"New Thunderbolts"
After the failed "Fightbolts" Retool, the comic was relaunched in 2005 with a new #1 as "The New Thunderbolts". The series brought back several longtime series favorites like Atlas, MACH-IV and Songbird and allied them with a brand-new team. The series would last for 18 issues before returning to its original numbering for the landmark 100th issue, with subsequent issues numbered accordingly.
Members
Blizzard II
Alter Ego: Donald Gill
First Appearance: Iron Man Vol.1, #223
Constantly striving to prove himself to his peers, Donald Gill has wavered between being a lousy frequently defeated crook and a hero desperate to be worthy of the title. Despite all of this, the man behind the mask has a kind heart and only wants to be accepted by those around him.
Genis-Vell
Alter Ego: Captain Marvel, Photon, Legacy, Marv, Fredd
First Appearance: Silver Surfer Annual #6
Cloned from the DNA of the Kree warrior Mar-Vell, Genis-Vell was implanted with False Memories making him believe he was instead Starfox's son and artificially aged to protect him from Mar-Vell's enemies. He inherited the title of Captain Marvel eventually, yet Genis succumbed to madness of Cosmic Awareness as he became nearly omnipotent and sought to "fix" the Universe. He redeemed himself afterwards and became part of the Thunderbolts where he took the title of Photon and was killed by Baron Zemo. He'll make his return in Last of the Marvels.
Joystick
Alter Ego: Janice Olivia Yanizeski
First Appearance: The Amazing Scarlet Spider #2
There is hardly any information about Janice Yanizeski's early life or how she got her powers but what is known is that her father was a degenerate gambler who told her the family creed, “always have a card to play.” Before she left for college she assisted a mob boss steal money from her father and in return her life would be spared.
She attended the University of Arizona and led a normal, quiet life that she detested so one day she decided to do something about her boring life. She dropped out of college and disappeared for nearly three years and returned under the name “ Joystick” with enhanced physical abilities.
Joystick joined the new team of Thunderbolts but butted heads with the group while trying to save the world and defeat enemies. She eventually sold out the team to side with the Grandmaster in his plot to take over the world.
Speed Demon
Alter Ego: James Sanders
First Appearance: The Avengers Vol. 1, #69
Granted extraordinary powers by the Grandmaster, James Sanders was a member of the Squadron Sinister known as Whizzer until he pursued a solo career of crime as Speed Demon. He eventually found himself a member of the Thunderbolts despite being unsure if he even wanted to reform. This indecisiveness came to a head after he was discovered committing crimes in his old guise. He subsequently left the team and rejoined the Squadron Sinister.
Radioactive Man
Alter Ego: Chen Lu
First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery Vol. 1, #93
A nuclear physicist and Communist agent from the People's Republic of China, Chen Lu is a Chinese superhero who's nationality has seen him come into conflict with American heroes. He has the ability to control and emit deadly forms of radiation.
Originally turning himself into a super being for the glory of his country, he developed a rivalry with Thor after the latter formally prevented Chinese expansion into India. Due to his repeated failures in stopping the thunder god, Chen Lu was banished from his homeland, causing him to join up with Zemo's original Master's of Evil. He would eventually be welcomed back to his homeland in order to serve as an agent of Communist expansion, though he still occasionally worked alongside Zemo.
After the fall of the Soviet Union and the coming relations between China and the US, Chen Lu disappeared for several years only to return again, seeking a new purpose in life. Having never seen himself as a true villain to begin with, Chen Lu made a quick and easy adjustment to the Thunderbolts, often serving as the voice of reason amongst his more hot-headed peers.
Nighthawk
Alter Ego: Kyle Richmond
First Appearance: The Avengers Vol. 1, #69
Kyle Richmond was a thrill-seeking playboy who became the costumed adventurer Nighthawk. Starting out as a villain, Richmond soon found altruism a greater pursuit. As Nighthawk, he became mainstay of the Defenders, and has also acted alongside the Squadron Supreme, the Redeemers, and the Initiative.
Kyle, after being confronted by former ally Speed Demon, was approached by both Baron Zemo and the Grand Master to join their respective teams. Kyle joined the Thunderbolts for a short time, but, discovering that he was only brought on for his financial support, he left the team.
Blackout
Alter Ego: Marcus Daniels
First Appearance: Nova Vol. 1, #18
Blackout is a super-villain who can manipulate Darkforce matter and energy and open portals to the Darkforce Dimension. He formerly worked alongside Moonstone and subsequently joined the Masters of Evil, then led by Zemo. Presumed dead after a prolonged battle, he was revealed years later to be only brain-dead, and kept by Zemo as a source of power and access to the Darkforce Dimension. He would subsequently, if briefly, join the Thunderbolts.
Smuggler
Alter Ego: Conrad Josten
First Appearance: Thunderbolts Vol. 1, #16
The younger brother of Eric Josten, aka: Atlas. Being the sibling of a known super villain, Conrad's life wasn't easy, and he was often the one who had to deal with his brother's poor choices. After his brother joined the Thunderbolts, Conrad was approached by Henry Peter Gyrich to join his own team of meta-humans, the Redeemers. Conrad accepted and was given a suit which gave him access to the Darkforce Dimension, allowing him to open portals to and travel through the dimension. After a particularly brutal battle with Graviton in which several of his teammates were killed, Conrad was invited to join the then newly reformed Thunderbolts, which he accepted.
Swordsman III
Alter Ego: Andreas von Strucker, Fenris
First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1, #194
Born to Baron Strucker, Andreas Strucker, and his twin sister Andrea, were treated with nothing but apathy and disappointment by their father. Surrounded by Nazis, terrorists, and other war criminals, the twins grew up with a rather twisted view of the world. Later, discovering they were both mutants with the ability to fire bio-electric blasts when they were in contact with each other, the twins became costumed supervillains collectively called Fenris. Andreas and his sister were minor pests and nuisances to various superheroes, namely the X-Men.
Andreas von Strucker abandoned his life of evil following the death of his sister. Choosing to become a better man, he became the superhero Swordsman and joined the Thunderbolts. While Andreas wasn't driven by any desire to be an actual hero, he was determined to be the opposite of everything he had been beforehand.
