Original Skullbuster
The first Skullbuster was a member of the Reavers, a gang of cyborg criminals living in an Australian ghost town.
The Reavers came into conflict with the X-Men several times, and Skullbuster was eventually killed by Forge during a battle on Muir Island.
Several years later, he was resurrected by Donald Pierce.
Second Skullbuster
After the death of the original, a female pilot named Cylla Markham was transformed into the new Skullbuster by Donald Pierce after being badly injured in a plane crash.
Third Skullbuster
A third Skullbuster later appeared as part of the Shadow King‘s gang of Reavers. Encountering the X-Men, Skullbuster faced Thunderbird in battle and almost drained him of his solar plasma energy until Bishop intervened. Skullbuster and the rest of the Reavers were defeated by the X-Men and taken to prison.
Creation
“I am a reasonable man. You wanna save the old coot, you provide the combination. (…) No foolin’?? Gollygoshgee… I guess then you don’t need the old geezer no more. KRAK!” — Skullbuster.
Skullbuster was created by Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri in 1988 and first appeared in Uncanny X-Men # 229.
Powers & Abilities
Skullbuster is also a cyborg like other Reavers.
Other Media
Television
- Skullbuster appears in the two-part X-Men: The Animated Series episode “Out of the Past” as a member of Lady Deathstrike‘s Reavers. Wolverine ends up cutting off Skullbuster’s right arm, though it is later repaired.
- Skullbuster appears in the Wolverine and the X-Men episodes “X-Calibre” and “Hunting Grounds” as part of the gang of Reavers led by Spiral. In “Calibre,” he and the rest of the Reavers attempt to capture the Avalon, a ship that is transporting mutants to Genosha. Nightcrawler‘s group of mutants are able to defeat them, forcing the Reavers to flee. In “Hunting Grounds,” Skullbuster and the rest of the Reavers pursue the captive Nightcrawler and Scarlet Witch at Mojo‘s behest. Skullbuster is apparently killed by a brainwashed Wolverine.
Merchandise
- Skullbuster was featured in the HeroClix figure game as part of the Giant-Size X-Men series.
- Skullbuster was featured in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line as part of the Caliban Build-a-Figure wave.