Real Name: John Watkins III
First Appearance: Thunderbolts #45
He awoke in a London hospital bed in Thunderbolts #45 after being in a coma for five years. The nurse then informed Roger Aubrey about him. He then later visited by Roger Aubrey and Elizabeth Barstow who are part of the V-battalion. During this visit Watkins says he is ready to resume his responsibilities and makes a V on the hospital wall with a knife. John Watkins III is also supposed to be the real grandson of the original Citizen V, since two others have made the claim. Baron Zemo used it for a cover story when impersonating Citizen V, and Dallas Riordan also pretended to be the grandson of the original Citizen V when she fought Zemo.
Watkins received a new Citizen V costume and became the leader of the Redeemers. He led the team into CSA headquarters but has since been carrying out his duties with the V-battalion. Captain America is serving as the temporary field leader until he returns.
Citizen V is a field operative for the V-battalion and carries out the orders of the Penance council, which is the head of the V-battalion. Watkins has taken over the role of Citizen V from Dallas Riordan who ran away from the V-battalion after refusing one of their orders. Although Watkins has been completing his assignments for the V-battalion his behaviour has become strange. He let two of his childhood friends Eamonn and Piers die just so he could pursue his target. He has turned off his comm link at times that annoyed the V-battalion. Also to get information out of Diamondback who was under the control of nano-probes he used rather harsh methods that caused a neural feedback through Diamondback's body. Watkins also has some history with the Baron Von Struckers children Andrea and Andreas. They even commented that he never had much backbone before and how he seems like a new man.
Roger Aubrey has attributed his behaviour to rushing back into duty to quickly. John Watkins III secret was revealed in Citizen V and the V-Battalion #3 when Andrea Strucker called him Helmut. How or why Zemo shares the mind of John Watkins III is unknown. It is hard to believe some of the things he has done in the Citizen V costume, but since he shares John Watkins mind, Zemo is probably being influenced more than he's willing to admit.
Watkins has also worn two costumes as Citizen V, the first when leading the Redeemers and the more standard Citizen V costume when working with the V-battalion. His costume seems to have the same qualities of Dallas' costume, such as infrared sensors in the visor, and having camouflage.
Thunderbolts and all associated characters are the property of MARVEL COMICS TM&©2003.