Strikeforce: Morituri
Encyclopedia
Strikeforce: Morituri is a comic book
series published by Marvel Comics
from 1986 to 1989. The series was created by writer
Peter B. Gillis
and artist
Brent Anderson
.
The premise is that alien
s have invaded Earth
and nearly succeeded in conquering it and stripping it of its resources. A scientist
discovers a process which can provide humans with superhuman
powers, effectively creating a group of defending superhero
es. However, the process would also ensure that the empowered humans would die within a year of being empowered. The series thus focused on the heroism of the main characters in fighting the invaders, while living with the knowledge that their fates were sealed regardless of whether or not they prevailed.
The title comes from the Latin
phrase: "Morituri te salutamus" (We who are about to die salute you!), a salute
that according to popular legend (not academically agreed) was uttered by Roman gladiator
s before battle in the arena. (See Wikipedia's article on this expression: Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant). The subtitle of the comic was "We who are about to die".
Gillis and Anderson left the series within two years. The series was eventually ended after 31 issues, under the tenure of writer James Hudnall and artist Mark Bagley
.
's solar system (it was later revealed that the actual name of the race was the 'Va-Shaak'). Although they were technologically advanced far beyond humanity at that time, they were extremely savage. Examples of this savagery include the retaliatory slaughter of human slaves (this was shown after the victory of the Black Watch), the nuclear destruction of San Diego (also in response to the Black Watch's assassination of the Earth Commander of the Horde Forces), and the decapitation of children (especially by literally ripping their heads off) in order to establish dominance over newly captured human slaves (one particularly brutal terror-tactic favored by the Horde early in the war was to capture large numbers of humans in order to take them just outside the Earth's atmosphere and then eject them from the ships, allowing them to burn up in re-entry so watchers on the ground could see the streaks representing their burning forms. This tactic became known to humans as 'a Highdive').
It was later discovered that they had stolen their technology from a kindly alien race that visited their planet who were attempting to rescue the Horde species. The Horde had caused severe environmental damage to their planet due to excessive pollution which laid much of the world an uninhabitable wasteland. After pulling the Horde back from the brink of extinction the aliens planned to leave the Horde planet in peace once their rescue mission was accomplished. Before they could leave, however, the alien pacifists were ruthlessly and mercilessly attacked and slaughtered by the Horde. The Horde stole the aliens' ships and advanced technology for themselves and set out into space to establish their savage and war-like empire. The Horde traveled the galaxy
in order to steal resources, food, and technologies, since they had no knowledge of how to fix the ships they used. They viewed the Earth and other such planets as a resource to be plundered and discarded once all resources have been used up. If the Horde had wanted to completely conquer mankind, then they could have easily done so. Instead, they satisfied themselves with brutal raids that left the Earth functioning, but reeling under their vicious onslaught. The Padeia Institute, which governed the entire planet at the time, began to organize Earth defenses against these attacks.
Humankind's best hope was discovered in 2072, when Dr. Kimmo Tuolema perfected the Morituri Process. This was a two-step process that allowed people with a specific type of genetic structure to have a new metabolism
overlayed on top of their original one, granting them enhanced physical attributes. The second phase of the process would allow for unique superhuman powers. However, there were three mitigating factors inherent in the use of the Morituri Process:
The first group of test subjects, later known as "the Black Watch", were volunteer soldiers. Of the five members, two died before seeing active service during a power activation exercise in a specialized testing area known as 'Biowar Facility Alpha' (nicknamed 'The Garden'). The remaining three had their first field test in Cape Town, taking on Horde forces there; though they were successful in battle, none of them survived (one was killed in battle, another succumbed to the Morituri Effect as they were escaping, and the last was killed with a Hordian nuclear device moments afterward). Commander of the program, Beth Luis Nion, had also secretly undergone the Morituri Process, after starting an affair with a member of the Black Watch, although she kept her powers a secret. Tuolema later deduced that the older the subject, the quicker their system would reject the process - it was at this point that Dr. Tuolema realized recipients between 18 and 21 were the optimal choice regarding maximized life expectancy.
