Litterbug (comics)
Encyclopedia
Litterbug is a fictional mutant
character in the Marvel Comics
. His first appearance in the mainstream Marvel Universe
was in Morlocks #1, created by Geoff Johns
and Shawn Martinbrough.
, and became involved with the Postman
’s Morlocks
.
Two Chicago Police officers were called to investigate some suspicious noises, and one of them came across Litterbug, Electric Eve
and Postman stealing food from a convenience store
. Postman erased the officer’s memory of what he had seen, and the group left through a massive hole Litterbug dug in the floor, but Litterbug hung back a moment to rip up a “Buy American” poster on the store wall. As the Morlocks made their escape through the sewers, a young gang-banger known as Cell
suddenly evolved while fleeing from the police, becoming a single-celled organism, and draining into the sewers, right at the Morlock’s feet. As the police arrived to kill Cell (as was part of their duty to kill mutants), Litterbug and the others rallied to his defense, and the officers were quickly defeated. Litterbug then dug a new escape tunnel through solid stone, as the others explained to the confused Cell that he was now a mutant. Terrified, Cell wanted to go home, and asked "Who’s gonna stop me"? "Sentinels". Litterbug replied grimly. As Postman introduced the Morlocks to Cell, his advice on Litterbug was “Don’t stare.”
Litterbug and Postman sat alone, as Postman heated up a jagged strip of metal. Litterbug told him to burn off his Army tattoo, which Postman did, and the Morlock’s clicking screams resounded throughout the tunnels. Later, Angel Dust
asked Litterbug if he was alright, and Postman said he’d be fine, as Litterbug rubbed the ugly, flaming welts that now covered his tattoo.
The Morlocks decided to risk going above ground, as each (except Cell), had a final wish to fulfill before they fled into the tunnels forever. Litterbug filled Postman in on the fact that Sentinels would take seven and a half minutes to lock on to a mutant signature, giving each Morlock that amount of time to fulfill their wish. When Angel asked how he knew that, Litterbug replied that he’d been watching them, but Angel Dust didn’t really believe him. Shatter’s wish was first, and Litterbug dug a hole beneath the local Dog Pound, so that Shatter
could rescue his dog, Hank. Next was Electric Eve’s wish, supposedly to get her Grandmother’s ring back from her old “employer”, a pimp
and pusher named Ricky. Litterbug and Trader defeated the guards as Electric Eve went to see Ricky. However, there was no ring, and Eve killed Ricky for mistreating her. As Eve and Postman argue, the Sentinels arrived and shot Shatter, blowing off his left arm.
Postman carried the wounded Shatter as the others fled, when Trader
suddenly realized that Litterbug was not there. They ran back to find he had apparently been crushed beneath a giant Sentinel’s foot. As the Morlocks feared the worst, scraping sounds were heard inside of the Sentinel, and Litterbug tore his way out of the giant robot’s left eye, jumped to the rooftop where the other Morlocks were standing, and dug them an escape tunnel.
Later, back in their abandoned subway station hideout, Litterbug glared at Eve while Postman chided her for endangering them all, and making them accessories to murder. As Trader defended Electric Eve, the police stormed in, shooting Trader dead when he took a bullet meant for Electric Eve. A cop then shot Litterbug, "I-I got me the ROACH!". However, the bullet just bounced off of the mutant's armored shell, and Litterbug turned and literally tore into the cops. Infuriated by the police’s cruelty and the death of Trader, Postman completely wiped all of the surviving cops’ minds. As Postman was overcome with remorse, Litterbug tried to reason with him, "They were going to kill us."
Later, Litterbug tore apart a metal hospital
door so that Postman could say goodbye to his coma
tose wife, and supported Shatter as Angel went to see her parents one last time. As the Morlocks wished that they could do something, anything, so that they could be free of the Sentinels, at least for a while, Litterbug replied, “We can do something”, and explained that the Sentinels had a Central Command Center, that without it, all the Sentinels would stop working, giving them a window of escape. When Eve asked how he knew so much about Sentinels, Litterbug tearfully revealed his darkest secret, “I was a mechanic in the army. I helped build those things.”
