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RIPTIDE

Real Name: Janos Quested

Identity/Class: Human mutant

Occupation: Assassin, criminal

Group Membership: Marauders (Arclight/Philippa Sontag, Blockbuster/Michael Baer, Harpoon/Kodiak Noatak, Prism/Robbie, Scalphunter/John Greycrow, Scrambler/Kim Il Sung)

Affiliations: Exodus (Bennet du Paris), Frenzy, (Joanna Cargill), Lady Mastermind (Regan Wyngarde), Magneto (Max Eisenhardt), Malice (Alice MacAllister), Mr. Sinister (Nathaniel Essex), Mystique (Raven Darkholme), Polaris (Lorna Dane), Random (Marshall Stone), Sabretooth (Victor Creed), Tempo (Heather Tucker), Unuscione (Carmella Unuscione), Vertigo;
      formerly Gambit (Remy LeBeau), Omega Sentinel (Karima Shapander), Sunfire (Shiro Yoshida), Threnody (Melody Jacobs), Vanisher ("Telford Porter")

Enemies: Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur), Bishop (Lucas Bishop), Blaquesmith, Cable (Nathan Summers), Courier (Jacob Gavin Jr.), Dark Mother (Fiona Knoblach), Goblin Queen (Madelyne Pryor), Hellions (Empath/Manuel de la Rocha, Havok/Alex Summers, Nanny/Eleanor Murch, Orphan Maker/Peter, Psylocke/Kwannon, Scalphunter/John Greycrow, Wild Child/Kyle Gibney), Herr Hitzig, Jackal (Miles Warren), Artie Maddicks, Magneto (Max Eisenhardt), Irene Merryweather, Morlocks (Annalee, Ape, Beautiful Dreamer, Berzerker, Bliss, Blowhard, Caliban, Callisto, Chickenwings, Cybelle, Erg, Jared Flyn, Healer, Leech, Lightning Bug, Marrow, Masque, Mole, Piper, Plague, Tar Baby, Tommy, Scaleface, Sunder, Zeek and unrevealed others), New X-Men (Anole/Victor Borkowski, Armor/Hisako Ichiki, Blindfold/Ruth Aldine, Dust/Sooraya Qadir, Elixir/Josh Foley, Hellion/Julian Keller, Mercury/Cessily Kincaid, Pixie/Megan Gwynn, Prodigy/David Alleyne, Rockslide/Santo Vaccarro, Surge/Noriko Ashida, X-23/Laura Kinney), Nimrod Sentinels of Earth-1610, Quiet Bill (William Kimpton), Briar Raleigh, Illyana Rasputin, The Right, Richard Salmons, Sentinel Squad O*N*E, S.H.I.E.L.D., Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Hope Summers, X-Man (Nate Grey), Threnody (Melody Jacobs), X-Men (Angel/Warren Worthington III, Beast/Hank McCoy, Cannonball/Sam Guthrie, Colossus/Piotr Rasputin, Dazzler/Alison Blaire, Emma Frost, Gambit/Remy LeBeau, Havok/Alex Summers, Iceman/Robert Drake, Longshot, Magneto/Max Eisenhardt, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Omega Sentinel/Karima Shapander, Professor X/Charles Xavier, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Rogue/Anna Marie, Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/James "Logan" Howlett), X-Force (Archangel/Warren Worthington III, Domino/Neena Thurman, Elixir/Josh Foley, Hepzibah, Warpath/James Proudstar, Wolfsbane/Rahne Sinclair, Wolverine/James "Logan" Howlett, X-23/Laura Kinney), Vargas, Witness;
      formerly Vanisher ("Telford Porter")

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Emissary of En Sabah Nur

Base of Operations: Genosha;
     formerly Kitakyushu smelting plant, Japan;
     formerly Muir Island;
     formerly Dominion Range, Antarctica;
     formerly The Alley, Morlock Tunnels beneath New York City;
     formerly old orphanage, Sage, Nebraska

First Appearance: (Shadows) Uncanny X-Men I#210 (October, 1986); (fully seen) Uncanny X-Men I#211 (November, 1986)

Powers/Abilities: Riptide's mutant powers allow him to spin at superhuman speeds, becoming a fast moving whirlwind of sorts. He produced organic, calcified bone shuriken (throwing stars) and spikes, secreting them through his skin. He could launch these projectiles with deadly speed and accuracy at multiple targets. The shuriken could rip human flesh and even penetrate organic steel. Riptide was immune to vertigo and had superhumanly strong leg muscles. Riptide has repeatedly fallen in battle. Each time, he has been cloned and revived by Mr. Sinister. Riptide appears aware of this fact.

Height: 6'
Weight: 185 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Greyish white (sometimes seen as purple)

History:
(Uncanny X-Men I#350 (fb) / X-Men Origins: Gambit - BTS) - Mr. Sinister hired Gambit to assemble a group of mercenaries to break into an impenetrable community, in exchange for this Sinister had performed an operation on the mutant so he could control his abilities again.

(X-Men Origins: Gambit) - Gambit travelled to all corners of the world to find all kind of mercenaries; Gambit located Riptide in his home while reading a book. He was fascinated hearing the name Essex after which he agreed to join the Marauders.

