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[[caption-width-right:250:The Ultimate Power. The Ultimate Honor. The Ultimate Sacrifice.]]
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* WrapItUp[=/=]PostScriptSeason: The "Maximum Ride" miniseries is part-way between these tropes. The original series wasn't fully LeftHanging, but the ending was rushed and there were a lot of loose ends.
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* WrapItUp[=/=]PostScriptSeason: The "Maximum Ride" "Electric Undertow" miniseries is part-way between these tropes. The original series wasn't fully LeftHanging, but the ending was rushed and there were a lot of loose ends.
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''Strikeforce: Morituri'' was a science-fiction comic book series created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson. It was published by Creastor/MarvelComics from 1986 to 1989.
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''Strikeforce: Morituri'' was a science-fiction comic book series created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson. It was published by Creastor/MarvelComics Creator/MarvelComics from 1986 to 1989.
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* EmotionBomb: Scaredycat was able to broadcast emotions into everyone nearby; typically using fear or disgust to incapacitate enemies. Her partner Scatterbrain could broadcast mental states, such as drunkenness, for a similar effect.
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* EmotionBomb: Scaredycat was able to broadcast emotions into everyone nearby; typically using fear or disgust to incapacitate enemies. Her partner Scatterbrain could broadcast mental states, such states (such as drunkenness, drunkenness) for a similar effect.effect or positive states (like extreme mental clarity) to assist his fellow Morituri.
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# There is no way to predict when a subject will die. This can create problems in running operations, and adds a psychological burden on the subjects themselves. (This was slightly averted as the series went on, as it was noted that dying Morituri underwent a power surge that dramatically increased their powers and lead directly to death.)
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# There is no way to predict when a subject will die. This can create problems in running operations, and adds a psychological burden on the subjects themselves. (This ([[AvertedTrope This was slightly averted averted]] as the series went on, as it was noted that dying Morituri underwent a power surge that dramatically increased their powers and lead directly to death.)
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# The ''Morituri Process'' actually had two phases. The first was remarkably similar to ''[[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Project Rebirth]]'' in that it gave the subjects ''perfect'' physiques and physical attributes. The second phase of the ''Morituri Process'' (where the subject's metabolic processes were replaced with an energy-based one that gave the subject '' 'super-powers' '').
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# The ''Morituri Process'' actually had two phases. The first was remarkably similar to ''[[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Project Rebirth]]'' in that it gave the subjects ''perfect'' physiques and physical attributes. The second phase of the ''Morituri Process'' (where replaced the subject's metabolic processes were replaced with an energy-based one that gave the subject '' 'super-powers' '').''actual'' 'super-powers'.
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# There is no way to predict when a subject will die. This can create problems in running operations, and adds a psychological burden on the subjects themselves.
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# There is no way to predict when a subject will die. This can create problems in running operations, and adds a psychological burden on the subjects themselves.
themselves. (This was slightly averted as the series went on, as it was noted that dying Morituri underwent a power surge that dramatically increased their powers and lead directly to death.)
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# The ''Morituri Process'' actually had two phases. The first was remarkably similar to ''[[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Project Rebirth]]'' in that it gave the subjects 'perfect' physiques and physical attributes - and it was also actually survivable. The second phase of the ''Morituri Process'' (where the subject's metabolic processes were replaced with an energy-based one that gave the subject '' 'super-powers' '') was the process that led to death through the natural/inevitable rejection of the Morituri metabolism by the body.
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# The ''Morituri Process'' actually had two phases. The first was remarkably similar to ''[[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Project Rebirth]]'' in that it gave the subjects 'perfect' ''perfect'' physiques and physical attributes - and it was also actually survivable. attributes. The second phase of the ''Morituri Process'' (where the subject's metabolic processes were replaced with an energy-based one that gave the subject '' 'super-powers' '') was the process that led to death through the natural/inevitable rejection of the Morituri metabolism by the body.'').
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# Death from the ''Morituri Effect'' tends to be spectacularly unpleasant; the ones who explode were the lucky ones.
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# Death from the ''Morituri Effect'' tends to be spectacularly unpleasant; the ones who explode were the lucky ones. In addition, the dying Morituri was able to predict their imminent death because the ''Morituri Effect'' would usually cause a massive surge in their power levels and capabilities.
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Humankind's hope comes when Dr. Kimmo Tuolema perfected the Morituri Process, a procedure that turns a select few into literal superheroes -- subjects who undergo the process acquire vast strength, extra stamina, enhanced durability, and at least one extraordinary ability. However, the process also had several major flaws:
# The subject ''dies'' within a year, sometimes much less. This was due to the body ultimately rejecting the energy-based metabolism grafted to it.
# Without proper screening, subjects could die during the process, or survive it with a useless power.
# Death from the Morituri effect tends to be spectacularly unpleasant; the ones who explode were the lucky ones.
# The subject ''dies'' within a year, sometimes much less. This was due to the body ultimately rejecting the energy-based metabolism grafted to it.
# Without proper screening, subjects could die during the process, or survive it with a useless power.
# Death from the Morituri effect tends to be spectacularly unpleasant; the ones who explode were the lucky ones.
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Humankind's hope comes when Dr. Kimmo Tuolema perfected the Morituri Process, ''Morituri Process'', a procedure that turns a select few into literal superheroes -- subjects who undergo the process acquire vast strength, extra stamina, enhanced durability, and at least one extraordinary ability. However, the process also had several major flaws:
# The subject ''dies'' within a year, sometimes much less. This was due to the body ultimately rejecting the energy-based metabolism grafted toit.
it. (However, it was learned that younger persons (under the age of twenty-one) would survive the process longer, while older subjects (such as the ''Black Watch'') had a Morituri-augmented lifespan ''that was measured in weeks''.
