Synopsis / Summary / Plot
New York Mayor Luke Cage has set up a new Thunderbolts team of heroes to replace the villain team that Wilson Fisk had. The team members were hand-picked by PR consultants but Cage made Hawkeye their leader. Last issue's mission to recapture some escaped members of Fisk's team was successful but our team didn't follow Clint Barton's orders (or even wait for him to give any).
Clint turns up after 10:00 at the office bearing coffees to learn that he's late for a 9:00 pre-press review with Helen Astrantia (PR) and Harris Hutchley (Legal), and a 9:30 Press Conference. Mayor Cage has been stalling the Press so Barton will just have to go in now and wing it. The 1st question is why Hawkeye is qualified to lead the team. He reminds that he led the West Coast Avengers, the New Avengers and the Secret Avengers (curiously he doesn't refer to the original Thunderbolts team). The Press of course have never heard of the Secret Avengers. They bring up the times when he's operated outside the law, and also him beating up US Agent last issue (Clint claims he thought he was 1 of the villains) and the team destroying property (stuff happens). Cage interrupts to point out that the team rescued hostages from Fisk's thugs. Clint answers the distrust of vigilante superheroes by saying that the TBolts are officially sanctioned - but no this doesn't give them carte blanche. Then he ruins it by trying to crack another joke.
Luckily at this point the team is called out on an emergency. Hawkeye, Gutsen Glory, Power Man and Persuasion travel to the scene with Helen Astrantia in a SWAT van because America Chavez isn't there to provide 1 of her star-shaped portals. Spectrum also isn't with them because her contract's not been approved yet. They get to the Metropolitan Museum Of Art to find its been mostly evacuated but smoke/fumes coming out of the main door. Hawkeye tells the others to follow his orders *this time*. Persuasion suggests they just get her close enough to use her Purple Power (name subject to change) to make the bad guy to surrender.
They detect his heat signature plus 4 others (which makes it another hostage situation) in the room hosting Here Be Monsters, a display of the sculptures of Alicia Masters. And inside they find 4 kids cheering on a small 'monster' with green hair and arms like volcanic rock melting Alicia's statues of monsters such as Fin Fang Foom and Orrgo. Hawkeye asks the children to move away and Persuasion tries 'persuading' the villain but only gets a headache. Clint fires an arrow which gets melted, and tells Power Man to get the dwarf away from the kids. Victor Alvarez tries but gets punched out through the roof to land outside in front of a teacher begging Helen and Met Security to save her 4 students. Those students stop Gutsen firing his big gun, and Kara Killgrave is babbling in the same language as the little monster.
We avert our eyes and look in on America Chavez in the Washington Heights apartment of her Aunt Marta. She's still suffering from what she had last issue and has just woken up and vomited. But she now answers the load of urgent calls from Helen and flies to the Met ...
... where Gutsen Glory fires his gun anyway without causing much damage to the foe. Hawkeye figures that Persuasion and the dwarf are mindlinked when they say the same alien word at the same time. He hopes this will open a window for peace talks. But Chavez chooses this moment to zoom in and fly the little monster through a wall, and then batter him with 2-fisted jackhammer punches. The kids are still trying to protect their 'friend' who now names himself Eegro The Unbreakable and surrenders in English.
Kara recovers and says that Eegro learned the language from their mind-link. He compliments America on her strength - almost enough to make unleash the Ultimate Attack. Clint clams things down and introduces the team. Eegro says he came here from Monster Isle to see his own statue. But when he discovered there wasn't 1 he started destroying the others - which the fight has helped him achieve.
Eegro then leads the Thunderbolts and kids outside to get the adoration of the people. The teacher thinks *he* saved her kids, who get selfies with him. But Gutsen won't let the children fire his laser. Victor is in the SWAT van convinced he messed up again so Clint gives him a pep talk.
Afterwards back at the base Helen announces that Eegro will be their newest member, to the disgust of Clint and Victor. She reminds Clint that he's only the field leader, hiring and firing is part of her and Harris' job. They want Eegro because he has kid-appeal. Spectrum turns up in time for the team photo. Monica Rambeau commiserates with America about this being a step down from their days in the Ultimates, but Chavez says things have changed since then (see the America Chavez: Made In The USA mini-series).
After the photo-shoot Clint and Monica share beers from the office bar, and she tells him she agreed to be on the team to make sure he didn't mess up *too* much. He thinks she's joking but we know from last issue she isn't.
There's an epilogue with 2 joggers in Central Park that evening. 1 of them gets killed by a blast from a Russian-speaking ape who declares the Park now ape territory.