(X-Men Origins: Gambit) - Sometime later Mr. Sinister presented the assembled team of Marauders (minus Prism and Blockbuster) to Gambit. Mr. Sinister revealed his plans to the Marauders who all agreed, Gambit was kept in the dark concerning their mission.

(Uncanny X-Men I#210 (fb) - BTS) - Riptide joined a group of Marauders who followed one of the Morlocks across the country to Los Angeles, the young Morlock known as Tommy thought it to be a great adventure to wander across the whole country. During her travel the Morlock had met and befriended Hellfire Club agent Richard Salmons. It was during this time the Marauders made their presence known, Salmons did his best to protect Tommy and the two managed to flee.

(Uncanny X-Men I#210) - While at Los Angeles' train depot the Marauders caught up with Tommy and Richard. Harpoon successfully hit Salmons in the back with one of his spears, paralyzing the Hellfire agent. Clinging on to dear life, Salmons asked Tommy to reach for his gun figuring they would only stand a chance together. But the petrified Tommy was too scared and ran away. Helpless against the Marauders Salmons threatened his assaulters saying the Hellfire Club would avenge him. While holding a gun to his head Scalphunter replied they were welcome to try as they would receive the same treatment after which he killed the agent. The Marauders allowed Tommy to escape and witnessed how she boarded one of the trains to New York hoping to return to the safety of the sewers and her fellow Morlocks. Some of the Marauders wanted to kill her now, but they agreed to follow Mr. Sinister's plan and allow the girl to lead them to the other Morlocks.

(Uncanny X-Men I#210) - Just when the Morlock Tommy had returned to the Morlock tunnels in New York City and thought herself safe, she was hit in the back by one of Harpoon's spears. Tommy lay paralyzed on the ground and the Marauders revealed she'd just led them to the Morlocks after which Scalphunter finished her off.

(Uncanny X-Men I#350 (fb) / X-Men Origins: Gambit) - Gambit, still not fully realizing what the Marauders were about to do, led them into the Morlock tunnels. But when Sabretooth killed the first Morlock they came across Gambit was shocked and asked Scalphunter why they'd come to the tunnels. Scalphunter told the cajun he'd done what he was hired to do. Realizing what they intended to do Gambit tried to stop the Marauders but once Vertigo weakened him Sabretooth grabbed Gambit by the throat and gutted the cajun leaving him for dead while the Marauders moved on.

(Uncanny X-Men I#211) - The Marauders had found their way into the Morlock tunnels where they ran into a first group of mutants living close to the tunnels entrance. Scalphunter shot several Morlocks after which the fast spinning Riptide killed several others using his throwing stars. The Morlock Cybelle tried to escape through a wall, but the super strong Arclight simply ripped the wall apart so Harpoon could hit Cybelle with one of his energy harpoons. Cybelle's death scream attracted the attention of Callisto, former leader of the Morlocks, who rallied her underlings and ordered them to kill the assassins.

(Uncanny X-Men I#211 - BTS) - Despite his injuries, a giant, mole-like Morlock escaped the tunnels and managed to make it to the home of the X-Men to warn Storm, who was leader of the Morlocks, of the ongoing massacre. He died moments after sharing the news, which convinced the X-Men of the severity of the Morlock's claims. They immediately sprang into action.

(X-Men Unlimited I#18/2 (fb) ) - The young Morlock Sarah (later known as Marrow) was horrified when Sabretooth, Riptide and Scalphunter murdered many of the Morlocks in the tunnels.

(New Mutants: Lethal Legion I#2 - BTS) - Scalphunter and Riptide followed the scent of roses and found Jared Flyn, a Morlock with the ability to create fragrant scents hiding in a crawlspace. Riptide killed Flyn by tearing him to shreds.

(Uncanny X-Men I#211) - Vertigo and Riptide witnessed the arrival of the X-Men and attacked the heroes while their guard was down. Nightcrawler successfully took her down, but he failed to notice Riptide's oncoming attack which left him severely injured. While Riptide escaped with Vertigo in his arms, the X-Men had Illyana teleport Nightcrawler back to the X-Men's medical bay. Sometime later Riptide got help from Harpoon and Scrambler to continue their assault on the X-Men. In the fight that followed, Shadowcat tried to rescue Rogue only to be hit by Harpoon's energy spears which caused her tremendous pain and left her in a permanent ghost-like state. Hearing Kitty's screams awakened a bloodlust in Colossus who lunged for Harpoon but was blocked by Riptide, who was no match for the X-Man. Peter snapped Riptide's neck, warning Harpoon and the other Marauders they'd be next. This deed shocked the Marauders into temporarily retreating.

(Uncanny X-Men I#240 - BTS) - Mr. Sinister successfully cloned Riptide, Prism and Blockbuster, who themselves were aware of their true nature.

(Uncanny X-Men I#240 (fb) - BTS) - Mr. Sinister ordered his Marauders to relocate to the former Morlock Alley.

(Uncanny X-Men I#240 - BTS) - The advanced computer system in the X-Men's outback headquarters suddenly picked up the location of the Marauders (thanks to N'astirh's involvement). Eager for some payback and outraged their foes were hiding in the Alley of all places, the X-Men decided to ambush them.

