The Marauders is a team of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original Marauders team included mutant warriors and assassins employed by the X-Men's enemy Mister Sinister, a mad scientist villain often intent on creating a perfect race of superhumans. The Marauders have been tasked by Sinister to perform kidnappings, assassinations, mass murder, or simply fight Sinister's enemies. The Marauders have been killed in combat, but often Sinister uses his cloning technology to re-create them. This team of Marauders has appeared in many different stories of the X-Men franchise, as well as stories featuring other Marvel Comics heroes.

In 2019, the Dawn of X event involved the X-Men and many allies and enemies creating a new all-mutant country on the living island Krakoa. Teleport gates that only work for mutants were then created at various points on Earth, allowing any mutant who wished to join the new community to instantly do so. Kitty Pryde then formed a new team of "Marauders" to transport mutants to Krakoa who lived in countries that did not recognize the sovereignty of the mutant nation and/or obstructed the local teleport gates leading to the island. This team also works to protect mutant travelers and refugees from threats. The team's series Marauders debuted in 2019.

Publication history

1986–2000

The first Marauders team debuted in Uncanny X-Men #210 (Oct. 1986), during a crossover called the "Mutant Massacre" where the team was sent to slaughter the Morlocks. This issue introduced the characters Arclight, Harpoon, Malice, Scalphunter, Scrambler, and Riptide. Two other Marauders, Blockbuster and Prism, made their first appearance in a later chapter of the "Mutant Massacre" featured in X-Factor #10. The original Marauders team included pre-existing villains Sabretooth and Vertigo, with the other members having been created for the "Mutant Massacre" story by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita Jr.

In The Uncanny X-Men #212, Mister Sinister is mentioned as the leader of the Marauders. He is seen in silhouette in The Uncanny X-Men #213 (1986) when Sabretooth's mind is scanned. He does not appear with the team (or debut in comics) until The Uncanny X-Men #221 (1987). Although it is Mister Sinister's team, it is revealed in The Uncanny X-Men #350 (1997) that it was Gambit recruited and organized the team. Following Sinister's apparent death during the crossover "Messiah Complex", many dormant Marauder clones awakened and fought the new X-Force team in X-Force (vol. 3) #9. The one-shot X-Men Origins: Gambit (2009) includes flashbacks to Gambit's recruitment of the Marauders – the comic's writer Mike Carey highlighted that artist David Yardin "depicts the first meeting of the Marauders, the first time they're all together in one room, and you get a sense of how powerful and overbearing these personalities are and the tensions between them".

In Astonishing X-Men (vol. 3) #48, a new version of the Marauders appeared whose members included: Arclight, Blockbuster, Harpoon, Prism, Vanisher, and Chimera (serving as the new leader). Mister Sinister later formed another incarnation of the Marauders team consisting of Aries, Azimuth, Chimera, and Coda. Professor X, Magneto, and the X-Men, along with many mutant allies and former enemies, created a new mutant community on the living island of Krakoa, a self-sufficient country where they offered sanctuary to mutants. Various teleport gates were created across Earth to allow mutants entry to Krakoa; if a mutant brings a human with them voluntarily, that human must ask for permission from Krakoa to use the gateway. Kitty Pryde then created a team to help transport those mutants whose native countries did not recognize Krakoa and blocked the local gates that would allow mutants to travel there. Kitty named this team the Marauders, and recruited the former X-Men Iceman, Storm, and Bishop, along with Pyro. The team appears in their own series Marauders, which started publication in 2019. Screen Rant highlighted that "the Marauders are functionally the Krakoan navy in the Dawn of X era and are an extension of both the X-Men and the high stakes machinations of the Hellfire Club". These Marauders had been turned into zombie-like slaves of Madelyne Pryor; Pryor planned on attacking Krakoa with clones of the Marauders. Afterwards, the Quiet Council approves the resurrection of the original Marauders. Screen Rant commented that in the first volume the Marauders were "tasked with protecting the interests of the Hellfire Trading Company's black-market and rescuing mutant refugees feeling from unfriendly nations, returning them to safety on Krakoa. Now that most of the world's mutants have been relocated to Krakoa from dangerous territories, and X-Force taking on more responsibility with retrieving stolen Hellfire goods, Pryde is repositioning her Marauders team as a mutant Search and Rescue squad".

