Johnny Thunder is the name of three
fictional superheroes appearing in comics published by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
. A fourth character has the variant name Jonni Thunder.
The character appeared in the second season of ''
Stargirl'' on
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
network played by
Ethan Embry
Ethan Embry (born June 13, 1978) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his role as Mark in ''Empire Records'', Preston in '' Can't Hardly Wait'', The Bass Player in ''That Thing You Do!'', and as Bobby Ray in '' Sweet Home A ...
.
Publication history
Johnny Thunder first appeared in ''
Flash Comics
''Flash Comics'' is a comics anthology published by All-American Publications and later by National Periodical Publications (DC Comics). The title had 104 issues published from January 1940 to February 1949. Despite the title, the anthology featu ...
'' #1 (January 1940) and was created by John Wentworth and Stan Aschmeier.
In the first few issues, the title of the feature was ''Johnny Thunderbolt''. He continued in ''Flash Comics'' until issue #91 (Jan 1948).
Fictional character biography
Earth-Two version
John L. Thunder is the seventh son of a seventh son, born at 7 a.m. on Saturday, July 7, the seventh day of the week, the seventh day of the seventh month in 1917. This causes him to be kidnapped by "some brown men" and sold to a group of men from the fictional country of Badhnesia who had been looking for someone born at this time on this day.
As an infant, the
blond-haired Johnny is given possession of the pink,
lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...
-haired
genie
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic myt ...
-like
Thunderbolt
A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...
named Yz during a mystic ritual on his 7th birthday, which was intended to allow the Badhnesians to use Johnny to rule the world. However, the plan is soon aborted after an attack from a neighboring country.
Johnny eventually returns to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and lives an ordinary life until one day, while washing windows, he inadvertently summons the Thunderbolt with the magic words "Cei-U" (pronounced "say you") when he calls for someone to throw him a sponge, which he accidentally uses to become a successful boxer. Johnny underwent several adventures (each time inadvertently summoning the Thunderbolt via the use of "say, you" in his day-to-day conversation, never realizing the Thunderbolt, who moved so fast he was virtually
invisible
Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be ''invisible'' (literally, "not visible"). The phenomenon is studied by physics and perceptual psychology.
Since objects can be seen by light in ...
, was responsible for the extraordinary events that befell him) before finally learning of the Thunderbolt's existence. In issue #11, he finally notices the Thunderbolt, and figures out the magic word in issue #20.
Johnny lived with his parents, dated his on-again, off-again girlfriend Daisy Darling (who had a somewhat less-than-scrupulous businessman father). In 1941, he adopted a little freckle-faced blond orphan girl named Peachy Pet, who, despite her cutesy name and clothing, was a tough little girl who was much smarter than her new father. Many times during his adventures, which included a stint with the United States Navy, Peachy would instruct her befuddled but beloved "Papa John" on how and when to use the Thunderbolt's magic powers.
The green-suit-and-red-
bow tie
The bow tie is a type of necktie. A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot, which is also called the bow knot for that reason. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar of a shirt in a symmetrical manner so that th ...
-clad Johnny's appearances with the
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...
and in his own solo adventures tended to be quite comedic, as Johnny's main personality trait was being fairly dimwitted, which prompts his much-smarter Thunderbolt to possess a sarcastic (if patient) attitude toward his "boss", while knowing full well that he could not actually do anything until his master told him to.
Johnny accidentally joined the Justice Society when wishing out loud that he could be a member and was immediately taken to their meeting by the Thunderbolt. Despite recurring impatience with his stupidity, his fellow JSAers genuinely valued Johnny's good-heartedness and dedication and considered him a friend. Furthermore, the Thunderbolt's vast power may have contributed to Johnny's continued JSA membership, his frequent blunders notwithstanding, since the more competent heroes doubtlessly thought it wise to keep an eye on the pair whenever possible. He finally became a member after the Flash left and the group told him to capture Mister X, which he accidentally succeeded in doing. Like most of the JSA members, he had his aging factor greatly slowed during an encounter with the villain
Ian Karkull
Ian Karkull is a supervillain in comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #69 (August 1941) as a foe of the sorcerer Doctor Fate. He later became a recurring foe of the All-Star Squadron and the Justice Society ...
.
