Thunder

THUNDER II

Real Name: Anissa Pierce

Class: Human mutant

Occupation: Superhero

Group Affiliation: Outsiders III

Known Relatives: Joana (cousin, deceased), Jefferson Pierce (Black Lightning, father), Lynn Stewart (mother), unnamed grandparents (deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Brooklyn, New York, formerly New Orleans, Louisiana

First Appearance: Outsiders III #1 (August, 2003)

Powers: Thunder could increase her body density, making her invulnerable and superstrong. She could generate shock waves by stamping her foot.

History: (Outsiders III #1 (fb, BTS) - At age eleven Anissa discovered her mutant superpowers. As she grew up she decided to follow in her father Jefferson (Black Lightning) Pierce's footsteps. Her father told her not to even entertain the notion until she graduated from college.

(Outsiders III #1-3) - Anissa graduated from Tulane University and immediately took on the superhero identity Thunder, naming herself after her signature move of increasing her density and stamping her foot, creating a shock wave that sounded like thunder. While out on patrol Thunder was approached by Arsenal, who recruited her for the Outsiders. During the teams first meeting they found their first case; they had to stop Gorilla Grodd, who was assaulting New York with an army of apes. The Outsiders defeated Grodd's army and learned they were only there as a distraction so that Joker could kidnap President Luthor, who was staying in the city. The Outsiders then saved Luthor and took Joker into custody. Jefferson Pierce pleaded with Thunder to quit the Outsiders and quit heroics. She refused, so he asked her to move out of his house.

(Outsiders III #4-6) -Acting on tips from Arsenal's source, Thunder and the Outsiders battled and captured Calendar Man, Calculator, Plasmus, Punch and Jewlee and the Bug Eyed Bandit. Thunder and the Outsiders shut down a gun-running operation headed by Brain and Monsieur Mallah in Kwajalein. Arsenal's source gave him a hint that the villains they had recently captured were working for Brother Blood, so the Outsiders went to the House of St. Francis Monestary where Blood was living as a monk. Blood set off a bomb that destroyed the monastery and fled. The Outsiders learned Blood was going to activate sleeper agents to steal one million babies to start a new race raised loyal only to him. The Outsiders stopped Blood from activating a GPS signal that would awaken his sleepers, but they failed to prevent the inmates of the Slab, who were protecting Blood, from escaping custody.

(Outsiders III #7) - Thunder and the Outsiders physically restrained the real Metamorpho when showed up at Outsiders hq and tried to absorb the Outsider's Metamorpho, who was actually a piece of Metamorpho that formed its' own life. The Outsiders helped convince the real Metamorpho that their Metamorpho was a real hero and should be able to continue his own, separate life.

(Outsiders III #8-10) - Thunder and the Outsiders investigated a crime scene, a busload of people burned to death in a demonic ritual. They learned Russian mobster Ishmael Gregor was behind it and went to his home in Greenwich Village. By the time they arrived Gregor had completed the rituals needed to become the Hell-powered supervillain Sabbac, and he defeated the Outsiders. At Outsiders hq, Black Lightning tried to get Thunder to leave the team and come home with him, but she refused. Lightning teamed with the Outsiders when they confronted Sabbac as he summoned the Soldiers of Dietec to Earth. With the help of Captain Marvel, Jr. the Outsiders forced the Soldiers back to Hell and forced Sabbac to flee. Thunder enjoyed seeing her father in action, and it further steeled her resolve to continue her superhero career.

(Superman / Batman #13) - Thunder and the Outsiders were among the heroes invited to Paradise Island to welcome Superman's cousin Supergirl into the superhero community.

(Green Arrow III #49, 50) - When Thunder and the Outsiders learned Arsenal was supposedly caught in an explosion at the Star City Forest Trust Bank after aiding Green Arrow against Drakon, they came to offer their help. They searched the wreckage but found no sign of their teammate. They did find a calling card from Riddler, who had Drakon kidnap Arsenal before the detonation. They stormed Riddler’s safehouse, Puertas al Infierno, a former prison, and fought off the hi-tech armored mercenaries that guarded it. Shift captured Drakon, and once Riddler learned his security had been breached he fled, noting that his act was a game, and a hint of things to come when he was serious about destroying Green Arrow.

(Outsiders IV #15) - Black Lightning visited Anissa in the hospital to tell her he was going away for a while. He told her comatose form that he was joining the Outsiders, and going off the grid so that the world, and the future would be a better place for her.

Comments: Created by Judd Winick & Tom Raney

Thunder received a profile in Teen Titans / Outsiders Secret Files 2003.

Thunder had a cameo in Green Arrow III #72, 73 and JLA #121.