Blackthorn

Blackthorn (Aline Pagrovna) is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a member of the Strikeforce: Morituri. The character was created by Peter B. Gillis and Brent Anderson. Publication history Aline Pagrovna (Blackthorn) was created by writer Peter B. Gillis and artist Brent Anderson and debuted in Strikeforce: Morituri #1 (December 1986), a Marvel Comics series set in a dystopian future, where young people, intent on fighting an invading alien species, undergo a scientific process which grants them superhuman abilities, albeit significantly reducing their lifespan in the process. The codename "Blackthorn" was introduced in issue #2. Blackthorn remained in the regular cast of the book throughout Strikeforce: Morituri #1-15. She subsequently went missing, before reappearing in issues #19-20, which tied up her hanging story threads and ended with her inevitable death. Blackthorn was the last member of the original roster to die and also has the distinction of appearing in more issues of the series than any other Morituri member, appearing in a total of 16 issues. Together with Adept, Blackthorn was the favorite character of series creator Peter B. Gillis, thus explaining her prominence and longevity, amidst the ever-shifting cast of the book. According to Gillis, Blackthorn "had some of the best moments in the book. Which is partly why I killed her last — sort of a Hannibal Lecter thing to say, isn’t it?". Fictional character biography Aline L. Pagrovna was a self-described "wallflower", always shy and unnoticed by others and without ever having had a romantic relationship. The only reason she did not commit suicide was because she was confident nobody would notice. In 2073, faced with the prospect of a long, boring, eventless life, Pagrovna decided to volunteer for the Morituri program, a program which would grant her superhuman powers, effectively turning her into a living weapon of Earth in its ongoing war against the invading alien race collectively known as "the Horde". The process, however, essentially equals suicide, because the recipients of the process inevitably suffer the so-called "Morituri effect" within a year of undertaking the process, a 100% fatal rejection of the process by the human organism.