Johnny's adventures ceased in the late 1940s when he was replaced in the ''Justice Society'' stories by a heroine he had begun teaming up with, the
Black Canary
The Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics: Dinah Drake and her daughter Dinah Laurel Lance. The original version was created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and ...
. The reason for his leaving the Justice Society is eventually explained to be that his control over his Thunderbolt is weakening, thanks to a spell cast by renegade Badhnesian priests. In the early 1950s, Johnny is kidnapped again by agents from Badhnesia, with the intention of executing their original world conquest plan. Johnny manages to summon
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
, and the would-be conquerors' plans are defeated. Johnny spent some time in Badhnesia afterwards, teaching the native citizens about
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...
. He returns home after the country elects its first
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
. Johnny joins the Justice Society on various adventures.
''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' and Ragnarök
Following the maxiseries ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...
'' was the one-shot ''
Last Days of the Justice Society of America
''Last Days of the Justice Society of America'', a.k.a. simply ''Last Days of the Justice Society'', is a one-shot comic book special from DC Comics, originally produced in 1986. A sequel to the maxi-series ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', this book ...
Special'' (1986). This book depicted the sacrifice of Johnny and his JSA teammates as they left the 'new' Post-''Crisis'' world and entered into a Limbo dimension. Caused by the actions of
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
in April 1945, a wave of destruction appears over Earth even as it is settling down from the Crisis. In order to stop a literal
Ragnarök, the heroes enter into an eternal battle and so leave the world.
Earth-One version
Prior to the ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...
'' retcon, an alternate version of Johnny Thunder existed on
Earth-One
Earth-One (also Earth-1) is a name given to two fictional universes (The Pre-Crisis and Post-Crisis versions of the same universe) that have appeared in American comic book stories published by DC Comics. The first Earth-One was given its name in ...
. This version was a simple petty criminal with no Thunderbolt. Upon meeting the Earth-Two Thunder (who had traveled to Earth-One out of curiosity), the criminal Johnny Thunder knocked his counterpart out and seized control of the Thunderbolt. He uses it to temporarily reshape Earth-One such that several heroes, such as
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
,
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
, and
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
, retroactively cease to exist. The criminal exploits the fact that the Thunderbolt is 'keyed' to simply obey Johnny Thunder, without any distinction made between alternate versions, leaving the Thunderbolt obligated to obey whichever Johnny is conscious despite his own morality; however, the Thunderbolt often tries to work in loopholes to give the heroes an advantage, such as informing the criminal that the Justice Society—who had come to Earth-1 to find out what had happened to their friends in the Justice League——had disappeared, when they had, in fact, disguised themselves as the Justice League to provoke Johnny into revealing what had happened to their version, or making a barrier which keeps out cops, but not superheroes. The Earth-2 Johnny is apparently placed in a coma by the Thunderbolt's magic, though this is not actually shown.
The alternate version of Earth-One that Johnny creates is sometimes referred to as
Earth-A (Earth Alternate), which Johnny thinks up himself. Thunder's 'Lawless League' of evil people with powers like the Justice League heroes, which are made up of Johnny's fellow criminals who were given the powers of the Justice League members, are defeated by the visiting
Justice Society
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
of Earth-Two, who had originally disguised themselves as the JLA, after learning of Johnny's disappearance, the Society's greater experience allowing them to easily defeat their criminal counterparts. They subsequently face off against Johnny Thunder on the Moon, and the three creatures that the Thunderbolt creates, Medusa-Man (who turns people into wood), Absorbo-Man (who can absorb the powers of others), and Repello-Man (who throws attacks back at their origins). All of the members are defeated, except for Doctor Fate. He creates a golden mask over Medusa-Man's face, and sends the wooden Mr. Terrific and Atom at Absorbo-Man, who had absorbed Green Lantern's power, meaning he is vulnerable to wood and is destroyed. He uses repello-magic on Repello-Man, which is repelled and destroys him. When the fight comes down to a struggle between
Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of multiple superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version of the character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More F ...
and the Thunderbolt, Johnny Thunder is so battered about by the combatting magic wielders - whose powers fail to do any actual damage to each other - that he finally gives up his attempts to use the Thunderbolt and wishes that none of these events had taken place. The two Earths and their respective heroes are restored, with the Justice League mentioning their world's Johnny Thunder as a small-time criminal at their meeting. The Johnny Thunder of Earth-One would return as a threat in ''Justice League of America'' #219-220.
