Colossus (comics)

Colossus (Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin) is a Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975).

A Russian mutant, Colossus possesses the ability to transform his entire body into “organic steel,” a state that grants him superhuman strength and invulnerablity. Despite his intimidating appearance and occasional outbursts of rage, Colossus is actually one of the gentlest and least-aggressive X-Men and would much prefer to pursue his long-time interest in painting rather than fight. He reluctantly agrees to use his powers in combat, feeling it is his responsibility to utilize his abilities for the betterment of humanity.

Colossus has had a fairly consistent presence in X-Men-related comic books since he debuted. Played by Daniel Cudmore, he plays a small role in the X-Men film franchise.

Character biography

Joining the X-Men

Piotr "Peter" Rasputin was born on a Soviet collective farm called the Ust-Ordynski Collective near Lake Baikal in Siberia. He lived there with his mother, father, and sister, Illyana. His older brother, Mikhail, had been a Russian cosmonaut and had apparently died in a rocket accident.

Peter's superhuman powers emerged in adolescence while saving his sister from a runaway tractor. At first, Peter was content simply to use these powers to aid the other people of the collective, however he was soon contacted by Professor Charles Xavier, the founder of the X-Men. Xavier was recruiting a new team of X-Men to rescue the original team, most of whom had been captured by the sentient mutant island Krakoa.

Peter agreed to leave the farm community in which he was born and raised to go to America with Xavier. Xavier gave him the code name "Colossus" and together with the other new X-Men rescued the original team. After the battle was won, Colossus remained in the United States with the new X-Men.

Peter's family always remained in his thoughts, and he frequently wrote letters home. Shortly after joining the X-Men, a woman known as Miss Locke kidnapped many of the team's loved ones to use as hostages in order to force the X-Men to aid her in freeing her employer, Arcade, from captivity by one of Doctor Doom's robots. Among her captives was Colossus's younger sister Illyana, whom Locke had kidnapped from the Siberian collective farm and transported to the United States. The X-Men freed Illyana from captivity, and she went to live with her brother Peter at Xavier's mansion. Due to her later captivity in a dimension known as Limbo where she spent years while only mere moments elapsed on Earth, Illyana became the adolescent sorceress known as Magik.

During this time, Peter started what was arguably his most significant relationship with fellow X-Man Shadowcat. Although they were only together as a couple for a short while, the relationship provided the foundation of a deep and lasting friendship.

Following the Inferno event, Illyana was returned to her original Earth age. Colossus decided it would be better for Illyana if she went back to live with their parents in Russia. Sadly, Peter's parents were slain by the Russian government and Illyana was kidnapped by a mutant known as the Soul Skinner who hoped to genetically evolve Illyana to the point where she would have the use of her powers again. Colossus, with the help of the X-Men, saved Illyana and brought her back to the Mansion.

The X-Men later found themselves in another dimension where they discovered Colossus's brother, Mikhail, was alive and acting as a messiah to the population of that world. Mikhail returned to Earth with the X-Men, but was distraught with having been responsible for the deaths of the original crew from his first trek into the other dimension. Mikhail established himself as leader of the Morlocks and transported them to another world. Peter was disappointed by his brother's abrupt departure and blamed himself.

Later, Illyana became an early victim of the Legacy Virus and died from it. The loss of his immediate family caused Colossus to rethink his position with the X-Men and join Magneto and his Acolytes, who had offered him an alternative to the X-Men's pacifist philosophy of peaceful mutant/human coexistence.

Excalibur

His stay with Magneto was not long once he realized that Avalon was not the place for him, either. He left in search of the only person he felt truly cared for him, his former love and teammate Kitty Pryde, now a member of Excalibur. Colossus traveled to England, where he found Kitty in the arms of her new love, Pete Wisdom. Colossus, enraged, attacked Wisdom, and although the battle was short-lived, they both sustained minor injuries.

Colossus accepted Kitty's new life and chose to become a member of Excalibur. Once the team dissolved, Kitty, Colossus, and Nightcrawler returned to the United States and became active members of the X-Men.

