(Avengers Annual#22/2 (fb))- At a later point, the Incinerators snuck a miniaturized Incinerator inside of Gamble's time machine with a TVA replicator, and soon flooded the machine with more Incinerators. They took Gamble hostage, and tore from his mind the means to create a Time Incinerator with which to eradciate time itself. Needing the Starstone to do this, they directed his time machine to Camelot to retrieve the Starstone immediately after it fell to earth.

(Avengers Annual#22/2) - However, the Anachronauts, led by Terminatrix, set after the Incinerators and fought their way inside the time machine. They set Gamble free, and after he recovered the remote control for his time machine, he was able to expel all of the Incinerators from the machine. He thanked the Anachronauts, who couldn't believe they had been saved by a little man in a bow tie, then Gamble set off to give the Starstone to Merlin in exchange for his Book of Skelos.

Comments: Created by Jo Duffy, Kerry Gammill and Ricardo Villamonte.

    Professor Gamble is, of course, an homage to Dr. Who, and the Incinerators are his equivalent to the Daleks.

    Gamble has the Doctor beat in at least one respect -- his time machine can actually change its exterior appearance.

    The alias "Sergius O'Shaughnessy" was also an alias used by Denny O'Neil while writing for DC and Charlton comics.

    Just a point about his name which further ties him to the Doctor. Douglas Adams, before he became a famous author the world over, wrote for the show. One of the stories he worked on, broadcast under the name "City of Death", had the working title of "A Gamble with Time". I'm pretty certain that Jo Duffy admitted that this was where they got the Professor's name from.
--Loki

    Having Thunderbolt and Crime-Buster as fellow board members of the Penance Corp in 2011's Power Man & Iron Fist limited series poses a bit of a continuity conundrum. Carver died in Power Man & Iron Fist I#62, while Crime-Buster didn't make his first appearance until 1984's Power Man & Iron Fist I#105. In fact, the man who would eventually become Crime-Buster was still serving a 30 year prison sentence in Louisiana when the Thunderbolt was active. It might have been the second Thunderbolt who served with Crime-Buster and the other vigilantes, even though he wasn't created until 1991.
    Add to that writer Fred van Lente pointing out that all the vigilantes he had working for the Penance Corp were in fact established Power Man & Iron Fist characters.
    Is it not just possible that Crime-Buster was active more early than when he first appeared? He escaped from prison, and I don't see why that has to be later than Thunderbolt's death.--Snood

    Having Thunderbolt and Crime-Buster as fellow board members of the Penance Corp in 2011's Power Man & Iron Fist limited series poses a bit of a continuity conundrum. Carver died in Power Man & Iron Fist I#62, while Crime-Buster didn't make his first appearance until 1984's Power Man & Iron Fist I#105. In fact, the man who would eventually become Crime-Buster was still serving a 30 year prison sentence in Louisiana when the Thunderbolt was active. It might have been the second Thunderbolt who served with Crime-Buster and the other vigilantes, even though he wasn't created until 1991.
    Add to that writer Fred van Lente pointing out that all the vigilantes he had working for the Penance Corp were in fact established Power Man & Iron Fist characters.
    Is it not just possible that Crime-Buster was active more early than when he first appeared? He escaped from prison, and I don't see why that has to be later than Thunderbolt's death.--Snood

    I got the distinct impression that their involvement working for Penance Corp was intended by Fred van Lente to have taken place AFTER their appearances in the original PM&IF series. Obviously that's problematic for the deceased Thunderbolt, but if it wasn't for that concern I don't think anyone would hesitate to have placed the various heroes' involvement later in their careers.
    I can see a few options to make it all fit:

1. The Penance Corp membership took place early, as stated in Thunderbolt's entry. After his demise, the others left PC for a while, so they were all freelance (as depicted in their original appearances - CB is definitely not a board member with PC in his first appearance) when Luke and Danny met them, and then went back to work for PC later. Workable, but messy.

2. The tour of the facilities and group photo took place earlier, but there was a sizeable gap before anyone took up the offer of employment. Thunderbolt never actually joined, despite any misphrasings by the others that might have suggested he did. Again, viable but messy, as the whole reason why PC said they were willing to take on someone like Crime-Buster was because they were a start-up when they asked him and couldn't afford to be choosy - if there'd been a gap between the offer and the acceptance long enough to fit in 80+ issues of PM(&IF), by the time he decided to take up the offer they'd have no longer been so desperate.

3. It was after PM & IF's series ended. The Thunderbolt present was (a) the second one; (b) the original somehow resurrected (hardly unusual these days); (c) the original out of his proper place in time (plausible given Prof. Gamble's presence).

I personally think 3 is the best bet, with (b) being a personal preference (I liked the original Thunderbolt), but with (a) probably being the more feasible, least convoluted option.
--Loki

    Interesting theories, I especially like the Professor Gamble time travel idea. Still, it made me think of a fourth:

                    4. It was established that Justin Hammer used his business connections to acquire the Thunderbolt costume after Carver's death. It's not been revealed who he bought it from, but... If we agree that the Penance Corp started after the PM&IF series ended, it might be possible its founder Zebari got his hands on the costume and simply hired someone to wear it for publicity.

    After all, the Thunderbolt was a remarkably popular and beloved vigilante (in the inner cities, at least) whose death was never made public. That'd make him an ideal token/spokesperson/source of credibility.
With his business up and running and with sufficient real vigilantes on board, Zebari could have decided to "retire" the Thunderbolt, selling the outfit to Hammer. 
--Norvo

Images taken from:
Power Man and Iron Fist#79, page 14, panel 2
Avengers Annual#22, page 56, panel 1
Power Man and Iron Fist#79, page 14, panel 5

Other appearances:
Avengers Annual#22 (1993) - Roy Thomas & Jean-Marc Lofficier (writers), Al Milgrom (pencils), Mark Steckbauer (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Power Man & Iron Fist II#1 (April, 2011) - Fred van Lente (writer), Wellinton Alves (pencils), Nelson Pereira (inks), Tom Brennan (editor)

Last updated: 01/11/15

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.