The Marauders are a team of superhuman mutants who work together as assassins. The membership includes Arclight, Blockbuster, Harpoon, Malice, Prism, Riptide, Sabretooth, Scalphunter, Scrambler, and Vertigo. With the exceptions of Sabretooth and Vertigo, nothing is known about the histories of the various members before they were organized into the Marauders (see Sabretooth). The team's only known employer to date is the genetic engineer known as Mister Sinister.
    Sinister employed the mutant outlaw Gambit to assemble a team of superhuman assassins (see Gambit). Unaware of Sinister's plans for them, Gambit assembled the group now known as the Marauders. Sinister then ordered the Marauders to massacre the underground community of mutants known as the Morlocks (see Morlocks).
    Despite opposition by the X-Men, the original X-Factor, and Thor, the Marauders slaughtered enormous numbers of the Morlocks, although a considerable fraction of the Morlock population managed to escape (see X-Factor, X-Men). The X-Men's Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Shadowcat were all seriously injured, and the Marauder Harpoon impaled the Angel's original wings, necessitating their amputation (see individual entries). The Angel has since grown his wings back.
    The Marauders Blockbuster, Prism, and Riptide apparently died in the course of this "Mutant Massacre." However, Sinister apparently creates clones of any Marauders who perish in his service. Hence, the full roster of Marauders was present for their subsequent clashes with the X-Men.
    One of the Marauders, Malice, apparently exists in the form of pure consciousness. She was able to take mental possession of the X-Man Polaris, and battled the X-Men using her as a host body (see Polaris).
    The X-Men encountered the Marauders for the second time when they stopped the assassins from killing Madelyne Pryor. Unknown to the X-Men at that time was a clone created by Mister Sinister, who had ordered the Marauders to eliminate her (see Pryor, Madelyne).
    Still later, the Marauders fought the X-Men and the original X-Factor on Mister Sinister's behalf at the time of the demonic invasion of Manhattan known as the "Inferno."
    Since then, there have been no known activities by the Marauders as a team. Apparently Mister Sinister no longer employs them; at one point he even used another team of mutant operatives called the Nasty Boys instead.
    The Marauders have apparently disbanded. Sabretooth went back to operating independently. Polaris regained her free will and is now a member of X-Factor; she and Havok successfully battled Malice recently.
    Arclight and Vertigo briefly served in Superia's Femizons. Apart from those of Sabretooth, the present whereabouts and activities of the other Marauders are unknown.

First appearance (as a team): (in shadow) X-MEN (first series) #210, (fully visible) X-FACTOR #10

ARCLIGHT
Real name: Unrevealed
First appearance: X-FACTOR #10
Known superhuman powers: Superhuman strength and the ability to create a bright flash of light when striking her fists against an object.

BLOCKBUSTER
Real name: Unrevealed
First appearance: (in shadow) X-MEN (first series) #210, (fully visible) X-MEN (first series) #211
Known superhuman powers: Superhuman strength

HARPOON
Real name: Unrevealed
First appearance: X-MEN (frist series) #210
Known superhuman powers: Ability to imbue any longitudinal object (such as the harpoons he uses as weapons) with an unknown form of energy, thus increasing its destructive potential.

MALICE
Real name: Unrevealed
First appearance: X-MEN (first series) #210
Known superhuman powers: Mutant who exists in the form of pure consciousness that can take mental possession of other beings. Has possessed the Dazzler, Polaris, the Invisible Woman (while mentally appearing to her in the Invisible Woman's former guise as Malice III), and Psi-Lord.

PRISM
Real name: Unrevealed
First appearance: X-FACTOR #10
Known superhuman powers: Mutant with a crystalline body that can reflect various forms of energy back towards their sources. Can also give off blinding light.

RIPTIDE
Real name: Janos Quested
First appearance: (in shadow) X-MEN (first series) #210, (fully visible) X-MEN (first series) #211
Known superhuman powers: Ability to spin about at superhuman speeds
Weapons: Shuriken (throwing stars) and spikes

SABRETOOTH
Real name: Victor Creed
First appearance: IRON FIST #14
Known superhuman powers: Fast healing ability, large animal-like canine teeth, and claws on his hands and feet. Ages at an unusually slow rate.

SCALPHUNTER
Real name: Unrevealed
First appearance: X-MEN (first series) #210
Known superhuman powers: Scalphunter's mutant powers are unknown
Other abilities: Assassin and master of firearms

SCRAMBLER
Real name: Kim Il Sung
First appearance: X-MEN (first series) #210
Known superhuman powers: Possesses the power to disrupt the function of any system with his touch, whether the system is that of a living being, a machine, or a field of energy. By touching a living being he can induce immobility, unconsciousness, or death. He can disrupt the functioning of a victim's superhuman powers.

VERTIGO II
Real name: Unrevealed
First appearance: MARVEL FANFARE #1
Known superhuman powers: Ability to upset other persons' sense of balance, inducing vertigo and possibly unconsciousness.