The Morituri Process consisted of two distinct phases: In the first phase, candidates underwent a procedure which granted them an enhanced physicality (in some cases, Morituri gained physically impressive forms), as well as enhanced physical strength
and endurance
, which made it easier to endure the second phase of the Morituri Process (designed to grant actual metahuman powers). After completing this stage, the volunteers would be placed in 'The Garden', a booby-trapped test facility designed to heighten stress levels and precipitate the emergence of each candidate's powers (Dr. Tuolema based 'The Garden' on the vid-comics his daughter had shown him of the X-Men
's Danger Room
). In 2073, the first of the new Strikeforce: Morituri entered active service.
The Morituri suffered heavy fatalities during their conflict with the Horde - sometimes from enemy action, but principally through the Morituri Effect, the term given to the body's rejection of artificial metabolism implanted by the Morituri Process. The threat posed by the Horde meant that there was never a shortage of volunteers willing to give up their lives defending mankind. Right from the start, the Morituri showed a propensity for disobeying orders in order to grasp opportunities to attack the enemy; knowing their time was short, they resented being kept out of action for any length of time.
It was the fourth generation of Morituri who saw a real change to the process. The fourth generation was sub-divided into two groups; one was created without the input of Dr. Tuolema, with disastrous results - the volunteers eventually choosing to be euthanized rather than continue in the twisted bodies they ended up with. The fourth generation of Morituri created under Dr. Tuolema's supervision benefited from a major breakthrough; Jason Edwards (aka Revenge), who had been a captive of the Horde prior to becoming a Morituri, contracted a virus which eventually proved to counter the body's rejection of the Morituri Process. When this was discovered, the surviving Morituri regained a chance to live a full lifespan (too late for the first and second, and all but one of the third generation).
The war with the Horde was unexpectedly brought to a close. A new race of aliens, dubbed the VXX199, entered Earth orbit, destroyed the Horde fleet, and then departed without explanation. Other problems soon arose: the Morituri process being performed on a trio of killers with the intent to assassinate the surviving members of the Strikeforce and the Prime Minister, and the fragmentation of the Paideia back into independent nation-states due to the exposure of the conspiracy (by a high-ranking government minister) to kill the Prime Minister in order to seize power.
, slowly modifying mankind's culture to their requirements, planning to induce spontaneous combustions in the population and then harness the psychic energies released. The four remaining Morituri learned of this, thanks to some bizarre allies (including a sentient A.I. which had taken the holographic form of dead Morituri Scatterbrain, and usually only appeared to and communicated with Scanner; Random - an information specialist/broker with cybernetic neural implants; and Dr. Tuolema's private Morituri squad), and travelled to the VXX-199's base, where they destroyed its CPU
, ending this second alien threat.
Unidentified Morituri #1 - massive psionic powers, including telepathy and psionic energy blasts which he used to enhance Scatterbrain's powers so that the Morituri could gain the upper hand and ultimately defeat their opponents (the Super Hordians) in one particular battle.
Unidentified Morituri #2 - Powers unknown, but appeared to have growth or super-strength.
Unidentified Morituri #3, most likely Carol Rayweick as this was the only noticeable female of this group - Powers unknown, but appeared to have some sort of avian/aquatic growths.
Unidentified Morituri #4 - Powers unknown but energy-related; mutated into an unstable energy form contained in a special shielded area.
It should be noted that this series was unique in that it did not have a set "roster" such as the X-Men, Avengers or Justice League of America. With members dying routinely, the mixing of generations was gradual and tragic. Several issues feature the last of a previous generation mixing with the new guard.
, including Captain America
's Shield
, the Silver Surfer
's board and Galactus
's helmet, as well as shelves of what appear to be power batteries used by DC
's Green Lantern
Corps. At the time, that appeared to be an in-joke rather than a serious plot point.
Due to a mistake in the pages of Exiles
#83 the Morituri world was designated as the home of Weapon X's version of Maverick.
Marvel has designated the Strikeforce Morituri universe as Earth-1287 of its shared multiverse
, as seen in the 2005 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes.
announced that they were going to bring Strikeforce: Morituri to television
under the name A Thousand Days, obviously changing the length of time a Morituri could live. Although targeted for 2003, nothing ever came of this, because ownership of the property proved to be in question. Marvel and original creator Peter Gillis are currently in dispute over the matter.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series published by 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...
from 1986 to 1989. The series was created by writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
Peter B. Gillis
Peter B. Gillis
Peter B. Gillis is an American comic book writer best known for his work at Marvel Comics and First Comics in the mid-1980s, including the series Strikeforce: Morituri, and the digitally drawn comic series Shatter.-Biography:...
and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Brent Anderson
Brent Anderson
Brent Anderson is an American comic book artist known for his work on X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills and the comic book series Astro City.- Early life :...
