. Even if this was part of some plan and he wasn't killing innocents he doesn't go out killing criminals, two woman that were getting close to the truth, especially not criminals that are trying to reform and have Hawkeye a former Avenger as their leader. It does seem funny that Hawkeye would ask the Avengers for help with his problems in the Avengers/Thunderbolts crossover if Captain America were Scourge. I don't see the Avengers being too helpful. Sure puts the whole an Avenger doesn't kill thing to shame though if Captain America is Scourge. Back in Thunderbolts #39 when Scourge fought Baron Zemo, there were several clues as to Scourge's identity. Scourge was shocked by a ruined Bucky costume in a display case, this fits with the Captain America as Scourge idea. What doesn't fit is Baron Zemo saying 'you are dead'. Captain America obviously isn't dead so where did Baron Zemo get this idea? There was no reason for Scourge to not show Zemo his real face before he killed Zemo so why would Zemo make such a comment. If Scourge did show Zemo a face of a dead man with his image inducer, Scourge would never get the joy of Zemo finding out that it really was Captain America. Before his death Baron Zemo even thinks its Captain America when Scourge uses what appears to be Captain America's shield and Zemo thinks its fitting that if he dies here at least he won a partial victory by Captain America betraying is values. When Zemo sees Scourge's real face this seems to change all that. After Zemo is dead, Scourge is seen holding Captain America's shield as well. There is more going on here than what is known right now.
I'm waiting until Scourge is really revealed as someone that has his face redone with plastic surgery, a brainwashed/mind controlled Captain America or someone that looks like Captain America, next issue.
The revelation about Scourge's identity sure helped the shatter the Thunderbolts confidence if forces that powerful are against them they don't really have a chance. To break their confidence even more Jolt reveals that Hawkeye lied to the Thunderbolts and never had a deal with the COSA to begin with. I guess it won't matter that Moonstone killed now.... Well if Techno couldn't reveal this secret at least Jolt did but she did it just at the worse time possible. Once a force of stability to the team she is now creating plenty of instability within it. It wouldn't be such a big deal if they were on their way to redeeming themselves. If they still had their base and they had accomplished something. They might be able to go on without Hawkeye. Or if Hawkeye had been a better leader the choice would be easier to keep him as their leader. Another possibility is if Scourge's identity had been different they would have more hope of continuing on. They are shaken with two revelations in a row and with all that they have been through this is not going to be good for them. It certainly looks like it is the beginning of the end just as the cover puts it.
A title the prides itself on its secrets and subplots probably shouldn't give them away on the cover though. Thunderbolts #46 did the same thing. Even though it could be figured out on the cover what is likely going to happen in the issue I think it would be better if the words didn't point it out so well. With the cover to #48 the cover was less obvious of what was going to happen than #46 to me, so it could have been more of a shock with Jolt's revelation, instead of sitting with tension knowing that the moment is going to come sometime. At least there were other surprises to enjoy in this issue.
A few things seemed a little off on the art side this issue whoever's fault that would be. The scenes with at the airport didn't seem as good and the last page wasn't as good as it should have been. Here's hoping things will be exceptional for Thunderbolts #50. That last page does looks familiar from somewhere...I must be crazy.
With so many plots starting to wrap up after all this build up I'm anxiously awaiting the next issue.
Thunderbolts and all associated characters are the property of MARVEL COMICS TM&©2003.