A YJA Moment - The Thunderbolts

When the world's heroes fell in what was to be known as the Watchtower incident, the villains of the world took no time in taking advantage of their absence.  This was no less true for the forces of Weapons Plus, whose international allies had been the one to murder all those heroes.

Director Henry Gyrich convinced the United States government it was imperative that the nation not be seen as weak following the loss of the Avengers.  Even in death, Nick Fury was held in high regard within the halls of power and the decision was made to allow Maria Hill and her new Avengers team time to set up and defend the nation.

Gyrich was allowed to form his own secondary team and was allowed to seize the Hall of Justice from the now-deceased Justice League to form as its base.  Drawing from the hundreds of incarcerated super-villains within Task Force X's "Suicide Squad" program, the Director began creating new heroic identities for them to serve as the members of his new Thunderbolts team.

The core of the Team, Thunderbolts Prime, was designed to emulate the very heroes they replacing.  They were composed of the following individuals:

The newest Captain America was John Walker, war-hero and poster boy for everything that America stands for was perfect for this role.  Though some in the team chafe at his command style and apparent arrogance, his force of personality (and fists) keeps them in line.  He was given unspecified genetic enhancements in order to replicate Steve Roger's Super Solider abilities.

Eric O'Grady was a former employee of the Office of National Emergency.  A chemistry major in college, he was tasked with aiding Hank Pym in his experiments at the Triskelion. Fired for some unspecified indiscretions, he stole a prototype shrinking apparatus and defected to Checkmate.  He serves on the team as the new Ant-Man.

Ares is the literal greek god of war.  A constant foe of heroes such as Wonder Woman and Thor, Ares grew increasingly unsatisfied with the modern nights.  While the war was everywhere, the human's dependence on drones and other machines gave him little joy.  How Gyrich was able to entice him on the Thunderbolts is unknown but he is both a powerhouse and a source of tactical experience. 

Yelena Belova was a graduate of the Russian Red Room training center, which continued to operate despite the fall of the Soviet Union.  Inheriting the code-name of Black Window, Belova was infatuated with the previous Widow, Natasha Romanov, and attempted to assassinate her on several occasions.  Disavowed by her government and incarcerated, she was transferred over the Task Force X and onto the Thunderbolts.

No one on the team trusts the gaunt individual code-named Ghoul and for good reason.  William Hand has an obsession with death.  Known for desecrating the bodies he's murdered, he was judged by the Spectre who took his right hand and then killed him.  Making a deal with the Underworld, Hand was reanimated and had his hand replaced with one which could drain the life force from his victims.  He voluntarily has joined the Thunderbolts to seek out his benefactor's daughter,  Melinoe.

Few know that the Thunderbolt code-named Hawkeye is actually the notorious hitman known as Deadshot.  The assassin-for-hire has cut a swath of destruction through the American underworld until he was captured and turned over to Task Force X. A mainstay of the Suicide Squad, he is considered Gyrich's inside person on the team.

Very little is known by the hero known as Prime.  It is rumored that whatever caused Kevin Green to become the muscle-bound powerhouse was derived by the genetic material of Doomsday, the Hulk, and even heroes such as Superman.

Simon Williams was an actor and the son of an industrialist, who blamed Stark Industries for his father's company's woes.  After his father's untimely death, he was tricked by A.I.M. into undergoing enhancement experiments in order for revenge.  Defeated by Iron Man, he eventually reformed himself and joined The Sword.  He was believed killed in the final battle against Ultron, but his ionic form reconstituted itself with the help fo Weapons Plus.  Relying on their scientists in order to continue existing, he has joined the team under his old code-name Wonder Man.

The original purpose of the Iron Man suit was as a prototype for the U.S. military Variable Threat Response Battle Suit program.  Gyrich took various incarnations that program and combined them into a new War Machine armor, known simply as the Prototype.  Lacking Stark's advanced control interface meant that pilot Captain James Ruiz had to be cybernetically implanted with neural control points so he can operate the armor.