# Without proper screening, subjects could die during theprocess, or survive process.
# The ''Morituri Process'' actually had two phases. The first was remarkably similar to ''[[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Project Rebirth]]'' in that it gave the subjects 'perfect' physiques and physical attributes - and it was also actually survivable. The second phase of the ''Morituri Process'' (where the subject's metabolic processes were replaced witha an energy-based one that gave the subject '' 'super-powers' '') was the process that led to death through the natural/inevitable rejection of the Morituri metabolism by the body.
# There was no way to address the issue of power generation. Morituri could end up with any imaginable power (including totally uselesspower.
powers or powers that had a very specific area of usefulness).
# Death from theMorituri effect ''Morituri Effect'' tends to be spectacularly unpleasant; the ones who explode were the lucky ones.
# The subject ''dies'' within a year, sometimes much less. This was due to the body ultimately rejecting the energy-based metabolism grafted to
# Without proper screening, subjects could die during the
# The ''Morituri Process'' actually had two phases. The first was remarkably similar to ''[[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Project Rebirth]]'' in that it gave the subjects 'perfect' physiques and physical attributes - and it was also actually survivable. The second phase of the ''Morituri Process'' (where the subject's metabolic processes were replaced with
# There was no way to address the issue of power generation. Morituri could end up with any imaginable power (including totally useless
# Death from the
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** On a meta level - there's the fact (that's addressed from the first issue!) that there are ''two phases'' to the ''Morituri Process'', and the first is not only wholly survivable but gives the subjects perfect bodies and physical abilities at the peak of human performance. You have to wonder why the government didn't just shelve Phase Two until it could be perfected (as it was once Revenge was forced onto the team and the alien virus he had caught was found to perfectly and harmlessly bind the Morituri metabolism permanently to a human body without fear of rejection) - and just instead focus on using the first phase to create an army of [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica '' 'super-soldiers' '']]to beat back the Horde without the need for government superheroes who would die within a year.
*** Because it was shown that there were forces within the Paieda (the Earth's world government) that wanted the war to continue in order to make money from it.
*** Because it was shown that there were forces within the Paieda (the Earth's world government) that wanted the war to continue in order to make money from it.
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* StarfishAliens: The [=VXX199=]. The ship which arrives in Earth orbit, destroys the Horde, and then hides behind the moon (itself being half the diameter of the moon in length [[YouFailPhysicsForever but doesn't affect its orbit whatsoever]]), is itself a giant conglomeration of living tissue, home to millions of completely alien lifeforms of varying intelligence, including the ship's own biological AI. It's like if Terry Gilliam directed a cyberpunk thriller with H.R. Giger as the art designer.
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* StarfishAliens: The [=VXX199=]. The ship which arrives in Earth orbit, destroys the Horde, and then hides behind the moon (itself being half the diameter of the moon in length [[YouFailPhysicsForever [[ArtisticLicensePhysics but doesn't affect its orbit whatsoever]]), is itself a giant conglomeration of living tissue, home to millions of completely alien lifeforms of varying intelligence, including the ship's own biological AI. It's like if Terry Gilliam directed a cyberpunk thriller with H.R. Giger as the art designer.
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* MythologyGag: In issue #2, Dr. Tuolema describes the deathtraps in "the Garden" as being inspired by [[ComicBook/{{X-Men}} a training room in a comic book he had once read.]]
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* MythologyGag: In issue #2, Dr. Tuolema describes the deathtraps in "the Garden" as being inspired by [[ComicBook/{{X-Men}} [[ComicBook/XMen a training room in a comic book he had once read.]]
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TheOtherWiki has a list of characters [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strikeforce:_Morituri#Characters here.]]
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* AmazonianBeauty: [[http://www.comicvine.com/images/1300-2511862 Brava,]] whose superhuman ability was superhuman size, strength, and resistance, even beyond that of her teammates. She ended up just under seven feet tall, with a muscular build, flowing black hair, and sculpted European facial features. Her costume is a skintight light blue leotard that accentuated her body; not only was she flattered by the the attention she received, she was also not afraid to act on it.
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* AmazonianBeauty: [[http://www.comicvine.com/images/1300-2511862 writeups.org/wp-content/uploads/Brava-Strikeforce-Morituri-Marvel-Comics.jpg Brava,]] whose superhuman ability was superhuman size, strength, and resistance, even beyond that of her teammates. She ended up just under seven feet tall, with a muscular build, flowing black hair, and sculpted European facial features. Her costume is a skintight light blue leotard that accentuated her body; not only was she flattered by the the attention she received, she was also not afraid to act on it.
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* PropagandaHero: There are in-universe propaganda comics about the characters, which are played sometimes for comedy and sometimes grim irony.
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* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Tuolema is not a real surname. It was probably supposed to be Tuomela, which is. Although the MeaningfulName mentioned below might almost justify it, Tuomela could also sound like Tuonela, [[Literature/TheKalevala the Finnish Underworld]].
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* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Tuolema is not a real surname. It was probably supposed to be Tuomela, which is. Although the MeaningfulName mentioned below might almost justify it, Tuomela could also sound like Tuonela, [[Literature/TheKalevala the Finnish Underworld]]. Switching the first letter you can get kuolema, which is Finnish for death.
