Shatterstar
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Shatterstar (aka Gaveedra-Seven and Benjamin Russell) is a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, he first appeared in The New Mutants #99 (March 1991) and rose to popularity in the 1990s in the pages of X-Force.
[edit] History
Shatterstar's history has been uncertain ever since his first appearance, partially because the Wolverine-style "violent hero with mysterious past" archetype was very popular in comics of the late 1980s and 1990s, and partially because X-Force's writers rarely stayed with the series long enough to tie up the plot threads they began. As a result, Shatterstar's canonical history is a stitched-together compilation of multiple contradictory accounts.
Shatterstar comes from a hundred years in an alternate future of the extradimensional planet Mojoworld, which is ruled by the alien tyrant Mojo V. There, Shatterstar was genetically engineered to have enhanced physical capabilities so he could serve as a warrior. (Beast has claimed that Shatterstar has DNA that is identical to that of the X-Man Longshot who was artificially created on Mojoworld. This seems to be an exaggeration, since Shatterstar does not look physically identical to Longshot and lacks some of Longshot's superhuman abilities.)
Shatterstar learned the arts of battle as a warrior in arenas on Mojoworld, where he was forced to participate in combats staged for Mojo's television programs. Eventually, however, he escaped and became a rebel and joined the Cadre Alliance that sought to overthrow Mojo V's dictatorship. At some point prior to his escape, he was 'married' to another fighter, named Windsong. To this day he has not met the woman and her fate remains unknown.
Shatterstar was either teleported or traveled back in time to Earth at the point just before Cable reorganized the New Mutants into X-Force (New Mutants #99). Shatterstar became a founding member of the new team, and his new teammates became his friends, especially Rictor, who became his best friend despite a rather rocky start.
But later (X-Force #54, 56, 59-61) Shatterstar discovered, to his bewilderment, that he also had the memories of an Earthman named Benjamin Russell. Soon afterwards, Mojo made Cable and Shatterstar his prisoners and transformed them into digital images in one of his television programs. In the course of the program, Shatterstar was mortally wounded in combat. Mojo's sometime ally Spiral teleported Cable and Shatterstar back into reality, where they regained their true forms. Spiral brought Cable, Shatterstar, Longshot, (who was Shatterstar's ally on Mojoworld), and the X-Force member Siryn to the Weisman Institute for the Criminally Insane in Rutland, Vermont.
There Spiral directed them to the bedside of one of its patients, a mutant named Benjamin Russell who had no living relatives, had been in a coma since his powers had emerged, and, curiously, greatly resembled Shatterstar. Longshot transferred Shatterstar's "uemeur," or soul, into Benjamin Russell's body, and the two became one. Apparently Shatterstar's body merged with Russell's as well, for the resulting body bore the starburst pattern that Shatterstar had around his left eye. Restored to full health and consciousness, Shatterstar resumed his work as a member of X-Force.
However, this does not explain why Shatterstar had some of Benjamin Russell's memories before they merged with each other or why they looked so much alike. There are still mysteries yet to be explained about Shatterstar's origin. It was hinted that Shatterstar may have been the child of Longshot and the mutant X-Man Dazzler in the early run of X-Men in 1992. Dazzler revealed that she was pregnant with Longshot's child and Longshot suggested the name "Shatterstar" for the unborn child (X-Men #11). Longshot and Dazzler returned to MojoWorld to free Longshot's people and Dazzler later appeared without Longshot and without a child. It has been speculated that Dazzler miscarried (X-Men #47), however it has not been established officially what became of the infant.
After the disbanding of X-Force, Shatterstar lived a solitary life and earned his money by fighting in arenas. He was sought out by Spiral and had one of her agents make Shatterstar believe she wanted to kill him (X-Force: Shatterstar #1-4). With a fake quest, Spiral lured Shatterstar to an alternate universe she had conquered and ruled. On that Earth, Spiral had also killed most of that world's heroes and mutants. That Earth's Shatterstar had been killed as well. Shatterstar was found by that Earth's rebel forces, including Cable and some other members he knew from his X-Force days. Together, they eventually defeated Spiral. Upon returning to the mainstream Earth, Shatterstar was contacted by Cable and requested to temporarily join him on a mission to defeat the Skornn (X-Force vol. 2 #1-6). Shatterstar agreed, but first Cable wanted him to train with monks on Mount Xixabangma. After those monks got killed by Skornn's worshippers, Shatterstar was reunited with his old team and they eventually killed the Skornn.
Recently in the Marvel Civil War Saga, Shatterstar appeared with Domino at the Xavier mansion in an attempt to liberate the 198. Now that the 198 are free his whereabouts is unknown.
[edit] Abilities
Shatterstar was born and bred for gladiatorial combat; he is highly skilled in martial arts. He often fights with a pair of double-bladed swords from his home dimension, and he has also (rarely) displayed the mutant ability to channel and generate powerful vibratory shockwaves and bio-energy through these blades. Shatterstar's strength, speed, agility, stamina, and reflexes are all enhanced to superhuman levels. He is capable of healing from injuries much faster than an ordinary human, capable of healing from minor injuries within hours. On a few occasions he took advantage of this fact by impaling himself on one of his own swords to stab an opponent who was behind him. He is surprisingly intelligent, within 5 hours of learning to play chess he won every match against his teacher.
[edit] External links
- Shatterstar at MarvelDirectory.com
- Shatterstar on the Marvel Universe Character Bio Wiki