.
The premise is that alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
s have invaded Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and nearly succeeded in conquering it and stripping it of its resources. A scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
discovers a process which can provide humans with superhuman
Superhuman
Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...
powers, effectively creating a group of defending superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es. However, the process would also ensure that the empowered humans would die within a year of being empowered. The series thus focused on the heroism of the main characters in fighting the invaders, while living with the knowledge that their fates were sealed regardless of whether or not they prevailed.
The title comes from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
phrase: "Morituri te salutamus" (We who are about to die salute you!), a salute
Salute
A salute is a gesture or other action used to display respect. Salutes are primarily associated with armed forces, but other organizations and civil people also use salutes.-Military salutes:...
that according to popular legend (not academically agreed) was uttered by Roman gladiator
Gladiator
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
s before battle in the arena. (See Wikipedia's article on this expression: Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant). The subtitle of the comic was "We who are about to die".
Gillis and Anderson left the series within two years. The series was eventually ended after 31 issues, under the tenure of writer James Hudnall and artist Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley is an American comic book artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics on such titles as The Amazing Spider-Man, Thunderbolts, New Warriors, and Ultimate Spider-Man.- Early life and career :...
.
Plot summary
In 2069, an alien race called "the Horde" arrived in EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's solar system (it was later revealed that the actual name of the race was the 'Va-Shaak'). Although they were technologically advanced far beyond humanity at that time, they were extremely savage. Examples of this savagery include the retaliatory slaughter of human slaves (this was shown after the victory of the Black Watch), the nuclear destruction of San Diego (also in response to the Black Watch's assassination of the Earth Commander of the Horde Forces), and the decapitation of children (especially by literally ripping their heads off) in order to establish dominance over newly captured human slaves (one particularly brutal terror-tactic favored by the Horde early in the war was to capture large numbers of humans in order to take them just outside the Earth's atmosphere and then eject them from the ships, allowing them to burn up in re-entry so watchers on the ground could see the streaks representing their burning forms. This tactic became known to humans as 'a Highdive').
It was later discovered that they had stolen their technology from a kindly alien race that visited their planet who were attempting to rescue the Horde species. The Horde had caused severe environmental damage to their planet due to excessive pollution which laid much of the world an uninhabitable wasteland. After pulling the Horde back from the brink of extinction the aliens planned to leave the Horde planet in peace once their rescue mission was accomplished. Before they could leave, however, the alien pacifists were ruthlessly and mercilessly attacked and slaughtered by the Horde. The Horde stole the aliens' ships and advanced technology for themselves and set out into space to establish their savage and war-like empire. The Horde traveled the galaxy
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
in order to steal resources, food, and technologies, since they had no knowledge of how to fix the ships they used. They viewed the Earth and other such planets as a resource to be plundered and discarded once all resources have been used up. If the Horde had wanted to completely conquer mankind, then they could have easily done so. Instead, they satisfied themselves with brutal raids that left the Earth functioning, but reeling under their vicious onslaught. The Padeia Institute, which governed the entire planet at the time, began to organize Earth defenses against these attacks.
Humankind's best hope was discovered in 2072, when Dr. Kimmo Tuolema perfected the Morituri Process. This was a two-step process that allowed people with a specific type of genetic structure to have a new metabolism
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
overlayed on top of their original one, granting them enhanced physical attributes. The second phase of the process would allow for unique superhuman powers. However, there were three mitigating factors inherent in the use of the Morituri Process:
- The process was compatible with very few persons; the estimate was that fewer than 5% of all humans had a compatible physiology for metahuman conversion through the Morituri Process.
- The optimal age for subjects for the Morituri Process was between 18 and 21; older subjects who underwent the process would suffer a significantly reduced lifespan than expected from optimal subjects (measurable in weeks).
- The nature of the energy-based metabolism was such that, within one standard year, the human body would reject it. The rejection of the Morituri metabolism by the human body is 100% fatal. In most cases, the subject's death was indicated by massive upsurges in the subject's power and ability levels.