(Uncanny X-Men I#240) - The Marauders were still moving into the Alley, wondering why they were even ordered to move there, when the X-Men attacked. Blockbuster was carrying one of the crates on his back when he bumped into Colossus who politely checked if he was indeed dealing with a Marauder before smashed him right across the tunnel to announce the X-Men's presence. Riptide tried fighting back by unleashing a barrage of razor sharp throwing stars, but they were all caught by Longshot who courteously threw 'em back. During the fierce fight Malice magnetically took control of Colossus' organic steel form, using him to slam a hole in the ceiling all the way up to street level. The Marauders tried to get away, only to find themselves in a Manhattan transformed into a demonic parody of itself.

(Uncanny X-Men I#241) - The X-Men, slowly corrupted by the Inferno's evil effects, fought the Marauders in downtown Manhattan. Storm whipped up a powerful hurricane to distract the Marauders, while Colossus was shocked to see Riptide was somehow alive and well. Riptide commented the Marauders were chock-full of surprises and hoped to find out if Colossus would be as resilient as him as he were to return the compliment. Before there could be a round two, they were attacked by several transmogrified policemen riding metallic demon beasts. Malice magnetically shredded the beasts and pelted the X-Men with the razor sharp shrapnel. Worried that innocent bystanders could get hurt, Storm ordered Psylocke to telepathically take all of the Marauders out. But as soon as Betsy Braddock focused her mental powers, she was overcome by plight of the innocent babies that were used to power the pentagram over New York that facilitated the demonic invasion. Figuring this was the time to strike back, Malice ordered Riptide and the Marauders to combine their attacks on Psylocke, though the X-Men did their best to keep the telepath safe. Their fight was once again interrupted when a Limbo-tainted group of mutant haters called the Right showed up. Using their flying combat armors for a strafing run, they unleashed a rain of fire on the Marauders that killed Prism. Meanwhile, the X-Men's corruption had become so all-encompassing, they visually resembled demons. Now delighting in killing, they slaughtered all the Marauders they could find, Riptide included.

(X-Men II#34) - On a fact finding mission to find a cure to the deadly Legacy virus, the X-Men visited the town of Sage, Nebraska. Here, underneath an orphanage that once housed Scott Summers, Mr. Sinister had built a secret headquarters hidden underneath the building. As soon as Gambit and Psylocke entered the lab, the internal cloning chambers were activated, releasing half formed clones of Riptide and Sabretooth. Upon entering the main complex the X-Men were attacked by Riptide. During their fight Psylocke tried to read the Marauder's mind but saw nothing but a blank slate. Once Gambit had defeated Riptide, Psylocke noticed how his throwing stars were actually organic, believing he might be secreting them through his skin. With the arrival of Rogue and Beast the X-Men entered another part of the complex, finding the empathic mutant calling herself Threnody. Threnody showed the X-Men around, including a peek at Sinister's vast storage facility of genetic material. While there, the X-Men dealt with an already decaying Sabretooth clone after which Threnody activated the self destruction sequence thus denying the X-Men any information on the Legacy virus.

(X-Man I#13 (fb) - BTS) - When Mr. Sinister learned his accomplice Threnody tried to escape, he sent the full force of the Marauders after her. The Marauders followed Threnody to Paris, where she'd gone to find X-Man (Nate Grey).

(X-Man I#13) - Riptide and the Marauders pursued Threnody through the tunnels of Paris until Nate Grey intervened when he picked up the girl's frantic thoughts. When Prism mentioned Sinister, Grey was reminded of Earth-295's Sinister who had killed most everyone he cared for. Furious and ready to fight, he telekinetically hurled Blockbuster through the tunnels. The Marauders got in attack formation to counter Grey and Scrambler successfully disrupted the hero's power, causing a giant explosion in the tunnels which ended up killing Scrambler. Threnody used the opportunity to get Grey to safety while the Marauders were still scrambling. Prism used his abilities to light up the dark tunnels, leading the Marauders towards their prey unaware Grey and Threnody prepared a trap for the villains. Once the Marauders arrived near Grey, he used his telekinesis to force Scalphunter's hand, shooting Riptide in the shoulder and landing a piercing shot against Prism, causing the Marauder to explode. Scalphunter was caught in the explosion and perished as well. Shocked by their sudden decimation Arclight was eager to kill Grey when she spotted him. However, Grey telepathically fooled her senses and she actually struck a mortal blow against Blockbuster. Vertigo figured their assailant had to be close by to be able to play mind games. Throwing her vertigo inducing powers around, she succeeded in hitting both Threnody and Grey. However, Grey immediately used his powers to take control of Riptide, forcing him to kill both Arclight and Vertigo with his razor sharp throwing stars. Grey spared Riptide's life and then placed a telepathic command in his mind. The Marauder was to forget Threnody was still alive when reporting back to Sinister. Grey assured Riptide that if he ever fought the psychic implant, his brain would explode.

(Cable Annual 1999 (fb) - BTS) - Hoping to trick Cable into an alliance, Mr. Sinister disguised several of his Marauders (Scalphunter, Arclight, Harpoon, Scrambler and Riptide) as the Emissaries of En Sabah Nur.