Angel Dust and Electric Eve bitterly pummeled Litterbug, as he tried to explain that he was just a soldier, doing what he thought was his patriotic duty, and that he was a different person now. “You know what I want to do up there? I want to take apart…what I helped build. We can do we can shut down the operation in Chicago. Then we can get out of this town… krkr. It’s our only chance to escape.” Cell countered that it was impossible, but Shatter said that nothing was impossible, as his arm regenerated in front of their eyes, then stated, “Litterbug’s not our enemy. He’s our brother. An’ we need to start actin’ like it."
That night, Litterbug emerged from the sewers, and ran across the rooftops, hoping to gain the attention of a Sentinel. He didn’t have to wait long, as a trio of Sentinels soon arrived, Litterbug led one away from the others, where Electric Eve zapped it with her electrical powers, and Shatter crystallized its oil, freezing it in place. Litterbug and Angel Dust climbed inside the Sentinel’s “head”, and Litterbug directed Angel Dust on how to rewire the systems to manual, asking her “Ever hear… of the Trojan Horse
?” The Morlocks then sent a false message to Sentinel headquarters, saying that they had been killed. As the Sentinel came in to land, Doctor Metellus, the project director, came to personally inspect his “prize”, the Sentinel’s visual record of the slaughter, which he normally watched privately for his own twisted pleasure. His assistant, Slater, heard a strange noise, and was horrified as the Morlocks (and Hank the dog) tore their way out of the Sentinel’s chest. Metellus was perversely happy, however, at the sight of the Morlocks. As the rows upon rows of Sentinels in the base activated, Litterbug began tearing them apart left and right, then aided Electric Eve in destroying the Central Control, causing the Sentinels to crash into one another, explode, and otherwise meet destruction. As the Morlocks fled, Cell went back, sacrificing his life to stop Metellus. Angel Dust decided to return home, as the other surviving Morlocks (and Hank the dog) stole a van and headed “South. As far South as we can get,” as Postman put it, and they headed out of Chicago.
Litterbug is one of the few mutants that retained their superhuman powers after the M-Day
.
During Ed Brubaker's "The Extremists" arc, Litterbug reappeared alongside of some fellow Morlocks under the leadership of Masque
and besides Litterbug, now consisting of Bliss
, Erg
and Skids
and a recently captured Leech
.
, together with Toad, Bliss and Dragoness. He was one of the mutants, who where rallied by Cyclops to fight against the attacking Nimrods
.
During the "First To Last" arc, Litterbug joins Toad's leadership alongside Masque and Bliss to locate information being kept from them by the X-Men.
, with hard, chitin
ous plates covering the entire length of his body. He is virtually invulnerable to most attacks, save fire and presumably laser
or energy blasts. His massive razor-sharp claws and fangs can rip, tear or dig through just about any substance, including Sentinel armor, he also has superhuman strength, speed, agility, durability. Litterbug possesses advanced knowledge in mechanics from his time in the military.
.
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
character in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. His first appearance in the mainstream Marvel Universe
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
was in Morlocks #1, created by Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
and Shawn Martinbrough.
Fictional character biography
The man who would become Litterbug was an Army Engineer involved in the U.S. Sentinel Program. At some point he himself mutated, and he was forced to go AWOL to avoid being killed by his former friends. He made his way to ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and became involved with the Postman
Postman (comics)
Postman is a Marvel Comics character. He has the ability to permanently erase people's memories, usually specified by naming whatever he wants that person to forget.-Fictional character biography:...
’s Morlocks
Morlocks (comics)
The Morlocks are a group of several fictional comic book mutants associated with the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, they were named after the subterranean race of the same name in H. G. Wells' novel The Time Machine. They first appeared...
.
Two Chicago Police officers were called to investigate some suspicious noises, and one of them came across Litterbug, Electric Eve
Electric Eve
Electric Eve is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics Universe. Her first appearance was in Morlocks #1, created by Geoff Johns and Shawn Martinbrough.-Fictional character biography:...
and Postman stealing food from a convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
. Postman erased the officer’s memory of what he had seen, and the group left through a massive hole Litterbug dug in the floor, but Litterbug hung back a moment to rip up a “Buy American” poster on the store wall. As the Morlocks made their escape through the sewers, a young gang-banger known as Cell
Cell (comics)
Cell is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in Morlocks #1, created by Geoff Johns and Shawn Martinbrough.-Fictional character biography:...
suddenly evolved while fleeing from the police, becoming a single-celled organism, and draining into the sewers, right at the Morlock’s feet. As the police arrived to kill Cell (as was part of their duty to kill mutants), Litterbug and the others rallied to his defense, and the officers were quickly defeated. Litterbug then dug a new escape tunnel through solid stone, as the others explained to the confused Cell that he was now a mutant. Terrified, Cell wanted to go home, and asked "Who’s gonna stop me"? "Sentinels". Litterbug replied grimly. As Postman introduced the Morlocks to Cell, his advice on Litterbug was “Don’t stare.”