The first group of test subjects, later known as "the Black Watch", were volunteer soldiers. Of the five members, two died before seeing active service during a power activation exercise in a specialized testing area known as 'Biowar Facility Alpha' (nicknamed 'The Garden'). The remaining three had their first field test in Cape Town, taking on Horde forces there; though they were successful in battle, none of them survived (one was killed in battle, another succumbed to the Morituri Effect as they were escaping, and the last was killed with a Hordian nuclear device moments afterward). Commander of the program, Beth Luis Nion, had also secretly undergone the Morituri Process, after starting an affair with a member of the Black Watch, although she kept her powers a secret. Tuolema later deduced that the older the subject, the quicker their system would reject the process - it was at this point that Dr. Tuolema realized recipients between 18 and 21 were the optimal choice regarding maximized life expectancy.
The Morituri Process consisted of two distinct phases: In the first phase, candidates underwent a procedure which granted them an enhanced physicality (in some cases, Morituri gained physically impressive forms), as well as enhanced physical strength
Physical strength
Physical strength is the ability of a person or animal to exert force on physical objects using muscles. Increasing physical strength is the goal of strength training.-Overview:...
and endurance
Endurance
Endurance is the ability for a human or animal to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from, and have immunity to trauma, wounds, or fatigue. In humans, it is usually used in aerobic or anaerobic exercise...
, which made it easier to endure the second phase of the Morituri Process (designed to grant actual metahuman powers). After completing this stage, the volunteers would be placed in 'The Garden', a booby-trapped test facility designed to heighten stress levels and precipitate the emergence of each candidate's powers (Dr. Tuolema based 'The Garden' on the vid-comics his daughter had shown him of the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
's Danger Room
Danger Room
The Danger Room is a fictional training facility built for the X-Men of Marvel Comics as part of the various incarnations of the X-Mansion.-Early designs:...
). In 2073, the first of the new Strikeforce: Morituri entered active service.
The Morituri suffered heavy fatalities during their conflict with the Horde - sometimes from enemy action, but principally through the Morituri Effect, the term given to the body's rejection of artificial metabolism implanted by the Morituri Process. The threat posed by the Horde meant that there was never a shortage of volunteers willing to give up their lives defending mankind. Right from the start, the Morituri showed a propensity for disobeying orders in order to grasp opportunities to attack the enemy; knowing their time was short, they resented being kept out of action for any length of time.
It was the fourth generation of Morituri who saw a real change to the process. The fourth generation was sub-divided into two groups; one was created without the input of Dr. Tuolema, with disastrous results - the volunteers eventually choosing to be euthanized rather than continue in the twisted bodies they ended up with. The fourth generation of Morituri created under Dr. Tuolema's supervision benefited from a major breakthrough; Jason Edwards (aka Revenge), who had been a captive of the Horde prior to becoming a Morituri, contracted a virus which eventually proved to counter the body's rejection of the Morituri Process. When this was discovered, the surviving Morituri regained a chance to live a full lifespan (too late for the first and second, and all but one of the third generation).
The war with the Horde was unexpectedly brought to a close. A new race of aliens, dubbed the VXX199, entered Earth orbit, destroyed the Horde fleet, and then departed without explanation. Other problems soon arose: the Morituri process being performed on a trio of killers with the intent to assassinate the surviving members of the Strikeforce and the Prime Minister, and the fragmentation of the Paideia back into independent nation-states due to the exposure of the conspiracy (by a high-ranking government minister) to kill the Prime Minister in order to seize power.
Electric Undertow
From December 1989 to March 1990, Marvel published an additional five-issue miniseries, Strikeforce Morituri: Electric Undertow. This took place ten years after the events of the last issue and dealt with the fate of the VXX199. They were waiting behind the moonMoon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, slowly modifying mankind's culture to their requirements, planning to induce spontaneous combustions in the population and then harness the psychic energies released. The four remaining Morituri learned of this, thanks to some bizarre allies (including a sentient A.I. which had taken the holographic form of dead Morituri Scatterbrain, and usually only appeared to and communicated with Scanner; Random - an information specialist/broker with cybernetic neural implants; and Dr. Tuolema's private Morituri squad), and travelled to the VXX-199's base, where they destroyed its CPU
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
, ending this second alien threat.