(Cable Annual 1999) - In their Emissaries of En Sabah Nur disguises, the Marauders destroyed New York hotspot Disco Inferno, successfully attracting Cable's attention. In a nearby alley Scalphunter struck at Cable and revealed their presence declaring he was now facing his destruction. The spinning Riptide unleashed a blurred volley of razor-sharp stars and knives which injured Cable, leaving him vulnerable to Scrambler. The Korean Marauder used his abilities to disrupt Cable's telekinesis, which allowed his techno-organic virus to flare out of control. Not able to defend himself any longer Cable was about to be killed by Harpoon when Mr. Sinister showed up to "rescue" Cable, fighting off the Emissaries.

(Cable Annual 1999 (fb) - BTS) - For the next part of their plan the Emissaries invaded Cable's Hell's Kitchen safe house where they took Cable's friends Blaquesmith and Irene Merryweather captive.

(Cable Annual 1999) - Imprisoned by the Emissaries, Blaquesmith wondered why he'd never heard of them in any of the prophecies about En Sabah Nur. Before he could continue his train of thought, Cable showed up to save them. Deflecting Scalphunter's rain of bullets with a telekinetic shield, he grabbed Harpoon's spear and redirected it to hit Riptide. Cable then took possession of Scrambler, forcing him to scramble Arclight's powers. The depowered Philippa was knocked out by Irene. Then, with a mere gesture, Cable suspended the Emissaries in mid-air. When Mr. Sinister entered the room, Cable telekinetically removed the Emissaries' armor, revealing them to actually be the Marauders. Once Cable attacked Sinister, the Marauders escaped.

(Gambit III#9) - Gambit, Sabretooth and Courier (Jacob Gavin Jr.) invaded one of Sinister's facilities where they encountered several cloning baths in which the Marauders were grown. Sabretooth revealed the facility was the same as the X-Men had previously visited underneath the orphanage in Sage, Nebraska (seen in X-Men II#34), but since it was one giant infinite space connected to all corners of the world. Their presence had triggered a warning system causing Riptide, Harpoon and Scalphunter to attack. Without any real trouble Gambit managed to kill Riptide, Harpoon and Scalphunter. Just before dying, Scalphunter urged Gambit to flee the facility since a new clone would hunt him within the hour.

(X-Men II#200 - BTS) - Through unrevealed ways, Sinister learned that for the first time since the Scarlet Witch's reality altering spell wiped out the mutant gene, a new mutant was going to be born. Dubbing the newborn the "Messiah Child", he intended to seize it and reassembled his Marauders.

(X-Men II#204 (fb) - BTS) - Next to the original Marauders, Sinister also contacted the supremely powerful mutant Exodus, convincing him to join forces so he could help rebirth the mutant race. The zealous Exodus agreed and gathered several mutants to join Sinister's Marauders, including Frenzy, Random, Tempo and Unuscione.

(X-Men II#200 - BTS) - To make sure he alone would know when and where the Messiah Child was born, Sinister targeted three specific groups: psychics and precogs, time travellers with direct knowledge of the future like Cable and objects like the Destiny Diaries. Sinister figured that eliminating all of them would ensure his success. He sent Riptide and the other Marauders out on numerous hit jobs.

(X-Men II#202 (fb)) - After wading through a couple of hundred warrior nuns Blockbuster, Riptide and other Marauders killed the Dark Mother.

(X-Men II#200) - Riptide managed to locate and eliminate the time traveling teleporter Quiet Bill (William Kimpton) in New Orleans' French Quarter.

(X-Men II#200 (fb) - BTS) - When the X-Men were staying at Mystique's house in Caldecott County, Mississippi, the Marauders gathered nearby. Lady Mastermind used her abilities to create a null zone so the X-Men could not sense their presence.

(X-Men II#200) - Back in Mississippi, Emma Frost was trying to mend Rogue's fractured mind (as a result of her fight against the Hecatomb) when she suddenly sensed the Marauders' presence. Before she could warn the others, she was stunned by the Omega Sentinel who was now fully controlled by Malice. Seconds later, both Beast and Wolverine picked up the Marauders' scents and quickly ordered Iceman to "ice up". Just then, Lady Mastermind dropped her illusion to reveal Riptide and the Marauders were already inside. Still not realizing Omega Sentinel had been possessed by Malice, Cyclops tried to shield her from the Marauders attack only to be taken out by Malice herself. Scalphunter successfully injured Iceman by driving a spear through his midriff. Hearing the shooting from her room Rogue activated her powers and flew down to stand beside her fellow X-Men. Scalphunter tried to shoot Rogue but was taken out by Mystique, declaring that no one was allowed to shoot her daughter...except her. She then fired a round at Rogue's chest, revealing her alliance to the Marauders.

(X-Men II#201) - The Marauders had dealt a devastating blow to the X-Men, leaving only Cyclops, Wolverine, Beast and Cannonball to deal with them. Unable to sustain his ice-form, Iceman tried to get Rogue to safety but was stopped by Mystique. Riptide fought Wolverine and was severely injured when the X-Man slashed his Adamantium claws through his arm. While the Marauders fought the X-Men, an immobilized Emma Frost used her telepathic abilities to reach out to Cannonball. She explained what she'd learned about the Marauders' goals, targets and plans before taking over Sam's mind and causing him to rocket off with Iceman. Moments later, the Marauders successfully defeated the remaining X-Men. Seemingly asserting herself as their leader, Mystique ordered the Marauders to pull back after which Arclight used her abilities to bring the house down on the X-Men. The Marauders planned to return to Sinister taking Rogue along, since she carried the content of Destiny's diaries in her mind.

