Real Name: John Watkins III.
First Appearance: Thunderbolts #45
Legal Status: Citizen of the U.S (Born in London, England) with no criminal record.
Known Relatives: John Watkins (Grandfather, deceased), Paulette Brazee (Grandmother, deceased), John Watkins Jr. "JJ" (Father, deceased), Mother (Unnamed, deceased).
Previous Aliases: None.
Group Affiliation: The Redeemers, Thunderbolts (briefly before being sent on a mission for the V-Battalion) and the V-Battalion.
Powers: Citizen V (VII) has no super powers of his own but he is a master swordsman and Marksman. As he is amongst the younger members of the V-Battalion, Citizen V often found himself at odds with the former head of the V-Battalion, Roger Aubrey. Nevertheless, Citizen V has proved to be an extremely valid Field Operative for the V-Battalion.
The first Citizen V, John Watkins, was an undercover British field operative during the Second World War and led a unit which were called the V-Battalion. They would cross enemy lines and covertly destabilise the Axis Powers plans with great success. However, a couple of years before the end of the Second World War the V-Battalion were infiltrated and destroyed by the Nazi war criminal Baron Heinrich Zemo and only a very few managed to escape with their lives. One of those view was Paulette Brazee, the lover of John Watkins, the original Citizen V, who was, in fact, pregnant with John Watkins' baby. In the few remaining years of the Second World War and for a view years afterwards, Paulette continued as Citizen V (II) in memory of her lover John Watkins until she passed away.
A little while after the death of John Watkins, the original Citizen V, Paulette again fell in love and married another soldier, it is unknown if she had a child by this soldier but it seems very likely as it would fill in the gap as the fourth Citizen V. After growing up, Paulette's (and John Watkins') son, John Watkins Jr. (or, as he was often called, "JJ") continued the family role becoming the third Citizen V. It was during his life, with the help of another survivor of the original V-Battalion who served in World War II, Roger Aubrey (who had the costumed identity of the "Mighty Destroyer") that the Vanguard, the 30 storey high air ship which serves as the V-Battalion's headquarters today was built.
Whilst he was serving as Citizen V (III), John Watkins Jr. Met and fell in love with a (currently) unnamed woman and married giving "JJ" (as John Watkins Jr. was frequently called) a son. "John Watkins Jr. named his son John Watkins III, after his father's death, John Watkins III took over the family role becoming Citizen V for about five years until he was injured in battle and put into a coma.
To follow the life of John Watkins III, we must now fast-forward five years to the world in the wake of the Onslaught (Onslaught was an almost omnipotent mutant and it required all of the heroes, including the Fantastic Four and the Avengers to defeat him, apparently at the cost of their own lives). New York (and indeed the whole world), were in desperate need of clean-cut heroes to rely on (all that were left after Onslaught were vigilantes such as Spider-Man and DareDevil or mutant groups such as the X-Men who were not trusted). The ordinary people were so desperate in their need for heroes that they trusted a completely new group called the Thunderbolts who are taken into the hearts of the state. The Thunderbolts consisted of Citizen V (V), M.A.C.H I, Songbird, Meteorite, Atlas, Techno and Jolt. After a year the dark secret of the Thunderbolts is exposed. It was one of their own team, their leader, Citizen V who revealed their darkest secret; the Thunderbolts were in reality the evil group of super-human criminals, The Masters of Evil! Citizen V was in reality Baron Helmut Zemo (The son of Heinrich Zemo, the man who murdered the original Citizen V, he took this identity believing that Citizen V had no descendants), Songbird is, in reality, the super villainess, Screaming Mimi, M.A.C.H I is in reality the Beetle, Atlas is in fact the evil Goliath, Meteorite is, in reality, the evil psychiatrist Moonstone and Techno is in fact the Fixer. The newly returned Avengers and Fantastic Four (who had not, in fact, died) were sent to apprehend the Thunderbolts but failed.
Much to Baron Zemo's surprise, many of the Thunderbolts liked being heroes (the only one to remain loyal to Zemo was the robotic Techno) and they began a media sponsored redemption campaign to be accepted as heroes. Whilst on the run, Baron Zemo and the robot, Techno, encounter a new Citizen V (Citizen V VI) who claims to be the grandchild of the original Citizen V and vows revenge on Zemo. This new Citizen V is revealed to be the Thunderbolts former Mayoral Liaison, Dallas Riordan (this is revealed in "Thunderbolts" #38) who is attacked by the Crimson Cowl. In "Thunderbolts" #46, Baron Zemo is murdered by Scourge but the robotic Techno installs the brain patterns of Helmut Zemo into the comatose body of John Watkins III. This wakes John Watkins III up from his coma and causes him to make some rash and odd decisions as Helmut Zemo's and John Watkins III brain patterns try to gain control of John Watkins III's body. The rash decisions that John Watkins III makes include immediately resuming his role as Citizen V refusing to allow himself any recovery time.
Eventually (in "Thunderbolts" #50) the Thunderbolts receive an official final presidential pardon for their previous criminal actions and are replaced by a group called the "Redeemers" (who are led by Citizen V, the other members are Meteorite (II), Beetle (II), Fixer, Smuggler (II), Jolt and Charcoal). In "Thunderbolts" #56 the Redeemers are attacked and killed by Graviton, with the exception of Citizen V who flees when Graviton attacks (Baron Zemo's survival instinct having taken over the body of John Watkins III).
The death of the Redeemers causes some of the Thunderbolts (specifically Abe Jenkins, the former M.A.C.H II and Melissa Gold, formerly Songbird) to risk their pardons by battling Graviton. Citizen V calls the V - Battalion telling them to send a pod containing a sonic carapace (SB-2) for Songbird to replace the one confiscated by the government and the M.A.C.H III armour (built by the V-Battalion) to replace the M.A.C.H II armour which the Government had confiscated. They are joined by Atlas whose Ionic energy has been merged with Dallas Riordan. In "Thunderbolts" #58, it is revealed that Graviton had been betrayed by the P'Tah aliens who he had trusted (when he first met them they worshipped him as a god). When things started to look hopeless for the Thunderbolts Roger Aubrey (the head of the V-Battalion) teleported John Watkins III away from the battle. This somehow left Zemo's brain patterns behind (they find have been in Fixer's tech pack) leaving John Watkins III whole and in control of his body ready to assume his mantle of Citizen V (VII) once again (this time without having to share a body!) With the Thunderbolts believed dead (they were in fact trapped on Counter-Earth) Citizen V was sent on a mission for the V-Battalion to stop a war being waged by Flag Smasher and to stop an extremely long-lived villain, Aqhuat from stealing the souls of anybody he's touched in his life. Having his soul stolen and returned, Roger Aubrey leaves the V-Battalion to travel the world and analyse his methods leaving Jim Hammond, the original android Human Torch, in charge of the V-Battalion.
After completing this mission, Citizen V returns to the V-Battalion to find they have a crisis, half of the Vanguard had disappeared into a void. With limited options, Citizen V is told by Elizabeth Barstow, the former Silver Scorpion, and Jim Hammond to get the help of Hawkeye and his new team of Thunderbolts (Blackheath, Skein, Amazon, Harrier and the only original Thunderbolt not transported to Counter-Earth, Songbird).
Bio by: James Hunter
Thunderbolts and all associated characters are the property of MARVEL COMICS TM&©2003.