RicStar: The Rictor/Shatterstar Appreciation Thread

[NewMutant]

Rictor was created in 1987 by Louise and Walt Simonson debuting in X-Factor #17. He is a Mexican mutant that has the capabilities of releasing seismic energy through his fingertips, using it to create earthquakes, shockwaves or otherwise transport earth matter. Rictor, along with other wards of X-Factor, formed the X-Terminators that would shortly join the New Mutants. There he had close ties with his teammates Boom Boom and Wolfsbane. During this period he was featured in major storylines including: Mutant Massacre, Fall of the Mutants, Inferno, Days of Future Present, and X-Tinction Agenda. Once Cable took leadership of the New Mutants, Rictor began to rebel and drift from the team. He ultimately left the team thinking Cable was the man who had murdered his father. Rictor rejoined his New Mutant teammates, now calling themselves X-Force, during a period where Cable was not with the team. Major storylines during this time include X-Cutioner's Song, Fatal Attraction, Phalanx Covenant, and Age of Apocalypse. This is when he would meet Shatterstar. He and Shatterstar quickly became very close.

Shatterstar was created in 1991 by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza debuting in New Mutants #99. He is a dimension and time traveler from Mojoworld. He was sent to our time to get help from the X-Men, but instead he found Cable and the New Mutants. Cable drafted him into his new team X-Force where he would serve as a founding and long term member of the team. He would battle with them during epic storylines: X-Cutioner's Song, Fatal Attraction, Phalanx Covenant, Onslaught, and Zero Tolerance. Shatterstar had a hard time adjusting to the present world terms and social norms. He relied on his teammate, most specifically Rictor, to guide him. The two became very close, which Shatterstar had a hard time understanding.

Once Cable announces that X-Force would be moving into the Mansion with the X-Men and would be using telepathy more, Rictor decides to leave the team. (At this point Jeph Loeb takes over writing duties on X-Force). Shatterstar is devastated by his absence. He develops a close friendship with Siryn, whom was going through a similar situation with Warpath. Shortly Shatterstar finds himself having a major identity crisis and Rictor returns the team to help. He stays with the team briefly but ultimately leaves again due to conflicts with Cable's command and family issues. Instead of letting Rictor leave alone Shatterstar decides to go with them. The two revisit their teammates a couple of times but slowly end their involvement with X-Force and for unknown reasons separate from each other as well.



When the Scarlet Witch decimates the mutant population Rictor finds himself without his mutant powers and depressed. He contemplates suicide when Jamie Madrox convince him to join their new detective agency... X-Factor. (The entire X-Factor run is written by Peter David). Rictor struggles with how to contribute being the only human on the mutant team. Quicksilver offers to return Rictor's power using the Inhuman crystals. After their confrontation the powerless Rictor is once again finds himself depressed. While finding comfort from Wolfsbane the two end up having sex. The two find themselves playing important roles in the Messiah Complex storyline. But immediately after Wolfsbane abruptly leaves the team and Rictor is lost again.

Strong Guy and Rictor search for their missing teammate, Madrox, when they are attacked by an mask man. The masked man is revealed to be Shatterstar. Once Shatterstar breaks free of his trance like state he grabs Rictor and passionately kisses him. This kiss is the first depiction of a same sex kiss in a Marvel Comics Publication. The kiss made national headlines and seriously irked Shatterstar's creator Rob Liefeld, who has promised to undo this next time he writes the character. Writer Peter David would later win a GLAAD Award for his depiction of Rictor and Shatterstar's relationship. Shatterstar is revealed to now have limited teleportation powers.

Shatterstar's time in the present has opened him up to new emotions and desires. This complicated his relationship with Rictor as he wants to have a more open relationship, where Rictor was ready to embrace his homosexuality and be monogamous with Shatterstar. Shatterstar explains that while he wants to try new things and experiment, he still wants Rictor to be his anchor and guide him. A pregnant Wolfsbane decides to return to the team and finds Ricstar getting intimate. Wolfsbane, who strongly identifies as a religious woman, thinks Shatterstar is mind controlling Rictor and they briefly fight. After Wolfsbane misleads X-Factor that Rictor is actually the father of her baby.

It is later revealed that Wolfsbane had lied, but Rictor comforts her saying he will still support her and baby. Wolfsbane accepts Rictor's relationship with Shatterstar and makes amends with the later. During this time Rictor and/or Shatterstar participate in tie-ins to Civil War, Secret Invasion, Second Coming, and Avengers Children's Crusade. The later, finds the Scarlet Witch returning Rictor's mutant powers.

During the Hell on Earth war both Shatterstar and Rictor are blasted by Mephisto and believed to be dead. They were actually sent to Mojoworld on the future, aka Shatterstar's past. Rictor and Shatterstar were forced to play gladiators on TV for Mojo. In escaping we learn the secrets to Shatterstar's origins. Shatterstar was long thought at the child of the mutant pop singer Dazzler and genetically created Longshot (also from Mojoworld). It is revealed that Shatterstar is not only the son of Longshot and Dazzler, but Longshot's creator used genetic material from Shatterstar (collected from this time jump after Hell on Earth) to create Longshot, therefore being Longshot's son and father, as well as his own grandfather. Rictor finds a pregnant Dazzler and ends up delivering his future boyfriend, baby Shatterstar. Adult Shatterstar tells Rictor instead of changing the course of his past they had to let things play out the way they happen; so they deliver baby Shatterstar to the to the people who raised him that ultimately make him a warrior and erase Dazzler and Longshots memories of ever having a child.

This is the last we've seen of the two, who we can assume are fighting in Mojoworld as they make their way back to the present.



Lets celebrate the love of the X-Universes premier gay couple that's kiss was seen and heard throughout the world! Ricstar together forever!