10 Unbelievable Marvel Plot Twists That Shocked The World
6. The Thunderbolts Are The Masters Of Evil
After so many heroes (seemingly) died during the events of Onslaught, a new team would come to the fore in the Thunderbolts, who shouldered a lot of the responsibility in protecting the Earth.
Winning over the hearts and minds of the public was very high on their list, and under the direction of Citizen V they set about doing so with great gusto. Though they'd show that they were all about truth, justice, and the American way, it only took the first issue of their comic before the truth is revealed.
Citizen V was, in fact, Baron Zemo, and he had planned to sell off information about the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D to anyone who happened to have deep enough pockets.
This reveal left the comic book fandom reeling and was a perfect example of brilliant storytelling. In anyone else's hands, it could've been totally different, and would probably have been telegraphed from the first page, but in writer Kurt Busiek and artist Mark Bagley Marvel had placed this shocking development with just the right people.
Even though the Thunderbolts would turn on Zemo and actually become a force for good, it's the initial revelation that they were actually on the side of evil that blew everyone away.