After his wife Rebecca discovers his work and condemns him, dying during labor soon afterward, Essex decides to leave behind his humanity. Using alien technology, Apocalypse turns Essex into an ageless superhuman with pale white skin. Essex takes on the name "Mister Sinister" (a reference to how his wife saw him before her death). Though he later cuts ties with the criminal Marauders before moving his operations to America, Sinister repeatedly decides to recruit other agents to act in his stead and serve as his protectors (which becomes more important to Essex after he decides he needs soldiers to use against Apocalypse).

In 1944, John Greycrow of the US Army is executed by firing squad for murdering fellow officers. Greycrow's mutant abilities allow him to survive; he emerges from his grave and finds Mr. Sinister waiting. Sinister explains he learned of Greycrow's abilities and deadly nature and wishes to recruit him. Greycrow accepts, calling himself Scalphunter. Sinister and Greycrow leave to pursue their own agenda. Sinister's research is later recovered and used by the scientists behind the Weapon X project.

Sometime later during the Vietnam War, Scalphunter brings soldiers and civilians to Sinister for experimentation. Sabretooth, working as a mercenary, is hired to find the truth about the "White Devil" and his connection to reports of missing people, as well as the rumors of "monster men" appearing. Scalphunter tells Sabretooth to leave him and Sinister alone, offering money and teasing that he will let the authorities know the mercenary has been killing prostitutes during his investigation. Sabretooth agrees to leave with the money and Scalphunter indicates that he and Sinister will recruit him in the future.

Becoming aware of the mutant teenagers Scott Summers and Jean Grey, Sinister concludes that their combined genetic codes could create a near-perfect mutant, one powerful enough to destroy Apocalypse. Since Jean is already being mentored and watched over by Professor X, Sinister spends years focusing much of his efforts on manipulating Scott. To aid in this, Sinister brings the orphaned Scott to the Essex State Home for Foundlings in Nebraska, an orphanage he secretly runs and uses to monitor and experiment on mutant children. Eventually, Scott leaves the orphanage and is also recruited by Xavier.

Forming the first Marauders team

Years after joining the X-Men, Jean Grey joins with the Phoenix Force. After months of wielding her new cosmic power, Jean is temporarily corrupted, causing the Phoenix Force to warp into a new, murderous persona called Dark Phoenix. To prevent the Dark Phoenix from causing harm, Jean seemingly kills herself. Her death inadvertently activates Sinister's clone of Jean Grey and he decides to use it to further manipulate Cyclops. Named Madelyne Pryor, the clone encounters Cyclops, and the two fall in love. After marrying and having a child, Nathan Summers, they move to Alaska.

Meanwhile, Sinister decides that the underground mutant community known as the Morlocks represents the worst kind of mutants possible and should not be allowed to risk mixing with the gene pool of other mutants and humans. He is further angered when his studies reveal that several Morlocks bear signs of genetic manipulation based on his own research, having been experimented on by Dark Beast. Disgusted, Sinister assembles the Marauders to wipe out the Morlocks.

"Mutant Massacre" and "Inferno"

Returning to New York, the Marauders are sent after the Morlocks. Using his stealth and tracking skills, Gambit leads the group to the secret Morlock community in the sewers but abandons the group when he learns they intend to murder the people living there. The Marauders dismiss Gambit and begin their slaughter, causing the "Mutant Massacre" event, a series of battles that include the X-Men, X-Factor, and other heroes such as Thor. During the fighting, the Marauders Prism, Riptide, and Blockbuster are killed in action. However, Sinister has now perfected his cloning techniques and resurrects them. He also uses his scientific skill and mental abilities to ensure that the minds of the Marauder clones will shut down if they decide to betray him.

