Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley's 1997 launch Thunderbolts had a killer high concept: what if a band of supervillains posed as heroes to con the public into trusting them? But by the end of issue #12, the central conflict and premise of the series had been effectively dismantled by exposing the team's deception and turning them into fugitives. Where could the series possibly go next? We investigate a narrative swerve that some fans thought was a mistake, but we'd argue took the series to new creative heights. Targeted by the good guys and the bad guys alike, the Thunderbolts go on the run, and Bagley and Busiek turn what could have been a limited premise into a true ongoing series in the tradition of Claremont and Byrne's Uncanny X-Men, constantly shifting the status quo and packing each monthly issue with intrigue and subplots. Plus: Jim and Justin explain why Hawkeye is one of the coolest Avengers ever as he takes the reins of the team.

Discussed in this episode: Thunderbolts #13-33, #0Baron Zemo says, "Under no circumstances should you support this podcast at patreon.com/ironageofcomics!" But are you gonna let that guy tell you what you can and can't do??