Colossus: Who is the Mutant Martyr

Ra-Ra-Rasputin, Hero of the X-Men Team!

An earthquake has struck a city and buildings are crumbling. A little girl hides in a bedroom closet, crying for her mother. She hears someone call out for survivors and screams for them to go away. A soft, accented voice explains that she is in danger and he is here to save her. She hesitantly opens the door and sees a large man in a funny costume.

The man guides the girl through debris. She runs for the front door, but falls when the ground shakes again. The ceiling groans and cracks, collapses. Her screams are drowned out by a roar. The man is holding up the ceiling. Something looks different, but she can’t tell what in the darkness. He yells for her to run. She barely escapes as the house collapses.

The girl’s mother runs up and embraces her. Behind the girl, the debris rises. A gleaming metallic figure stands in the rubble of her home. The girl recognizes the costume and cheers. Colossus waves and leaves to help more survivors.

Colossus is one of the strongest X-Men. He has endured a lot in order to keep them safe. So who is he? How did he become a hero? How did Colossus end one of the greatest threats Mutantkind has ever known? Let’s find out.

From Russia With Love: Colossus’ Backstory

Colossus debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1 in 1975. He was created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. He was the team’s strongman and became Russian due to The Cold War cooling down.

Piotr Rasputin was a farmer living in the Soviet Union. His mutation activated when his sister Illyana was endangered by a runaway tractor. His body became steel as he destroyed it. Professor X arrived shortly afterwards to recruit Piotr for the X-Men.

Piotr became Colossus and fought to protect Mutantkind. His gentle disposition didn’t gel with constant fighting. He soon acclimated to being a superhero and fell in love with teenage teammate Shadowcat.

Lasting Legacy: His History

Life grew complicated during Colossus’ time in America. While fighting in the Secret Wars, he fell in love with an alien healer and broke up with Shadowcat. The healer died quickly, trapping the exes in a “will they, won’t they” relationship.

Illyana joined the Xavier Institute to be with her brother, quickly becoming the designated damsel in distress that motivated Colossus. A demon unlocked her powers, leading Illyana to join The New Mutants as Magik. The siblings rarely fought together, but Colossus always became much more dangerous when they did.

Colossus was shattered when Illyana died from The Legacy Virus, a Mutant-targeting AIDS allegory. He betrayed the X-Men to join Magneto’s Acolytes, but realized that he was lashing out and rejoined his friends. The X-Men eventually discovered a cure that required a single Mutant to die. Colossus injected himself while the others debated the cure’s ethics, sacrificing himself to end The Legacy Virus that had killed his sister.

Shadow of the Colossus: His Modern Stories

Colossus’ body was stolen to create a cure for mutations. He was revived and experimented on until Shadowcat found him in a villain’s base. He returned to the X-Men where they rekindled their romance.

While fighting Juggernaut, Colossus made a deal with the dark god Cyttorak to steal Juggernaut’s powers. It made him much stronger, but angrier and more destructive. Colossus ruined many of his relationships before Magik freed him from the curse. She could have done so at any time, but wanted him to know what being a demon’s pawn was like so he could better understand her. That betrayal destroyed their relationship.

Colossus struggled to adjust to life after being Cyttorak’s champion. Shadowcat offered light at the end of the tunnel by proposing to him. Unfortunately, years of romantic drama and fear that a self-sacrificing nature would kill him caused Shadowcat to leave Piotr at the altar. 

Fastball Special: Colossus’ Powers and Personality

Colossus can turn his skin into solid steel, giving himself superhuman strength, speed, and durability. Colossus doesn’t need nourishment or air to survive while transformed. He is an expert at judo, sword fighting, and painting. Colossus’ signature move is the Fastball Special, where he often throws Wolverine at a distant enemy to put more force behind his claws. He’s not picky about who plays the ball, though.

As the Juggernaut, Colossus’s strength skyrocketed. He was strong enough to fight The Hulk, had an impenetrable force field, and could not be slowed down once he started moving. Cyttorak weakened him whenever he decided that Colossus wasn’t being destructive enough.

Colossus is gentle and nurturing. He tries to see the best in everyone, sometimes blinding him to their true nature. Colossus is one of the few X-Men willing to kill when angered. He also has a significant Martyr Complex, taking on pain to protect others even when it’s unnecessary.

The Actors Who Play Him

John Stephenson – Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
Dan Glivezan – Pryde of the X-Men
Robert Cait – X-Men: the Animated Series
Michael Adamthwaite – X-Men Evolution
Daniel Cudmore – X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, Days of Future Past
Stefan Kapičić – Deadpool, Deadpool 2, Deadpool and Wolverine

Didya Get All That?

The X-Men’s shield, when they need one.

Image by 20th Century Fox – © 2016

Jared Bounacos

Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.