During this time he repaired his friendships with Wolverine and Storm, that were broken when he had joined the Acolytes. He also created a deep friendship with Marrow. Peter again found his long thought-dead brother Mikhail, but unfortunately lost him again when Apocalypse collected The Twelve in his quest for Power.

Death and Return

Using thoughts and notes from the recently murdered Moira MacTaggert, the X-Men's resident scientist, Beast, claimed to have found the cure for the Legacy Virus. Unfortunately, it could only be made airborne with the death of its first user. Rather than wait for a safer version and allow others to die as Illyana had in the meantime, Colossus injected himself with the cure. By using his powers and sacrificing himself, Colossus enabled the release of an airborne cure, effectively eradicating the disease. His body was cremated, and Kitty Pryde took his ashes back to Russia to be strewn on his native soil.

It was later brought to the attention of the X-Men that a medical company, entitled Benetech, had developed a mutant cure. After gaining a sample of the cure, Dr. McCoy discovered a string of DNA hidden deep within the recesses of the formula. After matching the DNA, the Beast and the other X-men set out to investigate the truth behind Benetech. During their infiltration, they discovered that Ord, an alien from the Breakworld, was responsible for the means with which the company was able to develop the cure. While the team was separated, Kitty descended down into a hidden complex beneath the Benetech building and was able to unlock the true secret behind the cure: shortly after Peter's self-sacrificing death, Ord had captured his body and left a duplicate that the X-men had cremated. After reviving him, Ord had used the Legacy Virus cure in Peter's blood stream to develop his mutant cure. After unknowingly releasing Peter from his cell, Kitty rejoined him with the X-men and together they subdued Ord as he tried to escape Earth. Since reuniting with his friends, Peter has returned to fight with the X-men as Colossus, and he and Kitty have been able resume their romantic relationship. Their relationship was finally consummated physically in Astonishing X-Men #14.

Powers and abilities

Colossus possesses the ability to transform his entire body into a form of 'organic steel', named by some sources as analogous to osmium, but of still unknown composition. In his armored form, Colossus possesses superhuman strength which allows him to lift over 100 tons (although the full limit of his strength has never been revealed.), with superhuman resilience and near-limitless stamina; he gains around a foot in height and his mass is at least doubled. The source of the extra mass is also unknown, but possibly extra-dimensional. He is immune to extremes of heat and cold, high-voltage electricity and even most magical attacks. However, he is more vulnerable to magnetic attacks and manipulation in his metallic form.

Colossus cannot transform a single portion of his body into this armored state; he must either be completely transformed or remain within his normal state. If he is rendered unconscious, he will often revert to his flesh form, though he has remained in his armored state before when life-threatening wounds would have killed him if he reverted.

Relationships

Not long after Piotr joined the X-Men he witnessed a girl being kidnapped. After saving her he learned that she was also from Russia. Her name was Anya Makarova, a ballerina who had defected to the U.S. After spending some time together they started to like one another. After she saw Piotr transform into Colossus she was shocked and no longer trusted Piotr, running away from him.

While celebrating their first Christmas with the X-Men, Piotr met an attractive flight-attendant named Betsy Wilford, with whom he often double dated with Nightcrawler and Betsy’s friend, Amanda Sefton. However, while Kurt and Amanda started a full relationship, Betsy and Piotr were nothing more than close friends.

While in the Savage Land, Piotr had an encounter with two native women, Nereel and Shakani, who wished to make love with him after Colossus saved them from a thunder lizard. Nereel wished to bring new blood into their tribe. Piotr made love for the first time. The fruits of their union being a son, Peter, born long after Piotr, the elder, left the Savage Land. Colossus is unaware that Peter is his son despite having met him.

When Kitty Pryde first met the X-Men she had a crush on Colossus from the start. Peter and Kitty became close, though at the time both were too shy to fully admit their feelings for each other. However, after surviving a threat by the alien Brood, Kitty and Piotr grew closer and started to date. After Piotr's life was in danger, Kitty promised Caliban of the Morlocks her hand in marriage in exchange for aid in saving Peter's life, although later Caliban released her from that vow. Soon after this, even though Kitty had acted out of love to save him, Piotr started to question the time she was spending with Douglas Ramsey.

