Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in The New Mutants #99 (March 1991),[1] after which he became a member of the superhero team X-Force.

Subsequent writers, such as Jeph Loeb, later attempted to show the character's adjustment to human norms and his development of close friendships on Earth, and in particular with his teammate Rictor.

[3][4][5] X-Factor writer Peter A. David introduced the romantic pairing with Rictor, building off of fan desire to see the characters together in a gay relationship.

The character has since been prominently featured by Marvel as an example of LGBTQIA representation, portrayed by writers as a "swashbuckling, enthusiastic" figure, in contrast to his earlier stern and taciturn appearances.

Carl Pott’s original sketch for Longshot had the white costume and the Eye Tattoo - Art Adams played with a version of this himself back in 1984.

[citation needed] Shatterstar is an artificial human from Mojo's planet Mojoworld a century in the future who was genetically engineered to serve as a gladiator.

With Cable's assurance that they would help him defeat Mojo (though with the use of time travel it was not urgent that they leave anytime soon) Shatterstar became a founding member of the new team, X-Force.

There Spiral directed them to the bedside of one of its patients, a mutant named Benjamin Russell who had no living relatives, had been in a coma since his powers had emerged, and, curiously, looked identical to Shatterstar.

Restored to peak health and full consciousness, and feeling "whole" for the first time in his life, Shatterstar resumed his work as a member of X-Force.

[18] A later medical exam conducted by Beast upon Shatterstar revealed that he indeed possessed DNA identical to that of Longshot, his rumored father, along with such genetic features as hollow bones and a lack of white blood cells.

Upon returning to the mainstream Earth, Shatterstar was contacted by Cable and requested to temporarily join him on a mission to defeat the Skornn.

[volume & issue needed] Following M-Day and the passing of the Superhuman Registration Act, Shatterstar teamed up with Domino and Caliban (all X-Force members) to break The 198 out of the encampment set up for mutants on the grounds of the Xavier Institute.

[29] In a 2009 X-Factor story, Shatterstar, whose mind is being controlled by the villain Cortex, attacks Strong Guy and Rictor.

[33] Rictor stays to take care of a pregnant Rahne, who attempts to mislead him into thinking the baby is his, while Shatterstar goes off on a mission for X-Factor.

Rictor and the audience learn that Shatterstar is the only Mojoworld rebel who was not created by Arize the Creator, as he mysteriously appeared from the sky one day.

Grandmaster tasked Gringrave with the kidnapping, hoping to use a gladiatorial battle between the enemies to satisfy the Horuvians lust for bloody conflict.

[46] He was then rewarded with memories of his past, which lead to him seeking Rictor out during the Hellfire Gala, after which they sat on the coastline of the newly created Braddock Isle and caught up with one another.

[47][48] The two seemingly got back together after this and he accompanied him on a mission to Otherworld with Excalibur investigating a brewing war, between Merlyn and King Arthur against mutantkind.

Rictor and Shatterstar were among the eight mutants Roma was able to bring back to Otherworld, while there they found former Excalibur member Kylun and shortly afterward Mordred, returned to a young age facing Arthur's forces.

At that moment, Roma Regina gave all those present a magical vision, declaring them the Knights of X, and giving them a quest to find the lost Siege Perilous.

The couple destroyed the factory with Gia's help, then the team headed toward Savalith, an ancient civilization founded by vampire-like beings.

[52] After regrouping to save Mad Jim Jaspers in The Crooked Marked, Gambit sacrificed himself against King Arthur's forces gaining the team access to Mercator, an Otherworld domain created by Mister M out of the Siege Perilous.

[53] Shatterstar possesses an overall superhuman level of physical and mental attributes (senses, strength, speed, reflexes, agility, flexibility, stamina, and intelligence), as a result of the extra-dimensional genetic engineering that created him.

Shatterstar's strength allows him to wield a heavy barbell as easy as a bō (staff) and slam the Thing of the Fantastic Four through a window of the Baxter Building.

[54] Shatterstar's speed and agility are enhanced to the point that members of the Mutant Response Division expect him to be capable of dodging point-blank automatic weapons firing from at least three trained agents.

[55] He is an excellent military strategist and has had extensive training in many forms of the martial arts and interpersonal combat of Mojoworld; in particular, he is a master swordsman.

[58] After Shatterstar returned from the Mojoverse, he demonstrated the ability to open an X-shaped portal capable of teleporting individuals to their desired locations.

[66] This has since been retconned to be a lie on Shatterstar's part, as it is revealed in his Revised origin in his 2018 mini-series that he already had a sexual/romantic relationship with his gladiatorial mentor/partner Gringrave,[67] which ended when she betrayed him by tricking him into becoming a murderer, causing him to rebel against Mojo V.[68] Since then his emotional state has been fluctuating.

[74] Writer Peter David reflects that being the subject of "prolonged exposure to Earth" and around Rictor changed things for the warrior, and he began to develop a real romantic capacity.

[76] Shortly after the issue was published, Peter David confirmed Rictor and Shatterstar's relationship on his blog and expressed his desire to explore it further.