Johnny's return
The absence of the JSA and of Johnny Thunder did not last long. In 1992 DC published ''Armageddon: Inferno'', the miniseries which brought the JSA out of Limbo and into the Post-''Crisis'' world. This was followed by ''Justice Society of America'' (1992–1993). This series showed how the heroes were adjusting to a 'normal' life. Johnny is depicted as an overweight man, not as old as his friends, but nostalgic for the past. It is explained that before he had entered into Limbo, he had lent his foster daughter a few thousand dollars and during his time fighting for the universe, she had created ''Peachy's Frozen Yogurt'', a very successful chain of which Johnny is half owner and now very wealthy. Of greater import to Johnny is his discovery that the Bahdnesians have all but disappeared. A visit to the island of Bahdnesia (now under the ownership of Pol St. Germain) proves that no Bahdnesians are left there. In issue #7, Johnny states: "There were never very many of them...and the island magic had worn out. T-Bolt was all that was left, and he was with me in limbo. They had to leave or starve to death". This series also introduced the young Kiku, according to the Thunderbolt, the last remaining Bahdnesian.
After this, Johnny is depicted as suffering from symptoms of
dementia
Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
. At one point, he loses track of a pen in which the Thunderbolt is being stored. The pen eventually ends up in the ownership of a young
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
boy named Jakeem Williams, who takes up the name Johnny Jakeem Thunder or
Jakeem Thunder.
Johnny Thunderbolt
In a later battle with
Solomon Grundy, Jakeem unwittingly cures Johnny Thunder of his Alzheimer's. Unfortunately, Johnny immediately falls prey to the
Ultra-Humanite
Ultra-Humanite is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared as a recurring adversary of Superman. The Ultra-Humanite is the first supervillain faced by Superman and he is among the first supervillai ...
, who takes over Johnny's body in order to command the Thunderbolt's powers. In the "Stealing Thunder" storyline, Jakeem is one of several heroes left free from the Ultra-Humanite's control. Eventually, Jakeem wrests control of the Thunderbolt back from the Ultra-Humanite, but Johnny Thunder loses his life. Jakeem then wishes that the Thunderbolt could save Johnny somehow, so the genie chooses to merge with Johnny, creating a new being with the memories of both. He later assumes the name Johnny Thunderbolt.
Johnny Thunderbolt bears Johnny's likeness, though it is not clear how the personalities of Johnny and the two genies interact, and whether any one personality is dominant. Johnny's family is informed of his death and a funeral is held at Valhalla, a cemetery for superheroes. The family does not know that he lives on as the Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt eventually stops displaying Johnny's likeness while still speaking as him.
During the ''
Blackest Night
"Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. ''Blackest Ni ...
'' storyline, Johnny Thunder's body is reanimated as part of the
Black Lantern Corps.
''DC Rebirth''
When
Wally West
Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. His power consists mainly of speedster (fiction), superhuman speed. ...
was looking for someone to tether him to the universe again as seen in the ''
DC Rebirth
DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the D ...
'' reboot, he comes to a retirement home called the Good Life Rest Home where a now-elderly Johnny Thunder tries to reconnect to the
Justice Society
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
, who have been lost since
Joseph McCarthy had him reveal his secret and he had lost the Thunderbolt in the periods since. He tried to tell others who he was, but many think that he is crazy. When Wally comes to him to find the Justice Society, he disappears asking him to find the Justice Society. Believing that he was his old ally, Johnny tearfully calls out to him, apologizing for "throwing (him) away" in the past. Johnny Thunder is seen climbing on a rooftop of a home for the elderly shouting "Where are you Thunderbolt?" and calls him (the Thunderbolt) to come back to him. He is later found by two men: presumably workers at the house. They ask him how did he get there and forcefully pull him from the edge of the roof, saving him from lightning that struck the place that he stood on. He shouts at them that they "can't keep me locked up" and struggles to get free of them. they say he "has got a lot of a fight for a ninety-year-old" and drag him into the building. On the way into the building, he says that "The lightning says we need to find my friends" and "We lost the Justice Society" and "It's all my fault", to which they reply with disbelief, saying "Sure it did" and "Tell the nurse to up his meds".
