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.

She subsequently went missing, before reappearing in issues #19-20, which tied up her hanging story threads and ended with her inevitable death.

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.

Later, one night, while under great stress, Pagrovna manifests her superhuman power, the ability to disrupt molecular bonds in all substances.

After the team gives its first press conference, Blackthorn and her teammates attend a party in New York, where they meet the actors that will portray them in an upcoming video series.

Blackthorn meets Guy Harding, a famous actor who portrays her teammate, Radian, in the series, and begins flirting with him.

[8] Upon returning to Earth, the team confronts the newer generation of Morituri, who have been assigned by their employers, the Paedia Council, to detain the veteran members, who are now perceived as "renegades", after violating regulations.

The couple considers asking the help of the Paedia government in putting their unborn daughter in an incubator in order to save her life, since Blackthorn can die from the inescapable Morituri effect at any given minute.

[13] Blackthorn had the ability to disrupt the molecular bonds of virtually every substance, living or inanimate, causing it to break or melt.