We've got to stick together! It's the only way through this -- anything! We can't just abandon each other! Nobody's sacrificing themselves, and nobody's leaving anyone alone! I've been through that already -- and I don't like it! 
- —Jolt[src]
History
Early Life[]
Robert and Jane Takahama moved with their daughter to New York City from Ojai, California, for a chance at a better life. Because of her father's work at the United Nations and her mother's psychiatric practice, Hallie grew up in relative luxury and comfort. That all changed on her 15th birthday, when the menace known as Onslaught killed her parents, razed her home, and destroyed her neighborhood during his attempt to take over the world. In the aftermath, the mad geneticist and supervillain Arnim Zola abducted Hallie,[3][4] along with a number of other children. She was subjected to experiments that made her feel as if she were being torn apart from the inside.[5] The procedures made her faster and stronger, filling her to bursting with energy. At the first opportunity, Hallie used her new powers to escape.[6]
Thunderbolts[]
She then sought out the Fantastic Four, but found the Thunderbolts instead, since they were now living in Four Freedoms Plaza. Still, they decided to accompany Hallie to rescue the other captives and defeat Zola. Subsequently, Hallie adopted the name Jolt and joined the team. Hallie had no idea the Thunderbolts were really the Masters of Evil masquerading as heroes, scheming to work themselves into a position of trust and power.[7]
_from_Thunderbolts_Vol_1_4_002.jpg){kind=link}
Original Suit and appearance
As weeks went by, some of her teammates secretly started liking their hero life, so, when Citizen-V (actually Baron Zemo in disguise) accomplished what he was looking for, he outed the Thunderbolts as the ex-Masters of Evil as a way to assure their loyalty, since the public was now unwilling to trust them. Despite the initial shock of finding her teammates were actually villains in disguise, Jolt was unable to give up on the team and convinced most of them to try and make the Thunderbolts a legitimate group.[8]
After Hawkeye started acting as the leader of the Thunderbolts in their quest to regain the public's approval,[9] he got Hallie and Charlie Burlingame fake IDs so they could start attending the local school and eventually graduate.[1]
From then on, the young hero led a double life: At school, she was the surly Hallie Shimosato; once the bell rang, she was Jolt. She and her teammates defeated the Masters of Evil,[10] Graviton,[11] and the Imperial Forces.[12] Ironically, she died not in the guise of Jolt, but as her alter ego, Hallie, was shot by Scourge while she and her friends were at a coffeehouse.[13][14]
_from_Thunderbolts_Vol_1_46_001.jpg){kind=link}
Return
Jolt's former teammate Techno secretly stole her body from the morgue, hoping to isolate the course of her biokinetic powers. His experiments, however, caused a regenerative effect that healed Jolt and brought her back to life. Rather than share what had happened with the Thunderbolts, Techno kept Hallie in stasis and continued his studies. When Scourge (who was being coerced into eliminating all the Thunderbolts) was sent to kill Techno, he discovered Hallie and noticed she was connected to Techno, which meant killing him would mean ending her life as well. Unwilling to end her life once more, Scourge delayed his plans to reroute the system's power. After finally making his strike against Techno and leaving him severely injured, Scourge had to attend to an uncontrolled Atlas, giving Techno the chance to override the power reroute and kill Hallie in the process. In the end, struggling to take Hallie's life to save his own, the robot that had never felt anything in his life actually chose to go against his self-preservation instincts and die a hero.[15]
Despite being back among the living, Hallie was changed forever. She could now turn into an electric form that allowed her to display a variety of biokinetic energy powers, but her death also left her human body partially paralyzed. Eventually, her strong will was once again put on display as she started to recover with the help of physiotherapy sessions.[16]
