The original Marauders were a band of assassins hired by Mister Sinister. Should the X-Men invite these killers to Krakoa, which is for all mutants?
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from Hellions #2, by Zeb Wells, Stephen Segovia, David Curiel and VC’s Cory Petit, on sale now.
Dawn of X has introduced several changes to the X-Men, including the establishment of a mutant nation on Krakoa and the introduction of a sea-faring group, the Marauders. However, there was another, far deadlier group of mutants who used the name originally — and they still may pose a very serious threat to all mutants currently residing on Krakoa.
The original Marauders debuted in Chris Claremont, John Romita Jr. and Dan Green’s Uncanny X-Men #210 as a group of mutant assassins, eventually revealed to be working under the guidance of X-Men villain Mister Sinister.
The X-Men first clashed with the Marauders in the following issue, during the “Mutant Massacre,” in which the mercenary group had been dispatched to exterminate the Morlocks — mutants who were living in subway tunnels beneath New York. The ensuing battle was one of the most brutal the X-Men have ever faced and iconic heroes Angel, Colossus, Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler suffered serious injuries.
To date, only two of the original Marauders have joined the X-Men on Krakoa and there have already been problems. In House of X #6, Sabretooth was placed in stasis and imprisoned within the island itself for an indefinite amount of time for his murderous actions on a mission. Greycrow fared only slightly better after being placed on the Hellions as “therapy:” He killed his teammate, Empath, during their very first mission.
Although Professor X and the X-Men have made the declaration that Krakoa is for all mutants, the killers that make up Sinister’s original group of Marauders may be too volatile to peacefully exist on the island, especially if the actions of their predecessors are any indication.
Unfortunately, the X-Men may be either naive or oblivious to that fact, considering the dossier entry in Hellions #2 that indicates a mutant with some degree of say-so (most likely Beast) is seriously entertaining the thought of extending the mutant killers the opportunity to join the Krakoan nation.
The X-Men have allowed other violent offenders to be a part of their nation, but very few of those offenders have caused the same amount of damage and loss of life as the original Marauders. This fact was the basis for a violent incident that occurred on the island in the first issue of Hellions and may yet still prove to present problems if other members of the group are allowed into Krakoa.
At the same time, Wolverine had an excessively violent killing streak when he was taken into the fold years ago and his time with the team has helped him tremendously.
Perhaps a move to Krakoa would be good for the Marauders. However, if they are taken in by Krakoan society, the X-Men would do well to keep a very close eye on the situation — at least until the former assassins have shown that they are worthy of Professor X’s benevolent offer of a new life.