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* TakeAMomentToCatchYourDeath: Occurs in issue #4, where the team successfully stops a Horde raid, and the post-fight celebration ends with the death of [[spoiler:Snapdragon]] from the Morituri effect.
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* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp: Happened twice in the series in two different directions. The main series is set in 2072, but the Soviet Union still exists below the Paideia world government. In the other direction, however, a memorial depicted in one panel appears to suggest that South African Apartheid collapsed in 1989, five years too optimistic compared to real life.
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* Telepathy: Scatterbrain could indiscriminately broadcast thoughts and mental states to everyone nearby.
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* Telepathy: {{Telepathy}}: Scatterbrain could indiscriminately broadcast thoughts and mental states to everyone nearby.
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* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Tuolema is not a real surname. It was probably supposed to be Tuomela, which is. Although the MeaningfulName mentioned below might almost justify it, Tuomela could also sound like Tuonela, [[Literature/TheKalevala the Finnish Underworld]].
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* AnyoneCanDie
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* AnyoneCanDieAnyoneCanDie: Subjects of the Morituri Process die within a year, any time -- one character dies within a ''week'' of completing the process.
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* AmazonianBeauty: [[http://www.comicvine.com/images/1300-2511862 Brava,]] whose superhuman ability was superhuman size, strength, and resistance, even beyond that of her teammates. She ended up just under seven feet tall, with a muscular build, flowing black hair, and sculpted European facial features. Her costume is a skintight light blue leotard that accentuated her body; not only was she flattered by the the attention she received, she was also not afraid to act on it.
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* AmazonianBeauty: Brava.
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* MarsWantsChocolate: Chocolate is an intoxicant to one of the alien groups.
* MarsWantsChocolate[=/=]SpiceOfLife: The Horde find chocolate to be a powerful intoxicant.
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* SpiceOfLife: The Horde find chocolate to be a powerful intoxicant.
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* AtrociousAlias: One criticism of Hudnall's run on ''Morituri'' were the uncreative names he gave to his characters -- a telekinetic named "Lifter," a pyrotechnic named "Burn," an invisible character named "Ghost"...
** EmbarrassingNickname: Deliberately invoked by Pilar "Scaredycat" Lisieux and William "Scatterbrain" Deguchi; they gave each other embarrassing names as part of a dare.
** EmbarrassingNickname: Deliberately invoked by Pilar "Scaredycat" Lisieux and William "Scatterbrain" Deguchi; they gave each other embarrassing names as part of a dare.
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* EmbarrassingNickname: Deliberately invoked by Pilar "Scaredycat" Lisieux and William "Scatterbrain" Deguchi; they gave each other embarrassing names as part of a dare.
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* GenericName: One criticism of Hudnall's run on ''Morituri'' were the uncreative names he gave to his characters -- a telekinetic named "Lifter," a pyrotechnic named "Burn," an invisible character named "Ghost"...
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* GenericName: One criticism of Hudnall's run on ''Morituri'' were the uncreative names he gave to his characters -- a telekinetic named "Lifter," a pyrotechnic named "Burn," an invisible character named "Ghost"...
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* {{Invisibility}}: The Ghost had an advanced form of invisibility, making him undetectable to everything short of psychic powers.
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* MindOverMatter: Lifter and Olga could move things with their minds.
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* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: Scanner had clairsentience, though he initially thought it was super senses until the psychic aspect became known.
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* PlayingWithFire: Burn had standard pyrotechnic powers.
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* {{Technopath}}: Scanner had a neural jack installed in his head to give him limited control of machines.
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* AmazonianBeauty: Brava.
* HealingHands[=/=]PoisonousPerson: Toxyn could generate a variety of helpful or harmful biochemicals after touching someone.
* LaserCutter: Shear could project a "razor force" from his hands that could cut nearby objects on a molecular level. The villainous Tiger had a similar ability.
* MadeOfExplodium: This is Revenge's superpower -- he could convert anything to energy by touching it, with the effect of making it explode. He once defeated an opponent with SuperSpeed just by touching him ''once'' during the fight.
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* HealingHands[=/=]PoisonousPerson: Toxyn could generate a variety of helpful or harmful biochemicals after touching someone.
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* PowerCopying: Wildcard could duplicate the ability of any other Morituri member nearby.
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* SuperToughness: Hardcase could increase the density of anything he touched to produce this effect, and use it to incapacitate enemies.
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* EmotionBomb: Scaredycat was able to broadcast emotions into everyone nearby; typically using fear or disgust to incapacitate enemies. Her partner Scatterbrain could broadcast mental states, such as drunkenness, for a similar effect.
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* MakeThemRot: Blackthorne was able to break the molecular bonds of whatever she touched, causing them to rot and dissolve.
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* HealingHands[=/=]PoisonousPerson: Toxyn could generate a variety of helpful or harmful biochemicals after touching someone.
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* SuperSpeed: Scaredycat and Wind.
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* Telepathy: Scatterbrain could indiscriminately broadcast thoughts and mental states to everyone nearby.
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* AttackReflector: Vyking and Backhand could reflect energy attacks.
* AuraVision: Vyking could sense other nearby lifeforms, which he called "imaging."
* AuraVision: Vyking could sense other nearby lifeforms, which he called "imaging."
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* EyeBeams: Woodrow Green of the Black Watch had this power.
