Marauders (2022) is a comic book series from Marvel Comics. It's written by Steve Orlando, initially with art by Elenora Carlini and color art by Matt Milla.
The series, set in the shared Marvel Universe, is part of the wider X-Men line and is one of several new books launched as part of Destiny of X, the third phase of the long-running Krakoan Age saga.
It's time for Captain Kate Pryde to make a new start for the Marauders. After all the politics of the Hellfire Company, Kate decides it's time to get back to what the Marauders were made to do — protect mutants who can't make it to Krakoa. Sticking by her side is Lucas Bishop, and they're joined by new recruits Kwannon, Daken, Aurora, Tempo, Somnus and, against better judgment, Cassandra Nova.
The story begins in Marauders annual #1, released January 26, 2022.
Marauders (2022) provides examples of:
- Arc Welding:
- Starting with issue #7, the title's second arc seems to be tying together the Sublime bacteria plot, introduced in Grant Morrison's New X-Men, and Arkea, introduced in Marvel Now!'s X-Men (Vol. 4).
- A second welding is in regards to X-Men 2099: besides Cerebra (Shakti Haddad), Steve Orlando transferred a mutant powerhouse named Tulkas, a new character introduced in mini-series Spider-Man 2099: Exodus #5.
- The Bus Came Back:
- After not being seen as an adult since 2018, Cassandra Nova returns after a brief cameo during X Lives and X Deaths of Wolverine.
- Fever Pitch, last seen in a 2009 issue of X-Force, is revealed to be (barely) alive and is rescued by the team.
- Although not seen, the recurring Russian mutant Gregor introduced (and killed) in District X has been resurrected offscreen. Aurora and Tempo are eating the power enhancing fruit he produces to increase their powers and combine them to emulate a warp drive for the Marauder.
- Erik the Red, who hadn't been seen in the present day since 2009 (barring a story set in the past during X-Men Legends (2021)), reappears at the end of the first issue.
- The mutant symbiote ZZXZ, last seen chowing down on the Zombieverse incarnation of Charles Xavier, is revealed to have been captured and lobotomized by the Kree, converted into the Kin Crimson's Wet Skin. Cassandra Nova uses her powers to free and resurrect it, and in return it bonds to her in the fifth issue.
- Minor character and former X-Corp member Stringfellow (last seen in X-Treme X-Men #35) appears in issue #7.
- Wicked, whose powers let her talk to the dead, returns in #11 - her first appearance since 2018's Merry X-Men Holiday Special.
- Bio-Augmentation: The Kin Crimson are formidable because of the Hard Skin and Wet Skin abilities they possess, reverse engineered from the poor subjects that originally possessed those abilities.
- Canon Character All Along: One of the newly-introduced mutants of the Threshold is a plant manipulator named Grove. In issue #10, he is badly hurt, but reconfigures himself as an arboreal being, calling himself Okkara - the ancestor of twin islands Arakko and Krakoa.
- Continuity Nod:
- Nova is on Krakoa, still "good" from Jean Grey forcing her to experience empathy.
- The Kin Crimson not only call back to Erik the Red, and expand on his history, but also recall Cerise in their shared ability of creating solid red holograms.
- The Kin's Wet Skin, is not only derived from a symbiote, but the mutant symbiote Zzzxx.
- In issue #10, Captain Pryde mentions how her father was one of the victims of the Genoshan Massacre.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: When the early Shi'ar attempted to raid Threshold they were repelled for the first time and only escaped because their pursuers feared space travel. The second time they brought back a larger force in revenge but were beaten by a team of five mutants.
- Didn't Think This Through: Kate goes ahead with trying to save the people of Threshold despite the reservations her team has with altering the past this way. This results in the Marauders trying and failing to defeat Sublime and Arkea.
- Evil Is Petty: The secret of "First Blood Spilled", one of the Ten Shames guarded by the Kin Crimson with extreme prejudice, is ultimately a petty omission that the Shi'ar suffered an embarassing loss to the mutants of Earth when they attempted to raid Threshold.