The Black Watch
- Aaron Ray Leonard - died in the Garden before manifestation of powers.
- Patricia Lynne Sobrero - died in the Garden before manifestation of powers.
- Clinton Brian Rogers - Strength; killed by the Horde after killing the First in the Field.
- Bruce Higashi - Speed; supposedly killed in a nuclear strike; Radian was shown someone who resemembled Higashi months later (this person presumably died when the Horde fleet was destroyed).
- Woodrow Joshua Green - Energy Projection (from eyes); died from the Morituri Effect.
- Commander Beth Luis Nion - Nion went through the Morituri process at about the same time as the members of Black Watch. She gained the power to make flowers bloom; died from the Morituri Effect.
The First Generation of Morituri
- Lorna Leigh Raeburn (Snapdragon)Snapdragon (Morituri)Snapdragon is a fictional character, a superhero of Marvel Comics, member of the Strikeforce: Morituri. The character was created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson.-Publication history:...
- used wrist mounted projectors to focus her plasma blasts; died from Morituri Effect. - Harold Carl Everson (Vyking)VykingVyking is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, member of the Strikeforce: Morituri. The character was created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson.-Publication history:...
- Redirect Energy attacks, lifeform detection (referred to as 'imaging'; could detect primarily other Morituri and alien lifeforms); died from Morituri Effect. - Robert Greenbaum (Marathon) - Strength grew the longer he refrained from using it, charging up as time passed; also carried a defensive shield; willed himself to die from Morituri Effect.
- Jelene Anderson (Adept)Adept (comics)Adept is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, member of the Strikeforce: Morituri. The character was created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson.-Publication history:...
- Hyper-invention and hyper-intelligence (limited to physical contact with object to be examined), Chemical Mimicry/Creation (can create objects and organic substances beneficial or harmful to the object analyzed. Was developing cosmic awareness before death due to the 'Morituri Effect'. - Louis Armanetti (Radian)Radian (Morituri)Radian is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, member of the Strikeforce: Morituri. The character was created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson.-Publication history:...
- Full spectrum E-M emissions. Used 'focusing sleeves' on his uniform to concentrate his emissions effectively; killed by Shear for supposedly turning traitor. - Aline Pagrovna (Blackthorn)Blackthorn (comics)Blackthorn is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, member of the Strikeforce: Morituri. The character was created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson.-Publication history:...
- Disrupt molecular bonds, causing things to melt and break; During an encounter with Wildcard (John Crenosa) he copied her powers and inadvertently absorbed her death from the Morituri Effect. It has been suggested that her pregnancy allowed her to live longer than the one year deadline. Although she died from the Morituri Effect shortly after giving birth.
The Second Generation of Morituri
- Pilar Lisieux (Scaredycat)ScaredycatScaredycat is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, member of the Strikeforce: Morituri. The character was created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson.-Publication history:...
- Projecting Empathy (limited to fear projection), superhuman speed; died from the Morituri Effect. - William Deguchi (Scatterbrain)Scatterbrain (Morituri)Scatterbrain is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, member of the Strikeforce: Morituri. The character was created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson.-Publication history:...
- Telepathy (initially could only use to project to all individuals in a given area and only thoughts; later could project mental states - drunkenness, perfect clarity, etc. After encounter with the Fourth Generation Morituri telepath, his power began to expand into clairsentience (if not for the 'Morituri Effect' Deguchi may have achieved cosmic awareness). Because of neural damage sustained during training session in The Garden, Deguchi wore a leg brace. Died from the Morituri effect. - Ruth Mastorakis (Toxyn)ToxynToxyn is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, member of the Strikeforce: Morituri. The character was created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson.-Publication history:...
- Produce beneficial/harmful biochemical agents capable of affecting organic/inorganic materials and lifeforms, but had to make skin to skin contact to develop a species specific toxin; died from the Morituri Effect.
The Third Generation of Morituri
- Greg Mattingly (Backhand)Backhand (comics)Backhand is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, member of the Strikeforce: Morituri. The character was created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson.-Publication history:...
