Thunderbolts (2013) # 27

"The Punisher Vs. the Thunderbolts, Part 1"

Cover Date: August 2014; Publication Date: June 2014

Writers: Ben Acker & Ben Blacker; Artist: Carlo Barberi; Inker: Carlos Cuevos; Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino; Colorist: Isreal Silva; Editor: Jordan D. White; Editor-In-Chief: Axel Alonso; Cover Artist: David Yardin

While the Avengers fight a giant monster in the middle of Manhattan, a group of mercenaries specially armed with weapons designed to kill the heroes are preparing to attack from a nearby rooftop. The soldiers are stopped and killed by the Thunderbolts, their bodies incinerated by Ghost Rider to remove all evidence of their presence. The Punisher and Deadpool note that they have perhaps been seen by Hawkeye, but Castle dismisses it as impossible from that distance. The Red Leader has traced the signal from the soldiers communicators back to their source, and while en route Elektra notes that all of the guns are specially designed to kill their target except for the one meant for Captain America, which is loaded with tranquilizers.

They trace the signal to a high school, where inside they find all of the students not only dead but petrified in place. Overwhelmed with the deaths of so many innocent children, Ghost Rider nearly erupts into a tantrum before transforming back to Blaze. In the school's auditorium, the dead students come alive as zombies and attack the team, biting and infecting them until only Deadpool and Ghost Rider remain. This, however, is merely a horrific dream sequence brought on by a type of gas released by an old foe of Captain America, Doctor Faustus. Deadpool, however, was unaffected by the gas and kills Faustus' men, taking the villain hostage. While each of the other Thunderbolts see their own personal terror (the Punisher turned into a zombie, Red Hulk having killed his teammates, Elektra learning she is a Skrull, and Blaze being given the Penance Stare by Ghost Rider), Deadpool wakes them up by spraying them with a water hose. Castle wants to kill Faustus, but is stopped by Ross, who says he will make Faustus work for them to help as many people as he's killed. Punisher refuses to go along with this and quits the team. Castle returns to his personal safehouse in a rage, hoping that he's not still feeling the effects of Faustus' gas, and finds a bomb in his refrigerator that reads "you don't quit us, you're fired". Then the building explodes.

Thunderbolts (2013) # 22

"No Mercy, Part 3"

Cover Date: April 2014

On Sale Date: February 2014

Writer: Charles Soule

Artist: Carlo Barberi
Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino
Colorist: Isreal Silva
Editor: Jordan D. White
Editor-In-Chief: Axel Alonso 

Cover Artist: Julian Totino Tedesco

In the throne room of Hell, the Thunderbolts have been brought by Mephisto to defeat the current ruler of Hell, Guido Carosella, and return the throne to Mephisto. Red Hulk balks at the idea of killing someone he knew as a hero, so Mephisto points out that if he does not adhere to the contract he signed then all of their souls are forfeit to him. Ghost Rider explains that they must first fight their way through a group of demons before they can challenge Strong Guy. The Thunderbolts attack the demon horde, but upon realizing that it will take too long to kill them all, Ghost Rider incinerates an allotment of the devils and uses their bones to create a new flaming hellcycle. He tells Ross to get on behind him and they race through the demons to the confront Guido.

On Earth, Mercy has attacked Elektra to find out the whereabouts of Ross and the Leader, whom she had previous made a deal with. The Punisher shoots her from behind, saving Elektra. Back in Hell, Red Hulk and Strong Guy start their fight, with Guido explaining that he's doing good in Hell by releasing souls and he refuses to give the throne back to Mephisto. On Earth, Mercy attacks Castle and crushes his hand before she is stabbed in the back by Elektra.

Ross finally defeats Guido, who abdicates the throne back to Mephisto. Deadpool points out that he owes not only the team, but him personally, so Mephisto opens a gateway that Deadpool enters. Hulk and Ghost Rider then order Mephisto to fulfill the rest of their contract. On Earth, Mercy is holding a defeated Punisher and Elektra by their throats high in the air when she disappears, causing the two to fall back down to the forest, Castle protecting Elektra as they hit the trees. Mercy appears in Hell and immediately begins devouring souls. Deadpool comes back through the gateway with a feather for his hat, to replace the one he lost on the previous mission, and through the gateway after him comes a host of warrior angels. Enraged at what the Thunderbolts have brought to Hell, Mephisto swears vengeance, until the Leader points out that their contract forbids him from any retaliatory action against them. If he breaks the contract, the throne of Hell will belong to the Leader. Red Hulk thanks Strong Guy, who decides to stay behind in Hell to get his soul back, and the Thunderbolts instantly reappear in their headquarters. Elektra has brought a grievously wounded Punisher there, begging them to save his life. The feather that Deadpool brought back from Heaven reaches out and heals Castle's wounds, restoring him to life, to the surprise of everyone. Blaze then asks Ross if he can join their team, saying he needs to fight evil as much as the demon inside him does. Ross agrees, and Ghost Rider consciously changes the flame surrounding his skull from orange to red.