Following the "Mutant Massacre", the remaining Marauders attack the X-Men's base at the X-Mansion. Scanning the mind of Sabretooth, Psylocke learns the massacre was ordered by someone called "Sinister", alerting the X-Men to his presence for the first time. The attack fails, but the Marauders later attack former X-Men member Polaris. Malice succeeds in possessing her and then becomes the field leader of the team. After the Marauders kidnap Nathan and attempt to kill her, Madelyne Pryor rejoins the company of the X-Men, traumatized by the loss of her son.

Pryor's resentment and anger lea her to make a deal with demons. Transformed into the demonically powered "Goblyn Queen," Pryor is at the heart of the "Inferno" crossover as Hell-bound forces cross into Earth's dimensions. During this time, the Marauders face Pryor again, now joined by Sinister who reveals her true origin as a clone. Pryor and many of the Marauders are killed during "Inferno", with Pryor's life force and memories merging with Jean Grey. Sinister confronts the X-Men and X-Factor teams, revealing how he manipulated both Pryor and Cyclops. Cyclops unleashes a powerful optic blast that seemingly kills Sinister. This is later revealed to be a ruse performed by Mr. Sinister, who decided it was best to retreat. Without Sinister, the Marauders Sabretooth, Blockbuster, and Malice continue their own attacks on the X-Men.

Later teams

A new incarnation of the team emerges years later, consisting of Malice (now possessing Omega Sentinel). Lady Mastermind, Sunfire, Gambit, and Mystique, who have all allies with former Acolytes members Exodus, Random, Frenzy, Tempo, and Unuscione. During a battle on Muir Island, the Marauders Scrambler and Vertigo seemingly die. Mister Sinister is killed by Mystique, but transfers his consciousness into a host and creates a new clone body for himself.

Da'o Coy Manh, the half-sister of Karma, forms a new incarnation of the Marauders to take revenge on her father. The new lineup includes Arclight, Blockbuster, Harpoon, Prism, and Vanisher, with Chimera as the apparent new leader.

Magneto's Marauders

With the exceptions of Malice and Sabretooth, many clones of the other Marauders still exist. Deciding they are long overdue for vengeance in the name of the Morlocks their predecessors killed, Magneto hunts down and kills these clones, except for one of Scalphunter, whose limbs are dismembered. After tracking a group of remaining clones that have yet to be activated, Magneto decides instead to alter their personalities to obey his own commands in the future.

Following World War Hate, Magneto leads various mutants through the island of Genosha. Magneto unleashes his Marauders against S.H.I.E.L.D., using them as a distraction while he destroys much of the organization's collected data on mutants. Magneto and his Marauders then retreat and go separate ways.

All-New, All-Different Marvel

As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel event, Mister Sinister forms another incarnation of the Marauders in order to capture Nightcrawler. This team includes Aries, Azimuth, Chimera, and Coda. They were used to capture mutants like Nightcrawler as part of Mister Sinister's plot to make mutant and Inhuman DNA compatible. The Marauders are defeated by the X-Men as Mister Sinister unleashes a clone of Cyclops on them. The Cyclops clone is killed in battle, with Sinister and the Marauders being arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D.

After being manipulated by Emma Frost, the Marauders reform with Scalphunter, Arclight, Harpoon, Blockbuster, Vertigo, and Malice. The X-Men confronts this group, accusing them of committing a second Morlock Massacre. The Marauders deny this charge, but the X-Man Chamber burns them alive with his psionic fire. As he burns, Harpoon kills Chamber by impaling him in the back.