(X-Men II#202) - Both Mystique and Exodus' Marauders returned to Sinister's base where Riptide was present when Sinister scolded Exodus for failing to find the Destiny Diaries. This caused in-fighting between Exodus and Mystique, only for Mr. Sinister to reveal he'd recreated Xavier's Cerebro which he planned to use to find the real diaries.

(X-Men II#203 - BTS) - Through the use of Cerebro, Sinister learned the Destiny Diaries were located somewhere in an old industrial park in Flint, Michigan. Sinister sent his Marauders to retrieve the books.

(X-Men II#203) - The Marauders spotted the Blackbird as soon as they arrived at the Michigan site, which told them Cannonball and Iceman were already there. They proceeded to free their teammate Sunfire and then split the group in two. The original Marauders plus Sunfire, Mystique, Gambit, Lady Mastermind and Malice would sweep the park and attack the X-Men from two sides. They were unaware Cannonball and Iceman were well aware of their presence and had planned to face them head on. Cannonball came crashing through the floorboards, grabbing Riptide and dumping him on the second group of Marauders. The X-Men continued their assault by destroying several huge water towers, dousing the first group of Marauders so Iceman could flash freeze them in place. The X-Men managed to find the capsule containing the Destiny Diaries but when they tried to depart with it, Mr. Sinister showed up, knocking them over. Sinister was joined by his Marauders who he ordered to grab the diaries. But the diaries were accidentally destroyed by Gambit and Scalphunter who tried to shoot Cannonball.

(New X-Men II#44) - Realizing the X-Men would certainly come to their base in search of the baby, Mr. Sinister decided he and the Marauders would move to a different location so they could confront their enemies on their own terms. Unaware a small squad of senior X-Men had already arrived near their secret complex in Antartica. During the Marauders meeting, Scalphunter realized Harpoon had gone missing after which Harpoon came crashing through the wall, followed by the X-Men. Led by Wolverine, the X-Men made their intention to retrieve Rogue and the baby clear.

(X-Men II#205) - Now a veritable army, the Marauders (Mystique and Exodus' team) circled Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Angel. The X-Men were then joined by Emma Frost, which caused them to launch into a planned out, surgical strike against their foes' superior strength. The first to fall were Vertigo and Scrambler, who were taken out by Nightcrawler. Using the relatively small space to their advantage, the X-Men caused the Marauders to trip all over themselves, accidentally hitting teammates left and right. Scalphunter was kicked back which led him to shoot Tempo and Random. During the fight, Angel confronted Sinister, ordering him to hand over the child. Meanwhile, Wolverine confronted Gambit and learned Cable had the baby. While Angel was still talking to Sinister he realized Frost's presence had disappeared (Emma got distracted when she sensed the Purifiers were attacking her students). Without Frost damping his powers, Sinister hurled Angel aside and successfully took down Colossus. Realizing the fight was over Storm sacrificed herself so Nightcrawler could escape, ordering Kurt to find Wolverine. Outside the base, Malice and Lady Mastermind teamed up against Wolverine. They made him believe the unconscious Scrambler was actually Angel, causing Wolverine to tend to him leaving himself open to attack. Malice then ordered Omega Sentinel to fire a massive heat ray that somehow eliminated the X-Man's healing factor. Wolverine was about to die, if not for Nightcrawler who teleported them both away even as Scalphunter fired a shot. So panicked by the situation, Nightcrawler bamfed himself and Logan to a nearby mountain.

(X-Factor III#27) - Riptide and the Marauders returned to Muir Island with the child and were met by all of the Marauders. Gambit handed the child to Mystique who was posing as Sinister and ordered the Marauders to prepare for the X-Men's coming assault. Later that evening X-Force and Bishop arrived on Muir Island "welcomed" by the full force of the Marauders.

(New X-Men II#46 - BTS / Deadpool v Gambit#4 (fb) ) - Riptide stood by as Scalphunter shot Wolverine through the head. Eager for the opportunity to kill Wolverine, Scrambler grabbed the heavily injured X-Man, scrambling his healing powers. Logan was saved by X-23, who cut off Scrambler's hands and then used her claws to disembowel the Marauder.

(New X-Men II#46) - Arclight was pleasantly surprised to see former New Mutant Wolfsbane all grown up. The wolf-like girl easily evaded her shockwaves and bit her neck. Sunfire and Riptide came to Arclight's rescue and after Sunfire set the girl's back on fire Riptide grabbed her pushing her through a window. Outside of Muir Island's complex Riptide held the unconscious Wolfsbane, reasoning she was happy to still be alive. Cable and Professor X arrived in the nick of time to save Wolfsbane from being killed by Riptide. Xavier used his telepathic powers to make Riptide fall asleep.

(X-Force III#9 - BTS) - Sinister started operating out of a new base hidden in the Kitakyushu smelting plant in Japan. There, he once again built cloning baths to breed copies of his Marauders.