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* HandBlast:
** Snapdragon used wrist-mounted projectors to focus her plasma blasts.
** Radian could beam energy from the entire electro-magnetic spectrum. He wore focusing sleeves on his forearms to direct them.
** Snapdragon used wrist-mounted projectors to focus her plasma blasts.
** Radian could beam energy from the entire electro-magnetic spectrum. He wore focusing sleeves on his forearms to direct them.
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* SuperStrength: All of the Morituri have above-normal human strength as a side effect of the process.
** Marathon had a variation where his strength grew the longer he refrained from using it.
** Brava had strength exceeding that of the other Morituri.
** Marathon had a variation where his strength grew the longer he refrained from using it.
** Brava had strength exceeding that of the other Morituri.
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* MostCommonSuperpower: Lampshaded first when one member of the team is pleased with the effect of super-empowerment on her assets, and later when other female members are variously amused or skeeved by their bosom size when depicted in in-universe propaganda comics.
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* MarsWantsChocolate: Chocolate is an intoxicant to one of the alien groups.
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[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/strikeforce-moritur-small_7967.jpg]]
->''“I expect I'll have a few adventures, but adventure is not a good reason to die, just as hate is not a good reason to die. Not even love is a good reason to die... not even life.\\
"What is a good reason to die?\\
"I really don't know, but I think I'll soon find out.”''\\
--'''Harold "Vyking" Everson'''
''Strikeforce: Morituri'' was a science-fiction comic book series created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson. It was published by Creastor/MarvelComics from 1986 to 1989.
The series starts off in the year 2072, with Earth suffering under an AlienInvasion by the Horde, a race of barbarian PlanetLooters who plunder inhabited worlds for supplies, equipment, technology, and sport. Needless to say, conventional Earth weaponry is all but useless in the face of the Horde's advanced technology.
Humankind's hope comes when Dr. Kimmo Tuolema perfected the Morituri Process, a procedure that turns a select few into literal superheroes -- subjects who undergo the process acquire vast strength, extra stamina, enhanced durability, and at least one extraordinary ability. However, the process also had several major flaws:
# The subject ''dies'' within a year, sometimes much less. This was due to the body ultimately rejecting the energy-based metabolism grafted to it.
# Without proper screening, subjects could die during the process, or survive it with a useless power.
# Death from the Morituri effect tends to be spectacularly unpleasant; the ones who explode were the lucky ones.
# There is no way to predict when a subject will die. This can create problems in running operations, and adds a psychological burden on the subjects themselves.
Despite the dangers, the Paideia world government quickly forms a specialized fast-response team around the Morituri. They also serve as a much-needed inspiration for the besieged populace, and the members are promoted as heroes and celebrities, complete with codenames, cool costumes, and publicity junkets.
The series was noted for its character-driven narrative; much time is spent on the psychological burden of the Morituri, each having accepted certain death to become a champion of Earth, along with ancillary issues like celebrity, leadership, and team conflicts. This is accented by the bleakness of the war itself, as the Morituri are ''not'' shown to have a major effect in turning the tide of the Horde invasion.
Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson worked on the first twenty issues of the comic, after which it was written by James Hudnall and drawn by Mark Bagley. The series ended after 31 issues, soon followed by a five-part limited series, ''Electric Undertow''; it took place ten years later and served as a cyberpunk-flavored coda to clean up the rushed ending of the regular series.
The title is a reference to the Latin phrase "Morituri te salutamus" (''We who are about to die salute you''), allegedly said by Roman gladiators to Caesar before battle in the arena.
TheOtherWiki has a list of characters [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strikeforce:_Morituri#Characters here.]]
----
!!Tropes:
* AlienInvasion
* AliensAreBastards: The only benevolent aliens are seen in flashback; all of the aliens encountered by humans are out to exploit humanity in one way or another.
* AnyoneCanDie
* ArtShift: The art for issue #1's "Tales of the Black Watch" excerpt were drawn by Whilce Portacio.
* BaseOnWheels: After their mountain base is destroyed by the Horde, the Morituri worked out of a high-speed train that travelled around North America.
* BattleTrophy [=/=]CollectorOfTheStrange: Members of the Horde prominently wear souvenirs from their hunts, ranging from bottlecaps, trinkets, and human bones.
* BlessedWithSuck: While the Morituri process itself is a form of suck, this trope is especially true for survivors who received a "useless" power, such as [[spoiler:Commander Beth Nion, who could make flowers bloom.]]
* TheBlank: One of the Horde's terror schemes involved an alien "healer" plant which killed humans by making their skin grow over their mouth and nostrils.
* CastOfSnowflakes
* CoolPlane: The Strikeforce use a supersonic ballistic capsule to quickly fly to Horde invasion sites.
* DeadlyUpgrade / PowerDegeneration: The Morituri process, naturally.
* DeathByChildbirth: Inverted with Aline "Blackthorn" Pagrovna; it is suggested that her pregnancy was what kept her alive even after the one-year life expectancy of the Morituri process had passed. She dies soon after the baby is born.
* DeusExMachina: The war was abruptly ended when a new race of aliens, the [=VXX199=], entered Earth orbit, destroyed the Horde fleet, and then departed without explanation. It is later revealed [[spoiler:that the [=VXX199=] remained hidden behind the Moon, where they were working on harvesting humanity for their own ends.]]
* DieOrFly: Part of the Morituri Process involves releasing the subjects in Biowar Facility Alpha ("The Garden"), a lethal testing area that tried to induce super-powers under stressful situations.
