Synopsis
Thunderbolts: Doomstrike (2025 series) #4 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Natasha Romanoff wakes with a hangover to learn from Doom-biased news that Bucky Barnes is a prisoner of Dr Doom, and she uses a trace to find he's in Doomstadt ...
... where we see that US Agent is also a prisoner. Doom has a sumptuous meal laid out before the chained Barnes in his dungeon cell and taunts him that Steve Rogers, like the other Avengers, is (pretending to) go along with Doom's rule, and even (appeared to) accept the torture of Bucky. The man codenamed Revolution remains defiant.
Meanwhile Destroyer (Sharon Carter) and Songbird are also prisoners, guarded by Doombots in an aeroplane called Mobile Internment Centre Victoris-7. A hole burns in the ceiling and through it jumps Black Widow to free them. With her 'gag' removed Melissa Gold is able to wreck the plane with a screech.
Doom asks Barnes why he's trying to replace the peace of Doom's rule with the anarchy of revolution, and suggests it's his pride that stops him from accepting the truth. Which is why having destroyed the Outer Circle (in the 2022 Captain America: Sentinel Of Liberty series) Revolution's taken over their hubristic idea that he knows what's best for the world. Dr Doom place the 2 Psi-Temples of He Who Mourns In Memory on Bucky' brow. These apparently contain the last thoughts of all who die, and are passed to each new Sorcerer Supreme (like Doom). Barnes witnesses the deaths of the inhabitants of his birthplace Shelbyville, which Doom nuked in response to Revolution's rebellion and then got Barnes blamed for it.
BW's next stop is in Texas where she hands a card to a boy mending a motorbike and asks him to give it to the bike's owner, the Rider.
Doom continues to try to convince Barnes to accept his rule and have the Psi-Temples removed. He suggests that most 'heroes' are fantasists who believe they can create a perfect world, but Bucky knows that such a world is impossible. But that he also *needs* evil to fight, and fears that Doom's reign will leave him with no such foes. Revolution's response is to smash his head against the stone floor, dislodging the Temples. Angry Doom says he won't let him die before he breaks. Bucky says Doom can't create a perfect world because *he* would still be in it.
In Wakanda the Midnight Angels are being hunted by Doombots. Aneka was injured last issue and Ayo tells her to escape while she holds them off, but Aneka won't abandon her beloved. Then BW pops up to destroy the 'Bots. Aneka persuades Ayo to go with Natasha to save Barnes who surrendered to Doom's forces last issue to protect Wakanda.
Furious Victor Von Doom now says he'll let Barnes live to see him keep on ruling the world, and he'll leave the feast before him to rot to remind him of the life he's throwing away. All because Captain America made him his teenage sidekick many years ago, and made him feel righteous. Bucky replies not righteous but right, and Doom knows it. Doom throws a cooked pig at him and stalks out ...
... leaving Citizen V (Val De Fontaine) to torture him. She claims that she actually likes Bucky when he plays dirty, but then he keeps being stupidly heroic instead. She *could* give him the beating which she says has already broken John Walker (USA), but she has a proposition for him. Doom has buried secrets that will bring his reign to an end. And when that happens she intends to step in and will need men like him working for her, not as Revolution but in his old Winter Soldier role. But as she gets a message from Fixer about something coming in fast, Bucky says he's not the revolution, just the spark ...
... and Ayo, Black Widow, Destroyer and Songbird smash their way in with the WWII Ghost Rider and 1 more ... Cap (Steve Rogers) with Winter Soldier's old cybernetic arm.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Aneka, Ayo, Destroyer (
Sharon Carter), Ghost Rider (
Sal Romero), Revolution (
Bucky Barnes).