Once a teen with a normal life, Shatter becomes a mutant and retreats to the sewers under Chicago. He joins the ranks of the Morlocks, an urban legend above ground, but really a group of mutants surviving below.
A Typical Teen Turned Mutant
Teenager Shatter lives at home with his father, but when his mutant powers manifest, he becomes fearful, knowing what happens to mutants and what the world thought of them—an overall hateful opinion that he once shared. In trying to take his own life using his father’s gun, Shatter fails. He realizes that his body was near invulnerable as the bullet does not cause any harmful damage. His now crystallized exterior on the side of his head merely cracked.
Sometime later, Shatter joins the Morlocks, a group of apparently horrible, vicious mutants thought to be an urban legend that cropped up in Chicago’s underground. But in reality, they are a bunch of mutants just trying to survive.
Crystallization Powers
Shatter’s physiology changes when his mutant powers manifest and as such his molecular makeup results in cellular crystallization. He can crystallize liquid, plus he possesses near invulnerability. Even after losing an arm, he’s able to grow it back, although it comes back more crystallized in texture.
Mutant Allies and Deadly Enemies
Shatter becomes allies with the Morlocks, a group of mutants that live under Chicago in the sewers. His allies include his dog, Hank, the electrically-powered runaway Electric Eve, army vet Litterbug, Trader, the former stockbroker who possesses a camouflaging ability, the super-strong Christine, AKA Angel Dust, and the former postal officer David, AKA Postman, who leads the rag tag group with the goal of fulfilling their last wishes. Shatter goes up against Sentinels and humans interested in taking advantage of mutants.
A Shattered Story
Shatter and the Morlocks came upon the mutant Cell in the sewers of Chicago. Cell’s abilities had just manifested, and he was running from the police who fired multiple shots at him, though he survived thanks to his impact absorption ability. Shatter reassured him that they were non-violent by quoting the African-American Muslim minister and civil rights activist, Malcom X.
While Shatter played cards and chatted with Cell about his last wish, Shatter revealed that he wanted to free his best friend. But then Angel Dust and Electric Eve argued, which led Dust to use her powers, blowing back Shatter. When he got up, his hoodie revealed an old injury but Dust thinks she caused it and fled out of embarrassment. Shatter tracked her down and told her it wasn’t her fault, it was something he did to himself when he discovered he was a mutant. He told her how he tried to commit suicide and it didn’t work. They then commiserated about how they hated living in the sewers.
Postman suggested they start making wishes come true but that they have to avoid the Sentinels, the robotic mutant hunters. The Morlocks went to an animal shelter where Shatter liberated his best friend, his dog Hank. Shocked and relieved, Shatter found that Hank still knew him despite his physical changes. As the Morlocks left the shelter, a squadron of Sentinels arrived and shot at them. Shatter lost half his arm but the blast fused his wound closed. The group retreated underground, then suddenly a group of police discovered them and shot at them. Before Eve could electrocute them, Trader threw himself in front of her, taking a bullet and losing his life. Postman used his powers and affected the attackers memories so that they’d forget what they were doing and they fled. Shatter then reminded Christine that there was still good in this world before she attempted to get closure with her parents, fulfilling her last wish.
The team then learned that Litterbug had helped create the Sentinels, but Shatter knew he wasn’t the enemy. Using his crystallization powers, he grew back his arm and resolved to protect mutantkind. The team then worked together and found the Sentinels command center, and after a battle, they successfully shut it down. Shatter saved Postman from an attack from behind and they all escaped unscathed.