Sinister employed the mutant outlaw Gambit to assemble a team of superhuman assassins. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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, Maddie was a clone created by Mister Sinister, who had ordered the Marauders to eliminate her.
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.