- Redirect energy; willed himself to undergo the Morituri Effect to kill the Super Hordians. - Domenica Contreras (Brava)Brava (comics)Brava is a fictional character of Marvel Comics, a superhero and member of Strikeforce: Morituri. She was created by writer Peter B. Gillis and artist Brent Anderson.-Publication history:...
- Superhuman strength; killed by the Tiger after the Horde War ended. - Burke O'Halloran (Hardcase) - Density control (limited to enhancing the molecular density of any object to make it nearly indestructible. Could perform this on living beings, but rendered them immobile - and was possibly fatal if they closed their mouths so they couldn't breathe); killed when the Horde activated a microwave cannon.
- Walther Feyzioglu (Shear)Shear (comics)Shear is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, member of the Strikeforce: Morituri. The character was created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson.-Publication history:...
- Could generate Razor Force energy waves from hands that could slice through objects on the molecular level with a range of one meter; fell to his death in a fight with Scanner after Shear murdered their Strikeforce commander during a psychotic rage. - Akiya Bandaranaike (Silencer)Silencer (comics)Silencer is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, member of the Strikeforce: Morituri. The character was created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson.-Publication history:Silencer was created by writer Peter B...
- Sound Nullify (could nullify vibratory patterns to inhibit sounds). Also used this power to "silence the hearts" aka induce fatal heart attacks in members of the Fourth Generation Morituri (as one member was an energy-based being, there was indication that her power was progressing into an EM-controlling ability similar to Radian's); killed when the Horde activated a microwave cannon. - John Crenella (Wildcard)Wildcard (comics)Wildcard is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, member of the Strikeforce: Morituri. The character was created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson.-Publication history:Wildcard was created by writer Peter B...
- Power Mimicry (limited to copying the super powers of other Morituri); Died from the Morituri effect.
The Fourth Generation of Morituri (aka the Morituri Monsters)
- 4 members, including Carol Rayweick, Victor Leroy Long and Macintire Kenlin, all were euthanized by Silencer.
Unidentified Morituri #1 - massive psionic powers, including telepathy and psionic energy blasts which he used to enhance Scatterbrain's powers so that the Morituri could gain the upper hand and ultimately defeat their opponents (the Super Hordians) in one particular battle.
Unidentified Morituri #2 - Powers unknown, but appeared to have growth or super-strength.
Unidentified Morituri #3, most likely Carol Rayweick as this was the only noticeable female of this group - Powers unknown, but appeared to have some sort of avian/aquatic growths.
Unidentified Morituri #4 - Powers unknown but energy-related; mutated into an unstable energy form contained in a special shielded area.
The Fifth Generation of Morituri
- Jason Edwards (Revenge) - Energy conversion - on touch, could cause solid objects to explode.
- Dan Baker (Scanner) - Clairsentience (believed at first that he had 'superhuman senses'); He also had a neural jack installed in his head granting him limited Cyberpathic abilities. This allowed him to interface with machines and electronic devices with his mind.
- Yoko Watanabe (Burn) - Pyrokinetic
- Fiona Windsor (Lifter) - Telekinesis, telekinetic flight
The Sixth Generation of Morituri (aka Death Force: Morituri or the Morituri Assassins)
- Tam Van Ok (Ghost) - Professional assassin who gained Complete Invisibility from sight and sound even from advanced electronic sensory equipment. However, he could be detected by Dan Baker aka Scanner who possessed Enhanced Sensory Perception powers; He was sent to assassinate Dr. Tuolema, but decided to abort the mission when he discovered his employers had lied and betrayed him; whereabouts unknown.
- Zakir Shastri (Tiger) - Mercenary who could generate energy claws around his hands capable of slicing through most objects; He was sent to assassinate Brava which he accomplished fairly easily. Returned to India after discovering his employers had lied and betrayed him.
- Julio Gonzales aka Red Cougar (Wind) - A serial killer who gained supersonic speed; killed by Revenge after completing his mission in assassinating the Prime Minister of the Paideia, then going on a murderous rampage at the military facility where the PM was kept.