During the 2018-2019 miniseries ''
Doomsday Clock
The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe, in the opinion of the members of the ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists''. Maintained since 1947, the clock is a metaphor for threats to humanity ...
'', Johnny Thunder is seen at his retirement home staring out the window while waiting for his family to take him out to dinner. They do not show up. Later that night, Thunder escapes from the retirement home as one of the orderlies claims that he will not get far. He heads to an old steel mill, where he is assaulted by a group of thieving junkies, but he is saved by
Saturn Girl
Saturn Girl (Imra Ardeen) is a fictional superheroine appearing in American DC comic books. A talented telepath from the 30th century, Saturn Girl is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Imra's "Saturn Girl" title refers to her homewo ...
and
Rorschach (Reggie Long)
Reginald "Reggie" Long is a fictional character in publications by DC Comics. He is the second character to hold the name of Rorschach and was introduced in the 2017 series ''Doomsday Clock'' by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank.
Publication history
Th ...
. Johnny Thunder finds Alan Scott's Green Lantern power battery. Rorschach asks Johnny Thunder what that Lantern is. Rorschach, Saturn Girl and Johnny Thunder meet up with Ozymandias at the Owlship. Using Ozymandias' pet
lynx
A lynx is a type of wild cat.
Lynx may also refer to:
Astronomy
* Lynx (constellation)
* Lynx (Chinese astronomy)
* Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory
Places Canada
* Lynx, Ontar ...
Bubastis (revealed to have been cloned from the original Bubastis that Doctor Manhattan disintegrated and containing a sliver of his power) and the Lantern Battery, Ozymandias transports everyone to Doctor Manhattan's location at the Joker's "fun house" where Comedian is. After the confrontation with Doctor Manhattan, the injured Ozymandias makes it back to the Owlship, attacking Johnny and Saturn Girl, declaring that he can save everything and everyone. Ozymandias has Johnny Thunder and Saturn Girl imprisoned in his hideout. When Saturn Girl fades upon no longer being part of the current timeline, Ozymandias leaves as Johnny Thunder mourns Saturn Girl's disappearance and Alan Scott's Green Lantern is shown near him. When Doctor Manhattan undoes the experiment that erased the Justice Society of America and the Legion of Super-Heroes, Johnny Thunder finds himself merged with Thunderbolt as Johnny Thunderbolt and helps Superman defeat the forces of
Black Adam
Black Adam, real name Teth/Theo-Adam, is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck, and first appeared in the debut issue of Fawcett Comics' ''The Marvel Family'' comi ...
.
Jakeem later encounters the
Teen Titans
The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
after Djinn is forced by her brother Elias to summon Johnny Thunderbolt. Elias attacks Johnny Thunderbolt and tears an artifact known as the Stone of Souls from within its body, rendering Jakeem powerless. When the Titans nearly die while trying to save Djinn, Jakeem discovers that some of Johnny Thunderbolt's power is within his body, and is able to save the young heroes. After Elias' defeat, Djinn restores Johnny Thunderbolt and leaves with Jakeem to explore her newfound freedom.
Variants
Jonni Thunder
Jonni Thunder is the name of a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
and superhero appearing in comics published by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
. She was a rebooted variant of Johnny Thunder and is commonly assisted by a new
Thunderbolt
A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...
.
Publication history
Jonni Thunder first appeared in a four-issue miniseries from 1985 named ''Jonni Thunder aka Thunderbolt'', written by
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...
.
[ In the first few issues, the title of the feature was ''Johnny Thunderbolt''. Since she was created by ]Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...
expert Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...
and appeared with the descendants of the original JSA in ''Infinity Inc.'', a potential connection to Johnny Thunder seemed likely, but was never expounded upon. Jonni existed on Earth-Two before ''Crisis'' and is briefly seen on the merged Earth resulting from the Crisis, attending a detectives' convention.
Fictional character biography
Jonni Thunder is a female private detective. A small gold statue gives her the power to turn into a human thunderbolt, while leaving her body behind. First described as "a stone once struck by the hand of Apu Illapu, the Inca
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...
lightning god", the thunderbolt is revealed in later issues of '' Infinity, Inc.'' to be a hostile alien energy-being, who is defeated by being re-imprisoned in the statue, leaving Jonni without powers.