Dawn of X

In the 2019 "Dawn of X" event, Xavier and Magneto work with the X-Men, as well as many allies and former enemies, to create a new mutant nation and sanctuary on the living island of Krakoa. Krakoa creates teleport gates around the Earth so that mutants can travel to its land instantaneously and join the new community. However, some countries do not recognize the sovereignty of Krakoa and block their local gates to prevent mutant citizens from leaving. To aid these mutants who cannot access the gates, Kitty Pryde forms a new group she calls the Marauders, recruiting her now reformed enemy Pyro as well as former teammates Storm, Iceman, and Bishop.

Mister Sinister, Scalphunter, and Sabretooth join the Krakoa community. The other living former Marauders refuse to come to Krakoa, taking shelter in Sinister's former orphanage in Nebraska. While Sinister is left alone due to now being a member of Krakoa's ruling Quiet Council, Scalphunter is confronted by Morlocks on the island who inform him it is the anniversary of the Mutant Massacre. Rather than seek to make amends, Scalphunter remorselessly answers with violence and reveals a hidden weapon. He is later grouped with other mutants who are having trouble fitting in with the new community due to aggressive, violent, or villainous attitudes. At Sinister's suggestion, the group becomes a new team of Hellions whom he hopes to rehabilitate through a form of group therapy. Former X-Men member Psylocke joins Sinister as overseer of the group.

Members

Original roster

{| class="wikitable"

|- "

! style="width:13%;"|Member !! style="width:20%;"| First appearance !! style="width:67%;"| Description

|-

| Arclight || The Uncanny X-Men #210 (Oct. 1986) || Philippa Sontag is a super-strong mutant. Her mutation allows her to release shockwaves, cause disorientation to her enemies, cause objects to shatter, and generate earth tremors in limited areas. She served with the American ground forces in the Vietnam War, and is still haunted by memories of that place. She has a romantic interest in Scalphunter.

|-

| Blockbuster || The Uncanny X-Men #210 (Oct. 1986) || Michael Baer is a superhumanly strong mutant who has withstood punches from Thor, though a single hammer blow from an enraged Thor killed him. He did some work with German terrorists before working for Mister Sinister.

|-

| Harpoon || The Uncanny X-Men #210 (Oct. 1986) || Kodiak Noatak is a young Inuit who can charge objects (usually his Slayspears – 20 pound (9 kg) barbed harpoons) with bio-energy for various effects.

|-

| Malice || The Uncanny X-Men #210 (Oct. 1986) || Alice MacAllister is an incorporeal psychic being with the ability to possess others. Malice was apparently killed by Sinister for disobeying orders, but returned as a digital entity and possessed Omega Sentinel.

|-

| Prism || X-Factor #10 (Nov. 1986) || Robbie is an overconfident and cold-blooded killer who often overestimates the fragility of his crystalline body, which can deflect or reflect most forms of energy attacks, but not physical impact.

|-

| Riptide || The Uncanny X-Men #210 (Oct. 1986) || Janos Questad is a brutally evil man who can spin his body at superhuman speeds and fling out shurikens (made from a resin his skin secretes).

|-

| Sabretooth || Iron Fist #14 (Aug. 1977) || Victor Creed is the longtime enemy of Wolverine.

|-

| Scalphunter || The Uncanny X-Men #210 (Oct. 1986) || John Greycrow is a ruthless ex-G.I., and the group's tactician. His orders are overruled only by Malice or Sinister. Scalphunter is the most cold-blooded of the group. He is capable of "technomorphing" (altering the configuration of any technological device), a power he uses to create a number of weapons from his battle armor. He also has incredible regenerative powers as he survived being executed by his fellow American soldiers in 1944 after having murdered and scalped eight fellow officers.

|-

| Scrambler || The Uncanny X-Men #210 (Oct. 1986) || Kim Il Sung is a Korean mutant who can manipulate powers and systems, whether they be biogenetic, electromagnetic, or even technomechanical, such as mutant abilities, upon physical contact. He is a psychopath more concerned with looking stylish than with the suffering he inflicts on others.

|-

| Vertigo || Marvel Fanfare #1 (March 1982) || A mutate from the Savage Land who fights the X-Men. She has the ability to psionically induce dizziness and nausea in others.

|}

Second roster

The Marauders in [[X-Men: Messiah Complex|Messiah Complex. Art by Simone Bianchi.|thumb]]

During the Messiah Complex storyline, five former X-Men joined the original roster of the Marauders, and Sabretooth was not among the group.