* ElaborateUndergroundBase: The Strikeforce starts off with a base hidden inside a mountain. [[spoiler:When the Horde discover its location, it is destroyed with a [[DeathFromAbove nuclear bombardment.]]]]
* EmbarrassingNickname: Deliberately invoked by Pilar "Scaredycat" Lisieux and William "Scatterbrain" Deguchi; they gave each other embarrassing names as part of a dare.
* EvilKnockoff: The Super-Hordians, genetically mutated Horde warriors with augmented abilities for the purpose of defeating the Morituri.
* GovernmentConspiracy: Unknown to Dr. Tuolema, four subjects were treated to the Morituri Process without his supervision. They ended up as misshapen mutants who simply wanted to die.
** Later, unknown to the heroes, the Morituri process was used on a trio of killers to create assassins to kill the surviving members of the Strikeforce and the Paideia Prime Minister.
* HumanResources: The ''Electric Undertow'' limited series reveals that [[spoiler:the [=VXX199=] were hiding behind the Moon, modifying mankind's culture to their requirements, then inducing [[SpontaneousHumanCombustion spontaneous combustion]] in the population to harness the psychic energies released.]]
* ImMelting: One of the ways people succumb to the Morituri effect.
* ImportedAlienPhlebotinum: Done by the Horde, as everything they have was stolen from other alien species.
* InsufficientlyAdvancedAlien: The Horde. All of their technology was stolen from others, and the only reason they got off their homeworld in the first place was by stealing from the alien ambassadors who visited them.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Louis "Radian" Armanetti.
* JetPack: The heroes all have personal flight devices for short-term flight.
* JustEatGilligan: Both Adept and Toxyn could have possibly found a cure by using their powers on the Morituri process. However no one even suggests trying this.
* LetsYouAndHimFight: The double-sized issue #12 features a fight between the current Morituri team and the third-generation recruits.
* LowCultureHighTech: The Horde, who possess pirated interstellar technology but have a culture built on tribalism and terror.
* MadDoctor: The Gentle Enquirer.
* MeaningfulName: If you change the first letter of Dr. Tuolemas surname from T to K, his name would mean "death" in Finnish.
* MercyKill: Happens to the Mutant Morituri.
* MoodWhiplash: Happens sometimes due to the unpredictable nature of the Morituri effect. A notable example occurs in issue #4, where the team stops a Horde raid during a media junket, and the post-fight celebration ends with [[spoiler:the sudden death of Snapdragon]].
* MultinationalTeam: The members of the Strikeforce are drawn from different backgrounds, nations, and cultures.
* MythologyGag: In issue #2, Dr. Tuolema describes the deathtraps in "the Garden" as being inspired by [[ComicBook/{{X-Men}} a training room in a comic book he had once read.]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: A few occasions, but most notably when the heroes disrupt a duel for position of leader of the Horde, and kill both contendants. [[spoiler: Resulting in [[MadDoctor the Gentle Enquirer]] being put in charge.]]
* ObviouslyEvil: The Horde. They deliberately avoid quickly conquering Earth [[ForTheEvulz for the fun of terrorizing the populace]] and think nothing of slaughtering helpless slaves and children. An early terror tactic was to eject large numbers of captured humans outside the Earth's atmosphere, allowing them to burn up in re-entry so people on the ground could see the streaks representing their burning forms.
* OhCrap: several, for both sides. One of the saddest happens when the Horde stop tormenting humanity for sport somewhat after the heroes have a conspicuous success and get down to serious carnage.
* OneWorldOrder: At the start of the series, the nations of Earth have been united under a single government called the Paideia.
* OrganicTechnology: The [=VXX199=].
* PlanetLooters: The Horde.
* PossessionImpliesMastery: Played straight by Adept, who could analyze and understand anything she touched. Given the Horde's use of scavenged technology, this was ''very'' useful.
* ProudWarriorRace: While the Horde play this straight with each other, it's subverted in their treatment of humans, where they act as savage bullies from a position of strength. They have no qualms about slaughtering human slaves and children for petty reasons, and resort to terror tactics to intimidate humanity when the Morituri begin to become more dangerous.
* PsychoForHire: The Ghost, the Wind and the Tiger. [[spoiler: Actually a subversion indicating why Psychos For Hire are a bad idea, as two of them rapidly abandon their employers and the third commits a counter-productive random massacre.]]
* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: [[spoiler:Radian]] is killed by fellow Morituri [[spoiler:Shear]] when the latter believes he became a traitor to the Horde. In reality, [[spoiler:Radian]] had feared that succumbing to the Morituri effect would be tantamount to the mortal sin of suicide, and he wanted to die in battle instead.
* ScrewTheWarWerePartying: A coping mechanism for some of the Morituri.
* ShowWithinAShow: Types 1, 3, and 4. There is a comic and TV program about the Morituri themselves.
** ''Type 1:'' In issue 4, Harold "Vyking" Everson meets Greg Mattingly, who portrays Vyking in the show. Much later, after Harold Everson's death, Greg Mattingly discovers he's eligible for the Morituri process, and acquires an energy redirection power quite similar to Vyking's, but more accurate. He takes the codename Backhand.
--> '''Harold Everson''': Well, Greg, it's too bad you couldn't get a more permanent role than playing one of us...