(X-Force III#9 - BTS) - The Vanisher ("Telford Porter") tried to steal a mutated strain of the Legacy virus from Sinister's Japanese labs, but was immediately attacked by a group of Marauders. Vanisher was able to teleport away, but dropped the viral vial in the process.

(X-Force III#9) - Sometime later, Vanisher returned with all of X-Force to destroy the mutated Legacy virus altogether. As soon as they entered the complex, an army of Marauders clones was waiting for them. Amongst this army of Marauders were several clones of Riptide. The murderous members of X-Force didn't shy away from lethal force as they massacred their way through the Marauders until Domino had located the vial. Just then, the mutant hunters the Right showed up looking for the virus as well.

(X-Force III#10) - The few remaining Marauders were killed by the Right while X-Force tried to escape.

(X-Men: Legacy I#222 - BTS) - Rogue was immersed in Danger's holographic projections. This also led to the creation of Marauders simulations that hunted Rogue in a scenario reminiscent of the Morlock Massacre.

(Heroic Age: X-Men - BTS) - As the new head of SHIELD, Steve Rogers assessed the entire, known, mutant community. In his report, he analyzed the Marauders and stated that each and every single one of them were "butchers" that had to be found and apprehended before they could kill again.

(Avenging Spider-Man#16) - Jackal slew a Riptide clone with his own throwing stars while breaking into a lab of Mister Sinister.

(Magneto III#5 - BTS) - Briar Raleigh sought out Magneto in hopes of arranging a partnership. She possessed intelligence that would be of use to him, including the current whereabouts of the Marauders, as well as information on how to hurt them. Eager to strike back against mutants who murdered their own kind for money, Magneto accepted.

(Magneto III#6 (fb) - BTS) - Magneto sought out one cell of Marauders and killed them, thus activating another cell of Marauder clones. He then went after a second and third cell. During the third raid, Magneto discovered he could use ferro fluid (ferromagnetic particles suspended in a carrier liquid) to slip past their defenses.

(Magneto III#6 (fb) - BTS) - Magneto located the fourth cell of Marauders (Scalphunter, Prism, Scrambler, Blockbuster, Riptide, Arclight, Harpoon) and attacked them, eagerly wanting to punish them for their crimes against mutantkind.

(Magneto III#6 (fb)) - Prism and Scrambler tried to flee Magneto, but just as they felt safe Prism was stabbed through the chest with a magnetically controlled metal shard. Next, Magneto used his powers to spread the metal, shattering Prism's body, killing him. Shocked by Prism's death, Scrambler threatened to short-circuit Magneto's brain. Amused by the idle threat, Magneto noted he wouldn't even need to touch him and, to prove his point, killed the Marauder. The others heard Scrambler's death howl and knew another one of them had fallen prey to Magneto. Riptide opted for the group to escape while they could but Harpoon suggested they ambushed and killed the mutant master of magnetism. Harpoon had realized they'd only been activated because Magneto had killed another cell of Marauders. And although another Harpoon clone would always live, he was irked by the fact it wouldn't be him. The four Marauders prepared for the coming fight but were shocked when a giant construction crane came swooping down on Harpoon. It hit him in the face, breaking his neck and killing him. Magneto then fired Harpoon's spears to slaughter Riptide after which he used two balls filled with ferro fluid to kill Arclight and Blockbuster.

(Magneto III#6 (fb) - BTS) - The mutilated Scalphunter was found by S.H.I.E.L.D. who brought him to a hospital.

(Magneto III#6) - While in the hospital, Scalphunter was interrogated by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Haines and Rodriguez who learned what had transpired. At the same time Magneto had caught up with another batch of Marauders before they could be activated. He then activated a special program, designed by himself and Raleigh, that consisted of a behavior modification sequence for the various cloning baths. This ensured that any future Marauders would be loyal to Magneto and his cause.

(Nightcrawler IV#7 - BTS) - Nightcrawler replayed the events of his life in the Danger Room, amongst them how Riptide heavily injured him.

(Magneto III#15) - For their first mission loyal to their new master, the Marauders (Arclight, Blockbuster, Harpoon, Prism, Riptide, Sabretooth, Scalphunter and Scrambler) dressed in all-new black costumes and were sent out to rescue Magneto from S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. The Marauders were meant to frighten the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents creating enough chaos to cover Magneto's escape but when he reached the top of the Helicarrier he saw how the Marauders had killed a great number of loyal S.H.I.E.L.D agents. He prevented Sabretooth from killing agent Hines. In the end, Magneto hurled the clone into the Helicarrier propellor, figuring the mutant's innate healing factor made him a problem to control from the word go. Magneto, Raleigh and the Marauders then left for Genosha.

(Magneto III#16) - Magneto tried to recreate a safe haven on the island of Genosha. Despite Magneto's best intentions Genosha was victim to several murders. Both the Marauders and Magneto were unaware the killings were caused by Herr Hitzig, or rather a construct accidentally created by Genoshan mutant Amy, whose powers allowed her to create imaginary constructs in reality. Scalphunter and Riptide joined Magneto in a murder investigation, ordering Scalphunter to start a sweep. Upon finding more dead bodies they discovered a large swastika on a wall drawn in blood.

