Thunderbolts (comics)

The Thunderbolts are an antihero/supervillain/superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team consists mostly of reformed supervillains. Created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, the team first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 (January 1997).

The Thunderbolts were first presented, both to readers and to the Marvel Universe, in The Incredible Hulk #449 (January 1997), written by Peter David with art by Mike Deodato Jr., as a team of flamboyant new heroes who stepped up to fill the gap left when the Avengers were declared dead after the events of the 1996 "Onslaught" crossover. The final page of Thunderbolts #1 (April 1997), written by Kurt Busiek with art by Mark Bagley, revealed, however, that the Thunderbolts were actually the Masters of Evil in disguise, a surprise twist carefully guarded by Marvel Comics.

In subsequent storylines, the Thunderbolts, who had been created by Baron Helmut Zemo to strengthen his hold on international crime, turn on him when they realize that being heroes is more fulfilling than their old criminal lives. Rejecting Zemo's leadership, they recruit former Avenger Hawkeye to replace him.

Despite critical acclaim, the book was reformatted with Thunderbolts #76 (March 2003), removing the entire cast and creative team and replacing it with a brand-new set of characters, along with a new writer, John Arcudi.

The Thunderbolts also feature in the Spider-Man storyline "New Ways to Die", which is the first proper showdown between him and the team.

The Heroic Age team debuted in Thunderbolts #144.

The Thunderbolts comic book was renamed Dark Avengers beginning with issue #175. Dark Avengers ended with issue #190.

As part of Marvel NOW!, a new Thunderbolts series was launched featuring a new team composed of Red Hulk, Deadpool, Elektra, Venom, and Punisher. This series ended in October 2014 with issue #32.