** ''Type 3:'' The first issue includes excerpts from "Tales of the Black Watch", a promotional comic book about the first team of Morituri volunteers. When Harold Everson/Vyking joins, his briefing includes watching a video of what ''really'' happened to the Black Watch.
** ''Type 4:'' The in-comic comic series portrays a glorified version of actual events, and the in-comic TV show, while not mentioned to be based on actual events, uses film from battles against the Horde as "green-screen" backdrop and stock footage.
* {{Soaperizing}}: A regular occurrence in the comic, due to the character-driven narrative.
* SpecialSnowflakeSyndrome: Lampooned by Gillis and Anderson in the backup feature, "How Peter & Brent Create (& Destroy) ''Strikeforce Morituri''", where they create new characters by throwing darts at a board labelled with character traits.
* SpiceOfLife: The Horde find chocolate to be a powerful intoxicant.
* SpontaneousHumanCombustion: In the "Electric Undertow" limited series, this happens to random people due to [[spoiler:psychic harvesting by the alien [=VXX199=].]]
* StarfishAliens: The [=VXX199=]. The ship which arrives in Earth orbit, destroys the Horde, and then hides behind the moon (itself being half the diameter of the moon in length [[YouFailPhysicsForever but doesn't affect its orbit whatsoever]]), is itself a giant conglomeration of living tissue, home to millions of completely alien lifeforms of varying intelligence, including the ship's own biological AI. It's like if Terry Gilliam directed a cyberpunk thriller with H.R. Giger as the art designer.
** This is later subverted ''and'' lampshaded when a group of [[spoiler:retired ]]Morituri arrive on the ship, and one of them points out how completely ludicrous it is that the atmosphere within the ship merely smells horrible, instead of being completely unable to sustain (super-)human life.
* SuperpowerLottery: The powers received through the Morituri process were completely random. The powers of the characters who apear in the series were more useful than not; justified in that character with useless powers would not survive the deathtraps in "the Garden."
* TrueCompanions: The Morituri team, much of the time. As existing members died and new ones joined, however, the dynamics of the team were often tested.
* WasOnceAMan: The Mutant Morituri, four subjects treated to the Morituri Process without the supervision of Dr. Tuolema. They ended up as horrible deformities who were [[MercyKill euthanised to put them out of their misery.]]
* WhyAmITicking: The Morituri called Revenge had the ability to touch something and make it degrade into energy at varying rates and intensities. When confronted with the SuperSpeed Morituri assassin Wind, he simply allowed Wind to punch him... whereupon he exploded moments later.
** Earlier in the series, as the Morituri become more successful at repelling the Horde, they retaliate with a terror campaign by secretly implanting bombs into humans and detonating them in public.
* WeHaveReserves: Averted; due to their small numbers, the Morituri are trained to stop Horde raids quickly.
* WrapItUp[=/=]PostScriptSeason: The "Maximum Ride" miniseries is part-way between these tropes. The original series wasn't fully LeftHanging, but the ending was rushed and there were a lot of loose ends.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: The fundamental concept of the series. Notably highlighted when the Morituri are reprimanded by the Paedia Council for attacking the Horde without authorization; in response, Ruth "Toxyn" Mastorakis administers a poison to her teammates, then explains it as the desperation the Morituri feel every moment they are kept away from active duty.
* {{Zeerust}}: In one issue, the Horde secretly pass a message to the Morituri via videotape.
----
->''“I expect I'll have a few adventures, but adventure is not a good reason to die, just as hate is not a good reason to die. Not even love is a good reason to die... not even life.\\
"What is a good reason to die?\\
"I really don't know, but I think I'll soon find out.”''\\
--'''Harold "Vyking" Everson'''
''Strikeforce: Morituri'' was a science-fiction comic book series created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson. It was published by Creastor/MarvelComics from 1986 to 1989.
The series starts off in the year 2072, with Earth suffering under an AlienInvasion by the Horde, a race of barbarian PlanetLooters who plunder inhabited worlds for supplies, equipment, technology, and sport. Needless to say, conventional Earth weaponry is all but useless in the face of the Horde's advanced technology.
Humankind's hope comes when Dr. Kimmo Tuolema perfected the Morituri Process, a procedure that turns a select few into literal superheroes -- subjects who undergo the process acquire vast strength, extra stamina, enhanced durability, and at least one extraordinary ability. However, the process also had several major flaws:
# The subject ''dies'' within a year, sometimes much less. This was due to the body ultimately rejecting the energy-based metabolism grafted to it.
# Without proper screening, subjects could die during the process, or survive it with a useless power.
# Death from the Morituri effect tends to be spectacularly unpleasant; the ones who explode were the lucky ones.
# There is no way to predict when a subject will die. This can create problems in running operations, and adds a psychological burden on the subjects themselves.
Despite the dangers, the Paideia world government quickly forms a specialized fast-response team around the Morituri. They also serve as a much-needed inspiration for the besieged populace, and the members are promoted as heroes and celebrities, complete with codenames, cool costumes, and publicity junkets.
The series was noted for its character-driven narrative; much time is spent on the psychological burden of the Morituri, each having accepted certain death to become a champion of Earth, along with ancillary issues like celebrity, leadership, and team conflicts. This is accented by the bleakness of the war itself, as the Morituri are ''not'' shown to have a major effect in turning the tide of the Horde invasion.
Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson worked on the first twenty issues of the comic, after which it was written by James Hudnall and drawn by Mark Bagley. The series ended after 31 issues, soon followed by a five-part limited series, ''Electric Undertow''; it took place ten years later and served as a cyberpunk-flavored coda to clean up the rushed ending of the regular series.