(Magneto III#17) - Riptide and Scrambler joined forces in searching Genosha for the killer, noticing the ruins on Genosha made for a nasty little maze.

(Magneto III#18) - On the eve of total destruction when Earth-616 was about to crash into Earth-1610, Magneto ordered his Marauders to help as many people they could. For the first time in their existence, the Marauders found themselves doing good, rather than wreaking havoc and destruction.

(Magneto III#19 - BTS) - Riptide continued to help the people in the streets of New York City while Magneto and Polaris fought an army of Nimrod Sentinels who'd swooped down from Earth-1610.

(Magneto III#20 - BTS) - Riptide continued to help the people in the streets of New York City

(Magneto III#21 - BTS) - The Marauders and all of Reality-616 were seemingly destroyed when Earth-616 and Earth-1610 collided as part of the final Incursion.

SECRET WARS III HAPPENED

(Hellion I#2 - BTS) - Scalphunter repeatedly visited Professor X to ask after his former teammates. However, bringing the original Marauders to Krakoa was rather problematic as the current iteration were clones of clones, most likely suffering from generation loss and genetic corruption. Professor X reasoned that even the Marauders deserved to be the most natural version of themselves. As such the Quiet Council decided Sinister's clone farm was to be dismantled so they would know if they were dealing with the last of the line to assess the Marauders' genetic integrity and discern if the group could be properly resurrected by the Five.

(Hellions I#1 - BTS) - Madelyne Pryor, former adversary of the Marauders had secretly taken control of Mister Sinister's clone farm planning to take control of the many Marauder clones to build an army and ravage Krakoa.

(Hellions I#1) - Madelyne Pryor activated the clones of Arclight, Blockbuster, Harpoon, Prism, Riptide and Scrambler but corrupted them, taking away their free will turning them into flesh-eating versions of themselves.

(Hellions I#2) - Witnessing the arrival of Scalphunter and the Hellions in the clone farm, Pryor activated the corrupted Marauders. Seeing her friend, Arclight tried to fight Pryor's influence but was unable after which Pryor revealed her presence to the Krakoans. Ordering her Marauders to attack them they easily gained the upper hand as Riptide fought Kwannon. While Pryor took Alex away the Marauders continued their assault, easily defeating Nanny, Orphan-Maker and Scalphunter.

(Hellions I#3) - While Riptide joined the other corrupt Marauders to crack open the armors of Nanny and Orphan-Maker, Pryor showed Havok the cloning baths were an uncountable group of Marauders (including Riptides) were stored and revealed she planned to birth all of the Marauders at once and flood the Krakoan gates. Meanwhile the remaining corrupted Marauders continued their assault on the Hellions.

(Hellions I#4) - Riptide, Harpoon and Blockbuster successfully cracked Nanny's armor but just as they were about to feast on the mutant they were attacked by Wild Child and Psylocke who then slashed Riptide's throat with his own shuriken. Meanwhile as Pryor was bringing the entire Marauder clone farm online her influence was spread thin as the corrupted Marauders started to regain their minds. In the end it was Scalphunter who shot and killed Pryor after which Havok destroyed the clone farm, destroying the many clones of Riptide.

(Hellions I#4 - BTS) - Although a weight had been lifted off of Scalphunter he worried over the resurrection of his former teammates. He agreed they should be returned with as few of Mr. Sinister's genetic modifications as feasible, but aside from that refuses to help them assimilate if and when they'll be resurrected, feeling it's better for everyone if they each go their separate ways. Not long after the Marauders were approved for resurrection by the Quiet Council.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, John Romita Jr., and Dan Green.

Riptide received a profile in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#18 and Wolverine Encyclopedia#2. The Marauders received profiles in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II#18 (1987), Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe III#5 (1989), Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition#27 (1993), Wolverine Encyclopedia#2 (1996), Marvel Encyclopedia X-Men (2003), Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z#7 (2009), X-Men: Messiah Complex - Mutant Files (2007) and appeared in the X-Men's villains gallery in the X-Men Annual II#1 (1992)

Riptide is the second Marauder to appear in one of the X-Men movies, the first being Arclight (aside from Sabretooth of course). He was played by Alex Gonzalez in X-Men: First Class (2011) where Riptide served as one of Sebastian Shaw's enforces alongside Azazel.

Profile by MarvellousLuke

CLARIFICATIONS:
Riptide has no known connections to


images: (without ads)
X-Men II#34, p6, pan1 (main image)
X-Men Origins: Gambit, p15, pan3 (origin) Uncanny X-Men I#211, p2, pan6 (first appearance)
Uncanny X-Men I#211, p21, pan3,4,5 (killed by Colossus)
X-Men II#34, p9, pan2 (Psylocke makes a discovery)
Cable Annual 1999, p20, pan3 (Emissary of En Sabah Nur)
X-Men II#203, p10, pan4,5 (versus Cannonball)
New X-Men II#46, p15, pan1 (defeated Wolfsbane)
Magneto III#6, p14, pan2 (killed by Magneto)
Magneto III#17, p1, pan5 (under Magneto's leadership)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#18 (ohotmu)


