Little is known about the past history of the swashbuckling treasure hunter. He mysteriously appeared on the island nation of Genosha, commanding a group of four armed Trolls. Stripemine and his scavengers managed to apprehend a group X-Men by using a mutant neutralizing compound to block the X-Men's superhuman abilities rendering them helpless. Omega Sentinel and Magneto were the last to be beaten by the pirate looking Stripmine, as he commanded the Trolls to pillage Genosha of its valuables (mutants). However, they were unable to capture Freakshow, due to his unique abilities. The captives were critiqued and assess by the Appraiser, who projected the price each would bring depending on their abilities. Stripmine managed to keep the captives docile by placing collars that contained highly advanced technology called nannites around their necks. It is later revealed that Stripmine is working for the Dark Beast, who has his sights set on Omega Sentinel. Eventually Xavier and his crew defeated the Dark Beast and offered Stripmine the opportunity to help rebuild Genosha. Stripmine current whereabouts are unknown.