- Hard Light: The Kin Crimson's primary weapon, the "Hard Skin", are solid holograms they can project in any shape they can imagine with enough power behind them to make individuals armies unto themselves.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Nova takes out a Kin Crimson member by reactivating the consciousness of the symbiote that serves as his Wet Skin. It proceeds to eat his brain.
- Multi National Team: Kate, Tempo, and Cassandra are American, Daken and Kwannon are Japanese, Aurora and Somnus are Canadian and Bishop is Australian (albeit raised in America).
- Reformed, but Not Tamed: Cassandra is reintroduced vivisecting Krakoa in a section she wiped from its memory, claiming that Jean fixed her but clearly treating her new feelings of empathy like a novel experience more than anything. She's proven to be a brutal and sadistic member of the team. Kate eventually conspires behind her back to have her incapacitated and imprisoned, partially in revenge for her father and Genosha, but also because her new demeanor is no guarantee that she won't repeat her actions, just with "good intentions" she rationalized.
- Ripple-Proof Memory: Tempo's powers give her a limited version of this. If rewriting the past changes the future, she'll remember both versions.
- Rogues' Gallery Transplant:
- The new team comes together to fight Brimstone Love, who was a villain for the X-Men of 2099. Brimstone's Theater of Pain is also referred to, although does not seem to feature the original members so far.
- The mysterious Orchis leader that's been hidden behind the scenes since Giant-Size X-Men: Thunderbird is finally revealed in issue #6: Judas Traveler, the mysterious man that had studied both Peter Parker and Ben Reiley during The Clone Saga.
- Story Arc: The title's main recurring storyline is about Captain Pryde and the Marauders learning of a lost, billion-year-old mutant civilization named Threshold and their plans to bring them back to Krakoa in modern times.
- Temporal Paradox: In issue #11, Kate Pryde discusses the idea that the billion-year-old mutant civilization, Threshold, may actually have started in the present time.Captain Kate: We all believed you [Threshold] were first, but what if we were the first generation all along?Aurora: Us being first would explain a pre-human society of mutants.
- Token Evil Teammate: Cassandra Nova. The woman behind the Genoshan Massacre joins the Marauders. It’s implied they need her.
- Transplant:
- Kwannon comes over from Hellions while Daken and Aurora come over from X-Factor (2020). Both titles ended in 2021.
- Cerebra (Shakti Haddad), from X-Men 2099, cameos at the end of issue #5.
- Two Lines, No Waiting: The title's two major storylines started with Marauders Annual #1:
- Brimstone Love and the Theatre of Pain - it was the primary focus of the annual issue, but relegated as a Daken's subplot that finished with issues #11-12.
- Kate Pryde's billion-year-old mysterium box and the ancient Threshold mutant civilization - introduced at the tail end of the annual, it later became the primary focus of its two major arcs.
- Villain Has a Point: Nova rightfully points out that her house arrest is hypocritical given that the likes of Apocalypse and Mister Sinister were not only welcomed with open arms but were allowed on the Quiet Council.
- The Watson: Somnus fills this role; because he spent his life pre-resurrection not involved in mutant culture, things like who exactly Cassandra Nova is and why she's a problem have to be explained.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Stryfe, Cable's antagonistic genetic clone, appears as a potential threat at the end of issue #9, but, in the next issue, Captain Pryde jumps out of Amass and beats him. His whereabouts are not mentioned in the arc resolution.
- Working with the Ex: Downplayed with Daken. He's on a team with Somnus, whom he had a one-night stand with during The '60s, but there's no ill will between them and Daken is responsible for Somnus's resurrection on Krakoa.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Rare example of the heroes doing this: in issue #10, before Cassandra can betray the rest of the team, Kate reveals that she (with help from Emma Frost) pulled a long con to incapacitate her, leaving her imprisoned two billion years in the past.
- You Killed My Father: Kate invokes this trope word for word when she takes down Cassandra. Toward the end of the issue, Kate writes a letter to her late father, letting him know that the scales have been balanced.Captain Kate: What can I say? You killed my father. And there are some things you should not be allowed to get away with.
