10 Horrific X-Men Characters Who Should Never Appear In The Movies

9. Shatterstar

It€™s almost universally acknowledged that the creative nadir of the Marvel line of superhero comics arrived, stinking of cheese and despair, in the 1990s. There are very few Marvel heroes still existing in the comics that represent that creative nadir more accurately than the ridiculously named Shatterstar. Twenty-five years ago, creator/artist Rob Liefeld was one of the names in American comics, his books selling out across the world with multiple print runs, and limited-edition-variant-hologram-foil-gatefold-whatever covers were a regular appearance on comic shop shelves. And good god, but he was a terrible artist. In an industry where exaggerated musculature and bodily proportions was and still is the standard, Liefeld€™s defied description, with impossible anatomy, contorted posing and bestial snarls in practically every panel. Every character design seemed to feature multiple extraneous pouches and belts on the costume, myriad overlarge, weird looking weapons, and that weird mullet/ponytail/bomber jacket combo that was big in the nineties. Shatterstar himself was a horrid, fetid creation who, like many 1990s superheroes and villains, seemed to spend most of his life pouncing on things just off-panel like some kind of a leaping fool. And why in the nine crunchy circles of hell is he called Shatterstar? What stars has he shattered, how and why? It literally means nothing. What was going on with the prizefighter€™s headgear? The billowing, all-white uniform with the single giant shoulder pad? The swords with two blades - how is that even a thing? What was wrong with this kid€™s hair? Is that€ a mullet and a ponytail AND braids? What fresh evil is this? Better writers and artists have tried to turn this sow€™s ear into a silk purse over the last couple of decades: Peter David memorably played with the character€™s sexuality to some acclaim, and there was a brief, tantalising possibility that Shatterstar wasn€™t in fact a genetically engineered gladiator from another dimension (because of course he was), but the weird-ass fantasy of a comatose Earthboy, somehow come to life. That would have been cool. They went with genetically engineered gladiator from another dimension. That€™s not cool. That€™s not cool at all. Finally, it was decided to clear up Shatterstar€™s murky origin story and long-teased relationship to fellow hollow-boned, stupid-haired, leaping fool Longshot: he was, in fact, Longshot€™s son after all. However, he€™d also been sent into the past and had his genetic material used to create Longshot in the first place, making him his own grandfather. Yes, I know.