Synopsis
Thunderbolts: Doomstrike (2025 series) #3 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
The issue starts with Black Widow sending an (encrypted) message to someone describing what happened this issue, and the message continues as a voiceover on the action itself.
Last issue our team held up a train carrying something for Dr Doom which turned out to be a shipment of vibranium. Citizen V ambushed the attackers and this version turned out to be the long-thought-dead Contessa Val de Fontaine, now leader of Doom's Fulgur Victoris (a position which Revolution/Bucky Barnes turned down in #1).
BW tells us that Folasade, Prime Minister of Wakanda, has finally signed a deal with Doom which includes use of the country's vibranium. We see that Revolution (Bucky Barnes) has gone there with Destroyer (Sharon Carter) from last issue and Songbird of the original Thunderbolts (and the New/US Avengers and #1) to try to deny him access to the mine. They meet up with Wakanda's flying armoured Midnight Angels (Aneka and Ayo) who have the same idea. The loyal Wakandans (but not loyal to Doom) want to make the automated mine unworkable but insist that it must not be destroyed.
Ayo is concerned that there are no guards inside but Destroyer says Doom has probably replaced them with his Doombots, and maybe BW's blinding of surveillance satellites has stopped them working. But then a sound of thunder and a bolt of lightning announce the arrival of Citizen V and her Fulgur Victoris which seems to be made up of other old Thunderbolts. We've already seen (#1) that Fixer is working for Doom, and now we can add Atlas, Moonstone and someone or something called Mach-Doom.
Songbird (Melissa Gold) remembers that her love Mach-X (Abner Jenkins) died a hero (Thunderbolts (2012) #12) when they were both part of Bucky's 1st TBolts team. She wonders if Mach-Doom is actually him even as he launches missiles at them. Revolution expands his liquid metal left arm into a shield to defend his allies. It works but shatters, and Fixer (Norbert Ebersol) comments that the solid metal arm *he* made for Bucky (in #9 of that series after he lost his previous version) would have fared better. Fixer then calls on Atlas (Erik Josten) who enters the fray extremely giant-size and scatters everyone by slamming his fists Hulk-like on the floor. Barnes falls through a big hole thus created down into the vibranium mine, and 2-sworded Citizen V leaps in after him. We then follow 2 strands of action simultaneously ...
Up above Destroyer fires an automatic rifle at Fixer whose forcefield shrugs off the bullets. She surprises him by prising apart his forcefield with her hands, which she explains as due to her outfit being made of explosive Neganite from Dimension Z. The Midnight Angels fly up to attack Atlas with Moonstone perched on his shoulder, annoying him by using his bad-guy name Goliath (or at least 1 of the many he's had). He tries to hold off the 'Wakandan Iron Ladies' without harming them, claiming that he's 1 of the good guys. Moonstone (Karla Sofen) is under no such illusions. Songbird is trying to get through to the Abner inside Mach-Doom while he spouts Doom propaganda. But when she pulls the front of his helmet off she finds a mechanoid being inside. However Fixer assures her that Abner's soul is in there courtesy of Doom's magic. But Mel thinks that's just what Norbert *wants* to believe.
Meanwhile falling Bucky congratulates Valentina on her trap, and she scornfully says he made it obvious where he would go (at the end of last issue). She impales him with a sword but he twists to land on top of her when they hit bottom and pulls the sword free. A sword fight follows, and BW's v/o tells us that Citizen V isn't trying to kill him but defeat him. The fight continues into a double-page spread of small panels in which V demeans his lifestyle choice while disarming him and hacking at him, until he grabs her sword blade and hits her facemask with its hilt. In other panels Songbird's sonic scream rattles Mach-Doom, the Midnight Angels slash at Atlas' head, Fixer manifests a big gun to fire at Destroyer, Moonstone blasts Songbird, and Fixer blasts Aneka.
At the end of all that Revolution has Citizen V lying with her own sword at her throat. But she smiles through her shattered facemask and orders Mach-Doom to prepare the Annihilation Package. The mechanoid says it needs a 2nd authorisation from Fixer, but Norbert is queasy about the mass destruction it would cause. However he gives in to pressure from Moonstone, and Mach-Doom activates the process. Val asks Revolution if he's willing to cause another Shelbyville (the destruction of his home town which Doom blamed on Barnes in #1). There's a long pause and then he surrenders to stop the Package going off. Citizen V allows Ayo to escape with injured Aneka to tell the world what happened, and then she KO's Bucky.
We don't know what happened to Destroyer and Songbird but Black Widow's message/voiceover tells us Bucky's been missing for 2 weeks. The message is received by Fixer who it seems is her undercover agent. And we see Bucky in chains before Doom who's offering him a feast.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Aneka, Ayo, Destroyer (
Sharon Carter), Revolution (
Bucky Barnes).
EnemiesPlus: Fixer, Mach-Doom.