Litterbug and Postman sat alone, as Postman heated up a jagged strip of metal. Litterbug told him to burn off his Army tattoo, which Postman did, and the Morlock’s clicking screams resounded throughout the tunnels. Later, Angel Dust
Angel Dust (comics)
Angel Dust is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics Universe. Her first appearance was in Morlocks #1, created by Geoff Johns and Shawn Martinbrough.-Fictional character biography:...
asked Litterbug if he was alright, and Postman said he’d be fine, as Litterbug rubbed the ugly, flaming welts that now covered his tattoo.
The Morlocks decided to risk going above ground, as each (except Cell), had a final wish to fulfill before they fled into the tunnels forever. Litterbug filled Postman in on the fact that Sentinels would take seven and a half minutes to lock on to a mutant signature, giving each Morlock that amount of time to fulfill their wish. When Angel asked how he knew that, Litterbug replied that he’d been watching them, but Angel Dust didn’t really believe him. Shatter’s wish was first, and Litterbug dug a hole beneath the local Dog Pound, so that Shatter
Shatter (comics)
Shatter is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in Morlocks #1, created by Geoff Johns and Shawn Martinbrough.-Fictional character biography:...
could rescue his dog, Hank. Next was Electric Eve’s wish, supposedly to get her Grandmother’s ring back from her old “employer”, a pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
and pusher named Ricky. Litterbug and Trader defeated the guards as Electric Eve went to see Ricky. However, there was no ring, and Eve killed Ricky for mistreating her. As Eve and Postman argue, the Sentinels arrived and shot Shatter, blowing off his left arm.
Postman carried the wounded Shatter as the others fled, when Trader
Trader (comics)
Trader is a name shared by two fictional characters appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. The first is a member of the Elders of the Universe, and the second is a Mutant...
suddenly realized that Litterbug was not there. They ran back to find he had apparently been crushed beneath a giant Sentinel’s foot. As the Morlocks feared the worst, scraping sounds were heard inside of the Sentinel, and Litterbug tore his way out of the giant robot’s left eye, jumped to the rooftop where the other Morlocks were standing, and dug them an escape tunnel.
Later, back in their abandoned subway station hideout, Litterbug glared at Eve while Postman chided her for endangering them all, and making them accessories to murder. As Trader defended Electric Eve, the police stormed in, shooting Trader dead when he took a bullet meant for Electric Eve. A cop then shot Litterbug, "I-I got me the ROACH!". However, the bullet just bounced off of the mutant's armored shell, and Litterbug turned and literally tore into the cops. Infuriated by the police’s cruelty and the death of Trader, Postman completely wiped all of the surviving cops’ minds. As Postman was overcome with remorse, Litterbug tried to reason with him, "They were going to kill us."
Later, Litterbug tore apart a metal hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
door so that Postman could say goodbye to his coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
tose wife, and supported Shatter as Angel went to see her parents one last time. As the Morlocks wished that they could do something, anything, so that they could be free of the Sentinels, at least for a while, Litterbug replied, “We can do something”, and explained that the Sentinels had a Central Command Center, that without it, all the Sentinels would stop working, giving them a window of escape. When Eve asked how he knew so much about Sentinels, Litterbug tearfully revealed his darkest secret, “I was a mechanic in the army. I helped build those things.”
Angel Dust and Electric Eve bitterly pummeled Litterbug, as he tried to explain that he was just a soldier, doing what he thought was his patriotic duty, and that he was a different person now. “You know what I want to do up there? I want to take apart…what I helped build. We can do we can shut down the operation in Chicago. Then we can get out of this town… krkr. It’s our only chance to escape.” Cell countered that it was impossible, but Shatter said that nothing was impossible, as his arm regenerated in front of their eyes, then stated, “Litterbug’s not our enemy. He’s our brother. An’ we need to start actin’ like it."