Soon after, all the X-Men but Kitty were summoned, with other heroes, to another world by the Beyonder to fight in the Secret Wars. Colossus was injured there, but healed by an alien girl named Zsaji whom he fell in love with. Zsaji died exhausting her healing powers to save fallen heroes, leaving Piotr heartbroken. After returning to Earth, Piotr confessed to Kitty and ended their relationship. Kitty left the team for a short time.

Colossus has had other relationships, or potential relationships, develop over the years (Callisto, Rogue, Meggan, Marrow) but the one who he seems destined to be with is Kitty Pryde, whom he is now with again.

Following his return from the dead, Colossus and Kitty resumed a romantic relationship, finally consummating it in the Astonishing X-Men #14 (2006).

Ultimate Colossus

Peter Rasputin reluctantly worked as an arms smuggler for the Russian mob before joining the X-Men. Ultimate Colossus is much like his Earth-616 counterpart, except he is both significantly stronger and more vulnerable - while he singlehandedly beat up Thor before a tactical nuclear bomb disabled him, the Falcon neutralized him using the fact that (unlike the mainstream Colossus) his eyes do not turn into organic steel. Colossus even managed to overpower Magneto's magnetic control while in his armored form, rising from the ground while he and the other X-Men were magnetically pinned to it, and proceeding to pummel Magneto.

In a change from his Earth-616 counterpart, Ultimate Colossus is homosexual. This revelation, when made, alienated him from his once close friend Nightcrawler, who feels he never really knew Peter. He is romantically linked to the mutant Jean-Paul Beaubier, also known as Northstar.

Inspirations

The famous statue the Colossus of Rhodes inspired his codename and Grigori Rasputin inspired his surname. The 2005 mini-series Colossus: Bloodlines revealed that Colossus is related to Rasputin.
Co-creator Dave Cockrum drew inspiration for Colossus' powers from Ferro Lad of DC Comics' Legion of Super-Heroes.

Appearances in other media

Colossus made his television debut in 1984 in an episode of the animated series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. He appeared in two episodes; 3.3, The Education of a Superhero and 3.7, The X-Men Adventure. He was voiced by John Stephenson.

Colossus's next appearance was in 1989 in the 30 minute animated one-shot Pryde of the X-Men, where he was voiced by Earl Boen.

In the 1992 animated television series X-Men, the voice of Colossus was provided by Rick Bennett in episode 1.8, "The Unstoppable Juggernaut" and by Robert Cait in episode 2.4, Red Dawn.

In the 2000 animated television series Evolution, the voice of the 19 years old Colossus was provided by Michael Adamthwaite. This Colossus is one of Magneto's Acolytes, but is an unwilling accomplice. He saved Shadowcat from Apocalypse's robots attack, it seemed that Colossus had little feelings for her. When Professor X entered to the mind of Apocalypse and saw the future, he saw Colossus as one of the X-Men. He appeared in only seven episodes.

In the 2003 film X-Men 2, Colossus is played by Daniel Cudmore in a brief cameo after the school is attacked, when he helps evacuate the younger students. Cudmore reprises the role in the 2006 film X-Men 3, in a far larger supporting role, fighting alongside Storm, Wolverine, Beast, Iceman and Shadowcat as Magneto attacks Alcatraz to destroy the mutant 'cure'. He proves vital in the defeat of Magneto, throwing Wolverine to distract Magneto until Beast can inject Magneto with the cure (despite all this, he only has one speaking line). Director Bryan Singer also hid a number of cameos in X-Men. One cameo that he corroborates is Colossus'; he is the well-built student sketching in the Xavier Institute's courtyard.

Colossus has appeared in the video games Marvel's X-Men, Madness in the Murderworld, The Fall of the Mutants, X-Men: The Arcade Game, Children of the Atom (arcade game), Clash of Super Heroes (NPC), New Age of Heroes, Reign of Apocalypse (NPC), X-Men Legends, Wolverine's Revenge (NPC), Rise of Apocalypse, and The Official Game.

External links

Colossus | Colosso (X-Men) | Colossus (Banda desenhada)

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