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| Reavers | |
|---|---|
 Reavers. Art byJim Lee. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Uncanny X-Men #229 (May 1988) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont (writer) Marc Silvestri (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Member(s) | Donald Pierce Lady Deathstrike Pretty Boy Bonebreaker Skullbuster Wade Cole Angelo Macon Murray Reese Skullbuster (Cylla Markham) Josh Foley |
TheReavers are a fictional team of criminalcyborgs appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics.
In theMarvel Universe, the Reavers are dedicated to the destruction of theX-Men and a number of them especially wanted to take revenge onWolverine in particular. The group are assembled under the leadership of characterDonald Pierce and consist of three survivors from a group of Australian cyborgs who formed the original 'Reavers', along with other cyborgs.
The Reavers are not to be confused with the Reavers, who are involved in the histories of theGuardians of the Galaxy membersStarhawk andAleta.[1]
The Reavers appeared in the 2017 filmLogan, with their leader Donald Pierce portrayed byBoyd Holbrook.
The Reavers first appeared in the comic titleUncanny X-Men #229 (May 1988) and were created byChris Claremont andMarc Silvestri.[2]
The original group of cyborgs calling themselves the Reavers operated out of an underground complex beneath the fictionalghost town of Cooterman's Creek in NorthCentral Australia. They act as a commando-style team of thieves, with apparently dozens of members. Their base is equipped with advanced computers and a sub-basement tunnel system. The Reavers coerce themutantGateway to teleport them around the world to conduct their robberies. Informed of the Reavers' existence byRoma, the X-Men defeat the Reavers in battle and expel them from their base, which they take for their own use. The X-Men destroy some of the Reavers and force most of the rest to enter theSiege Perilous to meet unrevealed fates. Only Pretty Boy,Skullbuster, andBonebreaker escape.[3]
The Reavers are reassembled under the leadership ofDonald Pierce, who reorganizes the team as an assassination squadron to undertake para-military style commando operations, dedicated to taking vengeance on the X-Men in particular and eliminating mutants in general. Pierce combines the three survivors of the original Reavers withLady Deathstrike and the three former Hellfire Club mercenaries Cole, Angelo Macon, and Reese.[4]
While the X-Men are away from their Australian base, the Reavers retake the ghost town and wait for the team to come back. However, on their return, the X-Men escape the Reavers through the Siege Perilous. Only Wolverine, who is on a leave of absence inMadripoor, remains. Once he returns, they capture, torture, andcrucify him.[5] Wolverine escapes the Reavers with the aid ofJubilee. The Reavers then attack theMuir Island Mutant Research Center, theorizing that it is Wolverine's most likely destination. During the assault on Muir Island, Skullbuster is rendered inoperative by sniper fire fromForge.[6] Donald Pierce rescues a gravely wounded pilot namedCylla Markham, who agrees to be converted into a cyborg.[7]
Around this time, Bonebreaker, Reese, and Pretty Boy are dispatched to a New York warehouse afterMicrochip, an associate of thePunisher, in a self-confessed mistake, infiltrates their computer system. The temporary absence of Gateway gives Punisher and Microchip enough time to evacuate and set up resistance. The warehouse is destroyed, but the two escape through the sewer.[8] The Reavers face off against the Punisher again. In the firefight, the Reavers kill Microchip's cousin. The Punisher sets off auto-destruct charges, which cause heavy damage to the three Reavers, particularly Bonebreaker, whose lower body is demolished. The Reavers retreat.[9]
The Reavers then successfully attack theWhite Queen's company, Frost Technotics.[10] They captureRogue, who has returned from inside the Siege Perilous, although Rogue is then rescued by a recreation ofMs. Marvel. Donald Pierce transforms Cylla Markham into the new Skullbuster (although she usually goes by her real name).[11] Lady Deathstrike later seeks Wolverine in Madripoor and Vancouver. Pierce creates an android namedElsie-Dee and a robotic clone of Wolverine namedAlbert to kill Wolverine. The attempt fails when Elsie-Dee rebels against her programming.[12]
As part of theUpstarts' game,Trevor Fitzroy dispatchesSentinels to the Reavers' Australian hideout to kill Pierce and anyone else they find there. In the ensuing battle, only Pierce, Lady Deathstrike and Cylla escape the massacre, Pierce seemingly only making it as far as the Hellfire Club before he is "killed".[13] Cylla later resurfaces, allying herself withBloodscream in an attempt to murder Wolverine. However, Bloodscream betrays her and sucks the life from her, killing her.[14]
Most of the Reavers survive their supposed deaths. They later return to battle theX-Treme X-Men on behalf of theShadow King.[15]
Donald Pierce puts together a new group of Reavers, composed of young anti-mutant humans (with the exception ofJoshua Foley, who at the time was unaware that he was a mutant).[16] They are defeated byKarma, Foley, and a handful of young mutants.[17] The group later breaks Pierce out of prison, but with Foley as bait, they are lured into an ambush and captured.[18]
The Reavers appear in the "Messiah Complex" storyline under the leadership of Lady Deathstrike.[19] Deployed as an elite commando unit designed to eliminate organized mutant resistance, the Reavers confrontCable inAlberta, Canada before being attacked by the newX-Force.[20]
In the ensuing battle, Deathstrike and the Reavers are killed by Wolverine's strike team, but not before killing the mutantCaliban and injuring Cable.[21]
Pierce and his Reavers are placed in the custody of theOffice of National Emergency under the direct supervision of General Callahan. Callahan uses the Reavers as a personal scavenger crew in exchange for receiving augmentations and bionic enhancements tethered to an in-built safeguard to enforce their obedience.[22]
Havok works with the Reavers to free their boss and fellow mutants in exchange for the missing puzzle piece he possesses on his person for one final assault on their shared enemy's headquarters.[23] Pretty Boy and Bonebreaker take control of Callahan'sSentinels and turn them on the X-Men. Pierce and his cohorts abscond with their latest modifications and head to the Xavier Institute to kill more mutants. The X-Men battle the Reavers into submission, capturing them and Havok.[24]
During the "Iron Man 2020" storyline, Donald Pierce and the Reavers are shown to have established a company called Reavers Universal Robotics inMadripoor. Albert arrives in Madripoor to confront Pierce and is confronted by Bonebreaker and the Reavers. After Albert subdues the Reavers, Pierce states that he sold Elsie-Dee's parts to three gangs. The Reavers and the gangs take action against Albert, vowing that he will not make it out of Madripoor alive.[25]
The Reavers later got into a fight in Lowtown with the MorlocksMasque,Bliss, a revivedBrute,Hump, andMarrow.[26]
An alternate universe iteration of the Reavers from Earth-295 appear inAge of Apocalypse. This version of the group are human traitors who serveApocalypse and were enhanced with histechno-organic virus, which allow them to merge with organic and mechanical materials.[27]
An alternate universe iteration of the Reavers from Earth-1610 appear in theUltimate Marvel imprint. This version of the group is led byDeadpool and are formerly human gladiators who became cyborgs to hunt mutants on live television forGenoshan politicianMojo Adams.[28]
The Reavers appear inLogan,[29][30] consisting of Donald Pierce, Bonebreaker, Pretty Boy, Angelo Macon, Danny Rhodes, and Mohawk. This version of the group are Alkali-Transigen's enhanced security force who serve the corporation's head,Zander Rice.