That night, Litterbug emerged from the sewers, and ran across the rooftops, hoping to gain the attention of a Sentinel. He didn’t have to wait long, as a trio of Sentinels soon arrived, Litterbug led one away from the others, where Electric Eve zapped it with her electrical powers, and Shatter crystallized its oil, freezing it in place. Litterbug and Angel Dust climbed inside the Sentinel’s “head”, and Litterbug directed Angel Dust on how to rewire the systems to manual, asking her “Ever hear… of the Trojan Horse
Trojan Horse
The Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War about the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the conflict. In the canonical version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside...
?” The Morlocks then sent a false message to Sentinel headquarters, saying that they had been killed. As the Sentinel came in to land, Doctor Metellus, the project director, came to personally inspect his “prize”, the Sentinel’s visual record of the slaughter, which he normally watched privately for his own twisted pleasure. His assistant, Slater, heard a strange noise, and was horrified as the Morlocks (and Hank the dog) tore their way out of the Sentinel’s chest. Metellus was perversely happy, however, at the sight of the Morlocks. As the rows upon rows of Sentinels in the base activated, Litterbug began tearing them apart left and right, then aided Electric Eve in destroying the Central Control, causing the Sentinels to crash into one another, explode, and otherwise meet destruction. As the Morlocks fled, Cell went back, sacrificing his life to stop Metellus. Angel Dust decided to return home, as the other surviving Morlocks (and Hank the dog) stole a van and headed “South. As far South as we can get,” as Postman put it, and they headed out of Chicago.
Litterbug is one of the few mutants that retained their superhuman powers after the M-Day
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
.
During Ed Brubaker's "The Extremists" arc, Litterbug reappeared alongside of some fellow Morlocks under the leadership of Masque
Masque (comics)
Masque is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Masque was originally a prominent member of the sewer-dwelling community of mutant outcasts called the Morlocks, led by Callisto.-Publication history:...
and besides Litterbug, now consisting of Bliss
Bliss (Morlocks)
Bliss is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe. Her first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #261 .-Fictional character biography:Bliss was a Morlock who became a loyal follower of Masque...
, Erg
Erg (comics)
Erg is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Publication history:Erg's first appearance was in Power Pack #12 , and he was created by Louise Simonson and June Brigman....
and Skids
Skids (comics)
Skids is a Marvel Comics mutant. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Jackson Guice, she first appeared in X-Factor vol. 1 #7 .-Morlocks:...
and a recently captured Leech
Leech (comics)
Leech is a character in the Marvel Comics Universe.Leech made his first appearance in Uncanny X-Men as a Morlock, a group of mutants whose deformities force them to live in the sewers under Manhattan. He is usually depicted as being around 12 years old...
.
Utopia
Litterbug later appeared as a resident of UtopiaAsteroid M
Utopia is the name of the sepratist mutant homeland created by the X-Men from the remains of Asteroid M which is the name of several fictional settings, each an asteroid converted by the mutant Magneto into his home/orbiting base, in the Marvel Comics Universe...
, together with Toad, Bliss and Dragoness. He was one of the mutants, who where rallied by Cyclops to fight against the attacking Nimrods
Nimrod (comics)
Nimrod is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #191 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita, Jr. Hailing from the "Days of Future Past" timeline, Nimrod is a powerful, virtually...
.
During the "First To Last" arc, Litterbug joins Toad's leadership alongside Masque and Bliss to locate information being kept from them by the X-Men.
Powers and abilities
He possesses an armored body similar to that of a cockroachCockroach
Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria or Blattodea, of which about 30 species out of 4,500 total are associated with human habitations...
, with hard, chitin
Chitin
Chitin n is a long-chain polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative of glucose, and is found in many places throughout the natural world...
ous plates covering the entire length of his body. He is virtually invulnerable to most attacks, save fire and presumably laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
or energy blasts. His massive razor-sharp claws and fangs can rip, tear or dig through just about any substance, including Sentinel armor, he also has superhuman strength, speed, agility, durability. Litterbug possesses advanced knowledge in mechanics from his time in the military.
Other versions
A character named Litterbug with the same powers and affiliation with the Morlocks debuted in X-Men Millennial Visions vol. 2, however, that is an alternate universeMultiverse (Marvel Comics)
Within Marvel Comics, most tales take place within the fictional Marvel Universe, which in turn is part of a larger multiverse. Starting with issues of Captain Britain, the main continuity in which most Marvel storylines take place was designated Earth-616, and the multiverse was established as...
.