Other versions
In the '' Kingdom Come'' continuity, she and Black Lightning
Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character, created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor Von Eeden, first appeared in ''Black Lightning'' #1 (April 1977), during ...
have a child who becomes the anti-hero
An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform action ...
known as "Lightning", possessing the electricity-based powers of both of her parents. However, in the contemporary DC Universe, Black Lightning's daughter Lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...
, who recently joined the JSA, is identified as the daughter of Black Lightning and his ex-wife Lynn Stewart.
In 2011, ''The New 52
The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...
'' rebooted the DC Comics universe and the history of characters related to the Golden Age of Comics has been drastically altered. A new version of Jonni Thunder is introduced on the parallel world of Earth 2 and appeared in the miniseries ''Earth 2: Worlds End''. This version is seemingly possessed by the Thunderbolt which grants her electrical abilities and a multi-armed appearance similar to a Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
goddess where she is described as a "lass with a powerful friend". Jonni Thunder was imprisoned at Arkham Base with Brainwave, Karnevil, and Obsidian. She is part of a team of heroes recruited by the mage John Constantine
John Constantine () is a fictional character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Constantine first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985), and was created by Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, Rick Veitch, and John Tot ...
in his attempt to return to his own world of Prime Earth.
Reception
Brian Cronin of Comic Book Resources
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
placed her series as part of failed reboots that are way better than the original explaining that "Thomas and Giordano managed to do a well-done comic detective series, which is no small feat".
Son of Johnny Thunder (Will Power of ''Primal Force'')
William Twotrees is the illegitimate son of 1940s hero Johnny Thunder and a Jicarilla Apache
Jicarilla Apache (, Jicarilla language: Jicarilla Dindéi), one of several loosely organized autonomous bands of the Eastern Apache, refers to the members of the Jicarilla Apache Nation currently living in New Mexico and speaking a Southern Athab ...
woman. Afraid of prejudices against mixed marriages, Johnny abandoned his son, something he later regretted deeply. However, it seems as if Johnny's partner, the magic Thunderbolt named Yz, left his mark on young William, who developed astonishing Thunderbolt powers of his own later in his life. As Will Power, William joined the supernatural/metahuman team of heroes called the Leymen (a.k.a. Primal Force) until it was disbanded. He was last seen searching for his father, touring with a rock band as a "human light show".
Twotrees has neither reappeared since the cancellation of the ''Primal Force'' series, nor has he been referenced in any way in any of the later Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...
titles.
In other media
* Johnny Thunder makes a non-speaking appearance in the ''Justice League Unlimited
''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and ...
'' episode "Initiation" as a member of an expanded Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
.
* Johnny Thunder appears in '' Stargirl'', portrayed by an uncredited actor in season one and by Ethan Embry
Ethan Embry (born June 13, 1978) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his role as Mark in ''Empire Records'', Preston in '' Can't Hardly Wait'', The Bass Player in ''That Thing You Do!'', and as Bobby Ray in '' Sweet Home A ...
in season two. This version was a member of the Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...
before the team was attacked by the Injustice Society of America
Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but ...
, during which Johnny was killed by Brainwave
Neural oscillations, or brainwaves, are rhythmic or repetitive patterns of neural activity in the central nervous system. Neural tissue can generate oscillatory activity in many ways, driven either by mechanisms within individual neurons or by ...
while Thunderbolt
A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...
was trapped in his pen for over 10 years. In the episode "Summer School: Chapter Three", Pat Dugan
S.T.R.I.P.E. (short for Special Tactics Robotic Integrated Power Enhancer) is a superhero in the DC Comics Universe. S.T.R.I.P.E. is a powered armor suit invented and worn by Patrick "Pat" Dugan, the former adult sidekick to teenage superhero Syl ...
's son Mike temporarily gets ahold of Johnny's pen before it eventually ends up in his friend Jakeem Williams' hands.
See also
* Jakeem Thunder
References
External links
Johnny Thunder (1939)
an
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...
Archived (1939)
DCU Guide: Johnny Thunder II (JSA)
DCU Guide: Jonni Thunder
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Golden Age superheroes
DC Comics male superheroes
DC Comics fantasy characters
DC Comics characters who use magic
Earth-Two
Fictional characters from Arizona
Fictional private investigators
Comics characters introduced in 1940