The Seventh Generation of Morituri (aka the Alien controlled Morituri or Morituri Clones)
- Zed - Energy projection; killed by Szell's Army
- Hassan - Freezing ability; killed by Lifter
- Olga - Possessing Telepathic and other psionic abilities she used to attack the Morituri; killed by Szell's Army
- Several unnamed members that possess a variety of energy-based and physical powers; killed either by Strikeforce: Morituri or Szell's Army
The Eighth Generation of Morituri (aka Kimmo Tuolema's Morituri)
- Paula Tuolema (the comic book also gives a first name as Laura which is most likely a misprint) - teleportation. In the comic book she was able to remotely teleport others. It was shown that she was able to teleport the 4 surviving Morituri, who were far away, to her location. It's also possible that she was capable of teleporting people and items away from her. However, in the comic book, she was seen teleporting with the Morituri to their destination.
- Hans - unclarified physical powers
It should be noted that this series was unique in that it did not have a set "roster" such as the X-Men, Avengers or Justice League of America. With members dying routinely, the mixing of generations was gradual and tragic. Several issues feature the last of a previous generation mixing with the new guard.
Continuity
The setting of Strikeforce: Morituri is a continuity of its own and resembles no future seen in any other Marvel title. The Horde appear to have gathered trophies from residents of the Marvel UniverseMarvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
, including Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
's Shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
, the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
's board and Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
's helmet, as well as shelves of what appear to be power batteries used by DC
DC
- Places :* Washington, D.C. - the capital of the United States of America- Organizations :* DC Comics, a comic book publisher* DC Inside, a South Korean internet forum* DC Recordings, a record label* DC Shoes, a footwear company...
's Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
Corps. At the time, that appeared to be an in-joke rather than a serious plot point.
Due to a mistake in the pages of Exiles
Exiles (Marvel Comics)
The Exiles are a group of fictional characters that feature in three Marvel Comics series, Exiles, New Exiles, and Exiles vol. 2. The Exiles consists of characters from different dimensions, or realities, which have been removed from time and space in order to correct problems in various alternate...
#83 the Morituri world was designated as the home of Weapon X's version of Maverick.
Marvel has designated the Strikeforce Morituri universe as Earth-1287 of its shared multiverse
Multiverse (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...
, as seen in the 2005 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes.
Writers
- Peter B. GillisPeter B. GillisPeter B. Gillis is an American comic book writer best known for his work at Marvel Comics and First Comics in the mid-1980s, including the series Strikeforce: Morituri, and the digitally drawn comic series Shatter.-Biography:...
- Strikeforce: Morituri #1-20 (December 1986-July 1988) - James Hudnall - Strikeforce: Morituri #21-31 (September 1988-July 1989); Strikeforce Morituri: Electric Undertow #1-5 (December 1989-March 1990)
Art
- Brent AndersonBrent AndersonBrent Anderson is an American comic book artist known for his work on X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills and the comic book series Astro City.- Early life :...
- Strikeforce: Morituri #1-9, 11-15, 17-20 (December 1986-August 1987, October 1987-February 1988, April 1988-July 1988) - Whilce PortacioWhilce PortacioWilliam "Whilce" Portacio is a Filipino-American comic book writer and artist. Noted for his work on such titles as The Punisher, X-Factor, and the Uncanny X-Men. Portacio was also one of the seven co-founders of Image Comics, though he did not become a partner in the company.-Early life:Portacio...
- Strikeforce: Morituri #10, 16 (September 1987, March 1988) - Huw ThomasHuw ThomasHywel Gruffydd "Huw" Thomas was a Welsh broadcaster, barrister and Liberal Party politician.-Family and education:Huw Thomas was born in Pen-bre, near Llanelli, and was a fluent Welsh speaker...
- Strikeforce: Morituri #21 (September 1988) - John Calimee - Strikeforce: Morituri #22, 24-25 (October 1988, December 1988-January 1989)
- Mark BagleyMark BagleyMark Bagley is an American comic book artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics on such titles as The Amazing Spider-Man, Thunderbolts, New Warriors, and Ultimate Spider-Man.- Early life and career :...
- Strikeforce: Morituri #23, 26-31 (November 1988, February 1989-July 1989); Strikeforce Morituri: Electric Undertow #1-5 (December 1989-March 1990)
Television
In 2002, the Sci Fi ChannelSyfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
announced that they were going to bring Strikeforce: Morituri to television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
under the name A Thousand Days, obviously changing the length of time a Morituri could live. Although targeted for 2003, nothing ever came of this, because ownership of the property proved to be in question. Marvel and original creator Peter Gillis are currently in dispute over the matter.