Thunderbolts (2013) # 21

"No Mercy, Part 2"

Cover Date: March 2014

On Sale Date: January 2014

Writer: Charles Soule

Artist: Carlo Barberi
Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino
Colorist: Israel Silva w/ James Campbell & Thomas Mason
Editor: Jordan D. White
Editor-In-Chief: Axel Alonso 

Cover Artist: Greg Land

Having been accidentally sent to Hell, Ghost Rider leads the Thunderbolts (Red Hulk, Venom, Red Leader, and Deadpool) up the Bonespire in search of a way out. Blaze tells the team that while getting into Hell is easy, "getting out's a bitch". They have to find "a personal hell", which is metaphysically closer to the world the soul left behind, in order to break through back to Earth. Blaze then comments that Hell feels different now, and he's not sure why. They find a damned soul wrapped in a cocoon of hair, which sucks them inside when the Leader touches it. While Ross is attacked by a giant facsimile of his own moustache, Ghost Rider finds the damned soul and frees him from the prison. Unfortunately, the soul has been driven insane and will be no use to them. When Ross complains that Blaze has no idea what he's doing, Johnny replies that he warned him about not being good at spells before they started. Blaze then points out the glowing pentagram on Hulk's chest, calling it a "Hell Mark" that means he's been claimed by someone in Hell. A moment later, the Thunderbolts find themselves transported before Mephisto, lord of Hell and the owner of Ross's "Hell Mark".

Back at Thunderbolts headquarters, the two members of the team that stayed behind, Elektra and the Punisher, decide to take care of an assassination job provided by Elektra's contact. Inside the complex, they find an assortment of vehicles confiscated by the government that they can use to get where they're going.

In Hell, Mephisto tries to call in the marker owed to him by the Red Hulk, but the team discover that the demon is no longer ruler of Hell and can't enforce the spell. Seeing an opportunity, the Red Leader engages in a deal with Mephisto: the Thunderbolts place Mephisto back on Hell's throne, and in return he will send them home and bring Mercy down to Hell. While Mephisto, Leader, and Red Hulk negotiate the terms of the contract, Ghost Rider has a conversation with Venom and Deadpool about the purpose of the Thunderbolts. On Earth, Elektra and Punisher travel a compound to assassinate a mob boss, but before they can they are both attacked by Mercy, who can no longer feel Ross and Sterns on Earth and wants to know where they are.

Back in Hell, Ghost Rider tells Venom about his failed attempt at becoming a movie star, which resulted in the Spirit of Vengeance becoming bored and killed one of the movie producers over a hit-and-run murder he'd done years before. Red Hulk signs the contract with Mephisto (with Deadpool standing in as a notary), and the heroes are instantly transported before the current ruler of Hell: Guido Carosella, formerly the mutant Strong Guy of X-Factor.

Thunderbolts (2013) # 20

"No Mercy, Part 1"

Cover Date: March 2014

On Sale Date: January 2014

Title: "No Mercy" Part 1

Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Carlo Barberi
Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino
Colorist: Isreal Silva
Editor: Jordan D. White
Editor-In-Chief: Axel Alonso 

Cover Artist: Julian Totino Tedesco

At the abandoned Petoskey Stone Diner in Michigan, General Ross and the Thunderbolts (Deadpool, Venom, Elektra, the Punisher, and the Red Leader) find the place filled with robot guards that are activated by the team's arrival. After making quick work of the robots, Ross explains that beneath the diner is a research facility where the United States Government stored away all of the alien and exotic technology they have confiscated over the years. Ross leads them into the underground complex and the various team members start settling in: Punisher and Elektra talk about why Castle is still there since the team completed his mission in New York while the Leader fixes the gamma reactor that powers the complex. Later, the Thunderbolts talk about their next mission, which is being chosen by Ross: they have to take out their wayward teammate, Mercy, an alien "death goddess" who kills those she sees as "seeking death". The Leader suggests that they send Mercy to the place with the highest concentration of people praying for oblivion: Hell. When Deadpool asks how they're going to get here there, Ross and Venom have an idea.

At the Hoover Dam in Nevada, stunt biker Johnny Blaze is being interviewed by a reporter before he attempts to jump the dam (the single longest cycle jump ever attempted!). When the reporter mentions his failed attempts to become a Hollywood movie star, Blaze ends the interview and walks away. Despite the advice of his mechanic to cancel the stunt, Johnny guns his bike and jumps the ramp...then crashes straight into the canyon wall. He saves himself by transforming into the Ghost Rider, but transforms back when the safety crew extinguishes the flames from the wreck. At the hospital, Ross and Flash Thompson visit Blaze, having heard about the crash on television, and ask him for his help.

Later, back at the Thunderbolts' headquarters, Blaze has drawn up a mystical gateway shaped as a five point star with himself, Red Hulk, Leader, Venom, and Deadpool standing at each point. Elektra and the Punisher refuse to participate, and Blaze warns Ross that spells aren't really his specialty. Blaze transforms into Ghost Rider and tells the team to focus their thoughts on Mercy, who should be brought to them by the spell and then be sent to Hell. Unfortunately, the spell backfires and instead it's the Thunderbolts who get transported into Hell.