The title is a reference to the Latin phrase "Morituri te salutamus" (''We who are about to die salute you''), allegedly said by Roman gladiators to Caesar before battle in the arena.
TheOtherWiki has a list of characters [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strikeforce:_Morituri#Characters here.]]
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!!Tropes:
* AlienInvasion
* AliensAreBastards: The only benevolent aliens are seen in flashback; all of the aliens encountered by humans are out to exploit humanity in one way or another.
* AnyoneCanDie
* ArtShift: The art for issue #1's "Tales of the Black Watch" excerpt were drawn by Whilce Portacio.
* BaseOnWheels: After their mountain base is destroyed by the Horde, the Morituri worked out of a high-speed train that travelled around North America.
* BattleTrophy [=/=]CollectorOfTheStrange: Members of the Horde prominently wear souvenirs from their hunts, ranging from bottlecaps, trinkets, and human bones.
* BlessedWithSuck: While the Morituri process itself is a form of suck, this trope is especially true for survivors who received a "useless" power, such as [[spoiler:Commander Beth Nion, who could make flowers bloom.]]
* TheBlank: One of the Horde's terror schemes involved an alien "healer" plant which killed humans by making their skin grow over their mouth and nostrils.
* CastOfSnowflakes
* CoolPlane: The Strikeforce use a supersonic ballistic capsule to quickly fly to Horde invasion sites.
* DeadlyUpgrade / PowerDegeneration: The Morituri process, naturally.
* DeathByChildbirth: Inverted with Aline "Blackthorn" Pagrovna; it is suggested that her pregnancy was what kept her alive even after the one-year life expectancy of the Morituri process had passed. She dies soon after the baby is born.
* DeusExMachina: The war was abruptly ended when a new race of aliens, the [=VXX199=], entered Earth orbit, destroyed the Horde fleet, and then departed without explanation. It is later revealed [[spoiler:that the [=VXX199=] remained hidden behind the Moon, where they were working on harvesting humanity for their own ends.]]
* DieOrFly: Part of the Morituri Process involves releasing the subjects in Biowar Facility Alpha ("The Garden"), a lethal testing area that tried to induce super-powers under stressful situations.
* ElaborateUndergroundBase: The Strikeforce starts off with a base hidden inside a mountain. [[spoiler:When the Horde discover its location, it is destroyed with a [[DeathFromAbove nuclear bombardment.]]]]
* EmbarrassingNickname: Deliberately invoked by Pilar "Scaredycat" Lisieux and William "Scatterbrain" Deguchi; they gave each other embarrassing names as part of a dare.
* EvilKnockoff: The Super-Hordians, genetically mutated Horde warriors with augmented abilities for the purpose of defeating the Morituri.
* GovernmentConspiracy: Unknown to Dr. Tuolema, four subjects were treated to the Morituri Process without his supervision. They ended up as misshapen mutants who simply wanted to die.
** Later, unknown to the heroes, the Morituri process was used on a trio of killers to create assassins to kill the surviving members of the Strikeforce and the Paideia Prime Minister.
* HumanResources: The ''Electric Undertow'' limited series reveals that [[spoiler:the [=VXX199=] were hiding behind the Moon, modifying mankind's culture to their requirements, then inducing [[SpontaneousHumanCombustion spontaneous combustion]] in the population to harness the psychic energies released.]]
* ImMelting: One of the ways people succumb to the Morituri effect.
* ImportedAlienPhlebotinum: Done by the Horde, as everything they have was stolen from other alien species.
* InsufficientlyAdvancedAlien: The Horde. All of their technology was stolen from others, and the only reason they got off their homeworld in the first place was by stealing from the alien ambassadors who visited them.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Louis "Radian" Armanetti.
* JetPack: The heroes all have personal flight devices for short-term flight.
* JustEatGilligan: Both Adept and Toxyn could have possibly found a cure by using their powers on the Morituri process. However no one even suggests trying this.
* LetsYouAndHimFight: The double-sized issue #12 features a fight between the current Morituri team and the third-generation recruits.
* LowCultureHighTech: The Horde, who possess pirated interstellar technology but have a culture built on tribalism and terror.
* MadDoctor: The Gentle Enquirer.
* MeaningfulName: If you change the first letter of Dr. Tuolemas surname from T to K, his name would mean "death" in Finnish.
* MercyKill: Happens to the Mutant Morituri.
* MoodWhiplash: Happens sometimes due to the unpredictable nature of the Morituri effect. A notable example occurs in issue #4, where the team stops a Horde raid during a media junket, and the post-fight celebration ends with [[spoiler:the sudden death of Snapdragon]].
* MultinationalTeam: The members of the Strikeforce are drawn from different backgrounds, nations, and cultures.
* MythologyGag: In issue #2, Dr. Tuolema describes the deathtraps in "the Garden" as being inspired by [[ComicBook/{{X-Men}} a training room in a comic book he had once read.]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: A few occasions, but most notably when the heroes disrupt a duel for position of leader of the Horde, and kill both contendants. [[spoiler: Resulting in [[MadDoctor the Gentle Enquirer]] being put in charge.]]
* ObviouslyEvil: The Horde. They deliberately avoid quickly conquering Earth [[ForTheEvulz for the fun of terrorizing the populace]] and think nothing of slaughtering helpless slaves and children. An early terror tactic was to eject large numbers of captured humans outside the Earth's atmosphere, allowing them to burn up in re-entry so people on the ground could see the streaks representing their burning forms.