Appearances:
Uncanny X-Men I#210 (October, 1986) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti, Terry Kavanagh (editors)
Uncanny X-Men I#211 (November, 1986) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Romita Jr., Brett Blevins (pencilers), Al Williamson (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#240 (January, 1989) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#241 (February, 1989) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Robert Harras (editor)
X-Men II#34 (July, 1994) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Andy Kubert (pencils), Matt Ryan (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Man I#13 (March, 1996) - John Ostrander (writer), Luke Ross (pencils), Rob Hunter (inks), Jaye Gardner (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#350 (December, 1997) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Joe Madureira, Andy Smith (pencils), Tim Townsend, Dan Panosian (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Men Unlimited I#18/2 (April, 1998) - Bill Rosemann (writer), Marty Egeland (pencils), Howard M. Shum (inks), Frank Pittarese, Kelly Corvese (editors)
Cable Annual 1999 (April, 1999) - Karl Bollers, Michael Higgins (writers), German Garcia, Alitha Martinez (pencilers), Harry Candelario, Scott Koblish, Matt Ryan (inkers), Mark Powers (editor)
Gambit III#9 (October, 1999) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Anthony Williams (pencils), Sean Parsons (inks), Mark Powers, Pete Franco (editors)
X-Men II#200 (August, 2007) - Mike Carey (writer), Chris Bachalo, Humberto Ramos (pencilers), Carlos Cuevas, Tim Townsend (inkers), Will Panzo, Andy Schmidt (editors)
X-Men II#201 (September, 2007) - Mike Carey (writer), Humberto Ramos (pencils), Carlos Cuevas (inks), Nick Lowe, Andy Schmidt (editors)
X-Men II#202 (October, 2007) - Mike Carey (writer), Humberto Ramos (pencils), Carlos Cuevas (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
X-Men II#203 (November, 2007) - Mike Carey (writer), Humberto Ramos (pencils), Carlos Cuevas (inks), Nick Lowe, Will Panzo (editors)
New X-Men II#44 (January, 2008) - Craig Kyle, Chris Yost (writers), Humbertos Ramos (pencils), Carlos Cuevas (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
X-Men II#205 (January, 2008) - Mike Carey (writer), Chris Bachalo (pencils), Tim Townsend (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
New X-Men II#46 (March, 2008) - Craig Kyle, Chris Yost (writers), Humbertos Ramos (pencils), Carlos Cuevas, Dave Meikis (inkers), Nick Lowe (editor)
X-Factor III#27 (March, 2008) - Peter David (writer), Scott Eaton (pencils), John Dell, Andrew Hennessy, Dave Meikis (inkers), Nick Lowe (editor)
X-Force III#9 (January, 2009) - Craig Kyle, Chris Yost (writers), Mike Choi (pencils, inks), John Barber (editor)
X-Force III#10 (February, 2009) - Craig Kyle, Chris Yost (writers), Mike Choi (pencils, inks), John Barber (editor)
X-Men Origins: Gambit (August, 2009) - Mike Carey (writer), David Yardin, Ibraim Roberson (pencils, inks), Nick Lowe, Daniel Ketchum (editors)
Heroic Age: X-Men (February, 2011)
Avenging Spider-Man#16 (March, 2013) - Chris Yost (writer), Paco Medina (pencils), Juan Vlasco (inks), Ellie Pyle (editor)
Magneto III#5 (August, 2014) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Gabriel Hernandez Walta (pencils, inks), Daniel Ketchum (editor)
Magneto III#6 (September, 2014) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Javier Fernandez (pencils, inks), Daniel Ketchum (editor)
Magneto III#7 (September, 2014) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Javier Fernandez (pencils, inks), Daniel Ketchum (editor)
Magneto III#15 (April, 2015) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Gabriel Hernandez Walta (pencils, inks), Daniel Ketchum (editor)
Magneto III#16 (May, 2015) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Gabriel Hernandez Walta (pencils, inks), Daniel Ketchum (editor)
Magneto III#17 (June, 2015) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Gabriel Hernandez Walta (pencils, inks), Daniel Ketchum (editor)
Magneto III#18 (July, 2015) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Paul Davidson (pencils, inks), Daniel Ketchum, Xander Jarowey (editors)
Deadpool v Gambit I#4 (October, 2016) - Ben Acker (writer), Danilo Beyruth (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White, Heather Antos (editors)
Hellions I#1 (March, 2020) - Zeb Wells (writer), Stephen Segovia (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White, Annalise Bissa (editors)
Hellions I#2 (July, 2020) - Zeb Wells (writer), Stephen Segovia (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White, Annalise Bissa (editors)
Hellions I#3 (August, 2020) - Zeb Wells (writer), Stephen Segovia (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White, Annalise Bissa, Mark Basso, Lauren Amaro (editors)
Hellions I#4 (September, 2020) - Zeb Wells (writer), Stephen Segovia (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White, Annalise Bissa, Mark Basso, Lauren Amaro (editors)
New Mutants: Lethal Legion I#2 (April, 2023) - Charlie Jane Anders (writer), Enid Balam (pencils), Elisabetta D'Amico (inks), Sarah Brunstad (editor)


First Posted: 10/30/2017
Last updated: 10/06/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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