  • Gambit (Remy LeBeau): Before joining the X-Men, Gambit was hired by Sinister to assemble the Marauders. Feeling responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Morlocks, Gambit kept this a secret from the X-Men until Rogue absorbed his memories and found out Gambit's secret. His brainwashing by Apocalypse and manipulation by Sinister led him to abandon the X-Men, though he has since returned to the team.
  • Lady Mastermind (Regan Wyngarde): An illusion-creating mutant and the daughter of Jason Wyngarde / Mastermind.
  • Mystique: A shapeshifter, mother of Nightcrawler and the adoptive mother of Rogue. She infiltrated the X-Men to betray them from within.
  • Sunfire (Shiro Yoshida): A Japanese mutant and former X-Man with fire generation and manipulation abilities.
  • Omega Sentinel (Karima Shapandar)
  • Exodus (Bennet Du Paris)

Third roster

After the Schism storyline, two enemies of the X-Men joined the Marauders.

  • Chimera: A former interdimensional pirate from an unknown Earth, who can generate dragon-shaped flares of greenish-transparent ectoplasmic energy to strike her enemies on various planes of being (i.e. physical, astral, etc.).
  • Vanisher (Telford Porter): Longtime criminal and former member of the X-Force, he possesses the ability to teleport.

Fourth roster

Magneto eventually tracked the original Marauders' remaining clones, except for Sabretooth and Malice, and killed them all, which activated new clones of them. He prevented the activation of the clones and programmed them to deploy at his command in the future. Scalphunter was also spared, though his arms and legs were severed.

Fifth roster

As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel event, Mister Sinister has formed another incarnation of the Marauders. Besides Chimera, this membership consisted of:

  • Aries: A mutant who possesses ram-like horns and superhuman strength.
  • Azimuth: A mutant who can unhinge her jaws to form an oral singularity/black hole that can disrupt even Nightcrawler's teleportation.
  • Coda: A mutant who has a mummy-like appearance and forked tongue.

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

An alternate universe iteration of the Marauders appears in Age of Apocalypse, consisting of Arcade, Dirigible, Owl, and Red. This version of the group are a band of human terrorists who serve Apocalypse.

House of M

An alternate universe iteration of the Marauders appears in House of M, led by Callisto and consisting of Banshee, Black Tom Cassidy, Blob, Caliban, Mammomax, Sunder, and T-Rex. This version is a covert ops group.

Mutant X

An alternate universe iteration of the Marauders appears in Mutant X, consisting of Cannonball, Jubilee, Husk, Sunspot and Wolfsbane. This version of the group are thieves.

Ultimate Marvel

An alternate universe iteration of the Marauders appears in Ultimate X-Men. This version of the group are white supremacists led by Arnim Zola.

What If?

The Marauders are featured in What If? vol. 2 #101.

In other media

Television

The Marauders appear in Wolverine and the X-Men, consisting of Mister Sinister, Arclight, Blockbuster, Harpoon, Multiple Man, Vertigo, and Archangel.

Video games

  • The Marauders appear in Deadpool, consisting of Mister Sinister, Vertigo, Blockbuster, and Arclight.
  • The Marauders appear in Marvel Strike Force, consisting of Mystique, Mister Sinister, Sabretooth, Stryfe, and Madelyne Pryor.

References

  • Marauders at Marvel.com
  • Uncannyxmen.net feature on the Marauders