Thunderbolt is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
.
Publication history
The William Carver version of Thunderbolt first appeared in '' Daredevil'' #69 and was created by Roy Thomas,
Syd Shores
Sydney Shores (1916 – June 3, 1973) was an American comic book artist known for his work on Captain America both during the 1940s, in what fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books, and during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books.
Bi ...
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...
, New York. Returning to Harlem after military service, William was approached by several members of a local violent street gang named the Thunderbolts which
Turk Barrett
Turk Barrett is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted in stories featuring Daredevil, in which his inept schemes are played as comic relief.
Barrett was a recurring c ...
was a part of. The Thunderbolts are eager to have William in their group for his military training. Carver refused and the next day went to work as an
assistant district attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a lo ...
under then- district attorneyFranklin Nelson. When Nelson learned of Carver's encounter with the Thunderbolts gang, he instructed Carver to infiltrate them to gather enough information about their illegal activities to shut them down. Carver helped gather enough evidence to send several members to prison.
Months later, William's younger brother Lonnie Carver was gunned down in front of him. At the funeral, William spotted Lonnie's murderer and chased him through the cemetery. As the two men struggled, a bolt of lightning hit them, killing the sniper instantly. Carver was saved by an experimental cobalt radiation treatment during which he was unintentionally exposed to an unusual amount of radiation. The radiation mutated his body to give him the ability to move at superhuman speeds and enhanced his reflexes. Carver began a career as a costumed crime-fighter calling himself Thunderbolt after his first criminal enemies and tried to discover who had ordered Lonnie's assassination.
Carver soon discovered that the radiation he was exposed to sped up not only his reflexes, but his aging as he was now aging at a rate of several years per week. Carver tracked down his old ally Power Man and Power Man's ally Iron Fist to help him find Lonnie's killer. They discovered that it had been attorney Big Ben Donovan whose younger brother Paul had been one of the Thunderbolts gang members that William Carver sent to prison. Paul Donovan was killed in prison by some Maggia operatives and Big Ben Donovan blamed Carver for his death sending an assassin to kill William's brother Lonnie in revenge. After his confession, Big Ben Donovan pulled a gun on Thunderbolt during the fight with Caesar Cicero's men. As the two men struggled, the gun went off and accidentally shot Donovan. Thunderbolt's mission completed, he succumbed to his body's rapid aging and died with the content that his brother's murder had been avenged.
Luis Barrett
Luis Barrett had somehow obtained superhuman speed while in high school. He came from a poor family and knew that he would not obtain a scholarship after he graduated. Justin Hammer later learned of Luis' powers and sent Barrier,
Blacklash
Whiplash is the name of multiple supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are commonly depicted as members of Iron Man's rogues gallery. The original Whiplash (Mark Scarlotti) also went by the name Blacklas ...
, and Ringer II to bring Luis to him. Using his business connections, Justin Hammer obtained William Carver's Thunderbolt costume. Then he gave the costume to Luis Barrett so that he can convince him to join Hammer's criminal enterprises in exchange for funding his college scholarship. When members of the
Pantheon
Pantheon may refer to:
* Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building
Arts and entertainment Comics
*Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization
* ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...
warned Luis of Hammer's intentions, Luis turned against Justin Hammer's villain allies during a plot to steal an experimental plane from Air Force One base. Ringer bound Thunderbolt's legs during the fight. Before Blacklash could attack Thunderbolt, he managed to take out Blacklash despite the fact that his legs were bound. Although Luis was left with no other means of going to college, Ulysses noted that Luis is now on the right track.
Luis was considered as a "potential recruit" for the
Initiative
In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a ...
program.''Civil War: Battle Damage Report'' #1. Marvel Comics.
Powers and abilities
The William Carver version of Thunderbolt had superhuman speed and quick reflexes. The visor of his costume can produce an intense blinding light which he would use as a last resort.
The Luis Barrett version of Thunderbolt has superhuman speed.