Who the Clix? is a series of articles featuring information on comic book characters that have been made into figures for the popular tabletop game Heroclix. These articles are meant to help Heroclix players learn more about the characters behind their favorite pieces.

Let’s learn about the son/father of Longshot: Shatterstar

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Appearances in Heroclix:  Deadpool and X-Force, Wolverine and the X-Men, Mutations and Monsters
First Appearance: The New Mutants #99 (March 1991)
Team Affiliations: X-Force, New Mutants, X-Factor
Powers/Abilities:  Superhuman physical attributes and accelerated healing; Enhanced cognition; Controlling frequencies of electricity and generate bioelectric vibratory shockwaves; Creating teleportation portals through his swords
Created by:  Fabian Nicieza – Rob Liefeld

Shatterstar is raised on Mojoworld at least one century in the future. The young mutant is raised as a slave and taught that he has no parents, only a “gestation” chamber. Once he comes of age, he is taught the art of battle so that he can participate in Mojo’s gladiator shows. In reaction to the constant death and violence that surrounds him, he develops a very strong sense of honor and pride in virtuous battle. He eventually escapes the arena and joins the Cadre Alliance, a rebel group that seeks to overthrow Mojo.

After some time, the Alliance sends Shatterstar back in time to Earth to find the X-Men and recruit them in the fight against Mojo. Shatterstar is accidentally sent to just before the reformation of X-Force where he confronts Cable and Domino. After offering Shatterstar assistance, though, Cable is able to enlist Shatterstar as a founding member of X-Force with the promise of helping overthrow Mojo at some future time.

Alongside X-Force, Shatterstar battles the likes of the Alliance of Evil, Proteus, the Mutant Liberation Front, Reaper, Tom Cassidy and Juggernaut. He also meets and fights alongside the New Warriors, X-Factor and Spider-Man.

While on Earth, Shatterstar begins to have the memories of an Earthling named Benjamin Russell. During an encounter with Mojo, Shatterstar is badly injured and returned to Earth by Spiral. Spiral leads Cable, Shatterstar, Siryn, and Longshot to the Weisman Institute for the Criminally Insane. There, they find a mutant in a coma with no known relatives named Benjamin Russell who looks identical to Shatterstar. Longshot transfers Shatterstar’s soul into Benjamin Russell’s body causing the coma patient’s hair and musculature to match Shatterstar’s exactly. Shatterstar awakens in his new body and feels better than he can ever remember before resuming his X-Force duties. During a routine medical check, Beast discovers that Shatterstar and Longshot share a remarkable amount of genetic material, similar to that of a father/son.

Shatterstar eventually leaves X-Force and returns to his roots, fighting for money on Madripoor. Spiral entices Shatterstar by hiring an assassin that leads both him and Cable to an alternate reality where Spiral has conquered Earth and killed its heroes. The rebels of that Earth find Shatterstar and Cable and together they’re able to defeat Spiral and return the mutants to their Earth. After this, Cable recruits Shatterstar to help him battle the Skornn.

After M-Day, Shatterstar helps Domino and Caliban break the 198 out of the camp at Xavier’s Institute, taking them to a secret base nearby. After this, he falls under the sway of Cortex, who directs him to attack Strong Guy and Rictor. The mind control is broken by the heroes and upon seeing Rictor, Shatterstar passionately kisses him. The couple experience some tribulations in the coming months which are only further complicated when they are seemingly killed by Mephisto.

In reality, Rictor and Shatterstar are sent through time to the moment that Shatterstar was sent back in time to Mojoworld. They watch as Shatterstar is teleported from the sky and used as the genetic basis by Arize the Creator to create Longshot. This makes Shatterstar Longshot’s “genetic father.” Mojo attacks Arize’s sanctuary, leading the pair to time jump to the time that Longshot and a pregnant Dazzler are battling Mojo. Dazzler gives birth to a baby that she and Longshot name Shatterstar. The adult Shatterstar explains to Rictor that this is always how it has been. The adult Shatterstar wipes his parents’ memory of his birth and then delivers his infant version to the future, where he will be raised as a great gladiator that is eventually sent back in time to continue the loop.

Shatterstar and Rictor eventualy return to the present day and join the New Tian community. After New Tian is dismantled, Rictor and Shatterstar take a break from their relationship. Shatterstar buys a property and names it Manor Crossing, offering rooms to multi-dimensional refugees. The Grandmaster hires a mercenary group to kidnap a number of Shatterstar’s tentants, in an attempt to create a new gladiatorial arena. This leads to Shatterstar challenging and besting the Grandmaster in single battle.

After the elder Cable is killed by his younger self, Shatterstar joins a number of X-Force teammates to hunt the young mutant down for answers. During this adventure, Shatterstar is mind controlled by Ahab for a time before Cannonball is able to subdue him and the other heroes are able to free his mind.

Shatterstar is among the mutants that join Krakoa after its formation. He then returns to Mojoworld and regains his celebrity status. A fellow mutant streamer, Wind Dancer, arranges her own death to satisfy her fans. Once Shatterstar learns of this, he informs the Krakoan X-Factor team in hopes that they will rescue her body before she can be cloned and forced to continue serving Mojo. This plan works and X-Factor eventually returns to free all mutants from Mojo.

Shatterstar soon regains all of his memories and rekindles his relationship with Rictor. Shatterstar decides to accompany Excalibur on several missions to Otherworld, eventually being named a Knight of X and charged with locating the Siege Perilous. They eventually are able to access the realm of Mercator, an Otherworld domain that Mister M forged out of the Siege Perilous.