Young Allies[]
After being stranded on Counter-Earth with most of the Thunderbolts, she chose to stay behind to help the devastated planet as one of the Young Allies. However, Jolt made a brief return to Earth, in order to help both the Thunderbolts and Avengers to stop the out-of-control Moonstone (who possessed two moonstones at the time and was losing control when she absorbed the Liberator's energies within her).[17]
She and the Young Allies gathered refugees on the floating fortress of Attilan which later came under attack from Proteus in the body of Morph. Working alongside the Exiles they were able to stop Proteus, who initially tricked them into believing that the Exiles were their enemies, from wiping out all life on Counter-Earth.[18]
Return to Earth[]
While on Counter-Earth she and the Young Allies discovered a way to send her home by converting her into electricity and shooting her into space. Months later she finally made it to Earth and landed in the Antarctic, right in front of Atlas as he was getting beaten up by the new Masters of Evil. She was able to rescue him but he was so dazed from the beating that he thought she was an illusion.[19]
After waking him up and getting him back to the base, they encountered Zemo and the New Masters of Evil, who were trying to capture Kobik. Not aware of what was happening, Jolt and Atlas were both caught by a blast caused by Kobik's rampage. While Atlas got away relatively uninjured, Jolt was seemingly shrunk enough to fit in the palm of the hand, being picked up by Ghost in the aftermath of the battle.[20]Attributes
 |
Powers
Pre-Resurrection
- Superhuman Strength: Possesses heightened strength, being able to lift just under 1 ton.[21]
- Superhuman Speed[21]
- Superhuman Agility[21]
- Energy Enhanced Blows: Able to throw hyperkinetic punches.[22][21]
Post-Resurrection
- Electrokinesis: Since resurrection, she seems to have been suffused with biokinetic energy.[22][21]
- Flight: After her resurrection she displayed the ability to fly.[23]
- Short Circuit: Helen's electric powers allow her so short circuit all electronic devices in her vicinity, from weapons to nanobots.[24]
- Electro-Blasts: Helen can project blasts of electricity.[25]
- Body Reformation: Jolt can reform her body and reacquire cohesion if the bio-electricity that composes her body is dispersed. This ability allowed her to survive an apparently deadly attack at the hands of Graviton.[26]
Weaknesses
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Cane and crutches, while recovering from injuries.
Notes
Trivia
- Hallie was 15 when she joined the Thunderbolts.[28]
See Also
- 74 appearance(s) of Helen Takahama (Earth-616)
- 3 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Helen Takahama (Earth-616)
- 8 minor appearance(s) of Helen Takahama (Earth-616)
- 2 mention(s) of Helen Takahama (Earth-616)
- 61 image(s) of Helen Takahama (Earth-616)
- 5 quotation(s) by or about Helen Takahama (Earth-616)
Links and References
- Helen Takahama on Marvel.com
- Helen Takahama on Wikipedia.org
- http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix7/jolt_takahama.htm
- http://www.marveldirectory.com/individuals/j/jolt.htm
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Thunderbolts #27
- ↑ Thunderbolts #15
- ↑ Thunderbolts #1
- ↑ Thunderbolts #33
- ↑ Thunderbolts #2
- ↑ Thunderbolts #3
- ↑ Thunderbolts #3–4
- ↑ Thunderbolts #10–15
- ↑ Thunderbolts #21
- ↑ Thunderbolts #25
- ↑ Thunderbolts #30
- ↑ Thunderbolts #32
- ↑ Thunderbolts #34
- ↑ Thunderbolts #46
- ↑ Thunderbolts #46–47
- ↑ Thunderbolts #48–51
- ↑ Avengers/Thunderbolts #5–6
- ↑ Exiles #81–82
- ↑ Thunderbolts (Vol. 3) #10
- ↑ Thunderbolts (Vol. 3) #12
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #6
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Women of Marvel 2005 #1
- ↑ Thunderbolts #48
- ↑ Thunderbolts #50
- ↑ Thunderbolts #56
- ↑ Thunderbolts #58
- ↑ Thunderbolts #64
- ↑ Thunderbolts #33
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 6