* OhCrap: several, for both sides. One of the saddest happens when the Horde stop tormenting humanity for sport somewhat after the heroes have a conspicuous success and get down to serious carnage.
* OneWorldOrder: At the start of the series, the nations of Earth have been united under a single government called the Paideia.
* OrganicTechnology: The [=VXX199=].
* PlanetLooters: The Horde.
* PossessionImpliesMastery: Played straight by Adept, who could analyze and understand anything she touched. Given the Horde's use of scavenged technology, this was ''very'' useful.
* ProudWarriorRace: While the Horde play this straight with each other, it's subverted in their treatment of humans, where they act as savage bullies from a position of strength. They have no qualms about slaughtering human slaves and children for petty reasons, and resort to terror tactics to intimidate humanity when the Morituri begin to become more dangerous.
* PsychoForHire: The Ghost, the Wind and the Tiger. [[spoiler: Actually a subversion indicating why Psychos For Hire are a bad idea, as two of them rapidly abandon their employers and the third commits a counter-productive random massacre.]]
* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: [[spoiler:Radian]] is killed by fellow Morituri [[spoiler:Shear]] when the latter believes he became a traitor to the Horde. In reality, [[spoiler:Radian]] had feared that succumbing to the Morituri effect would be tantamount to the mortal sin of suicide, and he wanted to die in battle instead.
* ScrewTheWarWerePartying: A coping mechanism for some of the Morituri.
* ShowWithinAShow: Types 1, 3, and 4. There is a comic and TV program about the Morituri themselves.
** ''Type 1:'' In issue 4, Harold "Vyking" Everson meets Greg Mattingly, who portrays Vyking in the show. Much later, after Harold Everson's death, Greg Mattingly discovers he's eligible for the Morituri process, and acquires an energy redirection power quite similar to Vyking's, but more accurate. He takes the codename Backhand.
--> '''Harold Everson''': Well, Greg, it's too bad you couldn't get a more permanent role than playing one of us...
** ''Type 3:'' The first issue includes excerpts from "Tales of the Black Watch", a promotional comic book about the first team of Morituri volunteers. When Harold Everson/Vyking joins, his briefing includes watching a video of what ''really'' happened to the Black Watch.
** ''Type 4:'' The in-comic comic series portrays a glorified version of actual events, and the in-comic TV show, while not mentioned to be based on actual events, uses film from battles against the Horde as "green-screen" backdrop and stock footage.
* {{Soaperizing}}: A regular occurrence in the comic, due to the character-driven narrative.
* SpecialSnowflakeSyndrome: Lampooned by Gillis and Anderson in the backup feature, "How Peter & Brent Create (& Destroy) ''Strikeforce Morituri''", where they create new characters by throwing darts at a board labelled with character traits.
* SpiceOfLife: The Horde find chocolate to be a powerful intoxicant.
* SpontaneousHumanCombustion: In the "Electric Undertow" limited series, this happens to random people due to [[spoiler:psychic harvesting by the alien [=VXX199=].]]
* StarfishAliens: The [=VXX199=]. The ship which arrives in Earth orbit, destroys the Horde, and then hides behind the moon (itself being half the diameter of the moon in length [[YouFailPhysicsForever but doesn't affect its orbit whatsoever]]), is itself a giant conglomeration of living tissue, home to millions of completely alien lifeforms of varying intelligence, including the ship's own biological AI. It's like if Terry Gilliam directed a cyberpunk thriller with H.R. Giger as the art designer.
** This is later subverted ''and'' lampshaded when a group of [[spoiler:retired ]]Morituri arrive on the ship, and one of them points out how completely ludicrous it is that the atmosphere within the ship merely smells horrible, instead of being completely unable to sustain (super-)human life.
* SuperpowerLottery: The powers received through the Morituri process were completely random. The powers of the characters who apear in the series were more useful than not; justified in that character with useless powers would not survive the deathtraps in "the Garden."
* TrueCompanions: The Morituri team, much of the time. As existing members died and new ones joined, however, the dynamics of the team were often tested.
* WasOnceAMan: The Mutant Morituri, four subjects treated to the Morituri Process without the supervision of Dr. Tuolema. They ended up as horrible deformities who were [[MercyKill euthanised to put them out of their misery.]]
* WhyAmITicking: The Morituri called Revenge had the ability to touch something and make it degrade into energy at varying rates and intensities. When confronted with the SuperSpeed Morituri assassin Wind, he simply allowed Wind to punch him... whereupon he exploded moments later.
** Earlier in the series, as the Morituri become more successful at repelling the Horde, they retaliate with a terror campaign by secretly implanting bombs into humans and detonating them in public.
* WeHaveReserves: Averted; due to their small numbers, the Morituri are trained to stop Horde raids quickly.
* WrapItUp[=/=]PostScriptSeason: The "Maximum Ride" miniseries is part-way between these tropes. The original series wasn't fully LeftHanging, but the ending was rushed and there were a lot of loose ends.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: The fundamental concept of the series. Notably highlighted when the Morituri are reprimanded by the Paedia Council for attacking the Horde without authorization; in response, Ruth "Toxyn" Mastorakis administers a poison to her teammates, then explains it as the desperation the Morituri feel every moment they are kept away from active duty.
* {{Zeerust}}: In one issue, the Horde secretly pass a message to the Morituri via videotape.
----
