There are plenty of Marvel characters who can punch through a wall. There are plenty who can take an explosion to the face, throw a car across a street or stand toe to toe with some of the most dangerous beings in the universe. Colossus can do all of those things, but that has never really been what makes Piotr Rasputin such an interesting character.
What makes Colossus special is the person underneath all that metal.
Piotr Rasputin
Piotr is one of the great gentle giants of Marvel Comics. He’s enormously powerful, physically imposing and capable of going toe to toe with monsters such as the Hulk and Juggernaut, yet his personality has traditionally been built around kindness, loyalty and an almost old fashioned sense of responsibility. He doesn’t particularly want to hurt people. He certainly doesn’t want to kill them. For Piotr, having extraordinary strength comes with an extraordinary responsibility to use it properly.
That contrast has always been at the heart of Colossus. He looks like a living tank, but underneath the steel is an artist, a farmer, a brother and a man who has spent much of his life trying to protect the people around him.
Piotr Rasputin was born in the Soviet Union and grew up on a collective farm near Lake Baikal in Siberia. His childhood was far removed from the glamorous world of superheroes that he would eventually enter. He grew up working the land with his family, surrounded by the harsh landscape of rural Russia. His family was incredibly important to him, particularly his younger sister Illyana and his older brother Mikhail.
Mikhail Rasputin
Mikhail was the first of the Rasputin children to leave home in a particularly extraordinary way. He became a cosmonaut, seemingly fulfilling a remarkable dream of reaching space. What Piotr didn’t know was that his brother was also a mutant. Mikhail possessed powerful energy manipulating abilities, and the Soviet authorities eventually became aware of them. Rather than allowing the truth to become public, they faked his death.
Piotr’s own mutation eventually revealed itself as well.
His ability is remarkably simple in concept but devastating in practice. He can transform his entire body into an organic metal substance. Once transformed, his skin, muscles, bones and even his eyes become part of this metallic state. He becomes Colossus.
The transformation isn’t merely cosmetic. It turns an already physically strong man into one of the X-Men’s most formidable heavy hitters. His strength, durability, stamina and resistance to injury increase enormously, allowing him to survive punishment that would instantly kill an ordinary human being.
But Piotr didn’t immediately see his powers as an invitation to become a superhero.
He was perfectly content using his strength to help his family and the people around him. That tells you almost everything you need to know about him. Piotr wasn’t sitting on a farm dreaming about fame, money or becoming the strongest man alive. He was simply a young man who happened to have an extraordinary gift and wanted to use it to help others.
That changed when his younger sister Illyana was in danger.
Piotr transformed to save her from a runaway tractor, and his incredible abilities caught the attention of Professor Charles Xavier. Xavier was looking for new mutants to join a new generation of X-Men after his original team became trapped on the living island of Krakoa.
X-Men
Xavier offered Piotr a place among the X-Men.
Piotr accepted, although joining the team meant leaving behind almost everything he knew. He travelled from the Soviet Union to America and found himself living in a completely different culture, surrounded by people who were strangers to him. The transition wasn’t easy. He was young, inexperienced and had little reason to feel comfortable in this strange new world.
Yet he became Colossus.
And very quickly, he became one of the most important members of the team.
The Man Behind the Metal
The obvious thing about Colossus is his strength. Marvel has repeatedly established just how ridiculous his durability can be. His metallic body has allowed him to survive bullets, enormous explosions, devastating impacts and extreme temperatures. He’s been struck by vehicles travelling at high speed and remained standing. He can operate in conditions that would destroy an ordinary human being.
His strength is similarly extraordinary.
Colossus is one of those characters whose physical power can sometimes be difficult to put into perspective because Marvel’s universe contains so many ridiculous powerhouses. Nevertheless, when the writers want to remind you just how strong Piotr is, they have an enormous amount of material to work with.
He has fought the Hulk.
He has fought Juggernaut.
He’s battled opponents like Shadow King, Danger, Cassandra Nova and countless other threats alongside the X-Men.
And despite all that, Colossus isn’t simply a character who stands at the front of the team and absorbs damage.
Combat
He is a trained fighter. He has experience with wrestling and judo, and his size doesn’t prevent him from moving with surprising agility. When he combines his fighting ability with his metallic form, he becomes an incredibly difficult opponent to stop.
There is also something wonderfully strange about the mechanics of his mutation. Piotr doesn’t simply cover himself with armour. His entire body changes, eyes become metallic and internal biology changes with him. He doesn’t need to breathe while transformed, although that doesn’t mean he can simply spend eternity floating around in space.
He can also remain transformed for an extended period of time, returning to his normal human appearance whenever he chooses. If he loses consciousness, however, his body will eventually revert.
Perhaps the most important limitation is that he cannot only transform one arm or one leg. It’s binary. Either on, or off. Colossus becomes transformed or stays human.
And then there’s the part of Piotr that has nothing to do with fighting.
He’s an artist.
Piotr is an accomplished painter and sketch artist, something that has always provided a fascinating contrast with his superhero identity. The same hands capable of crushing metal can also produce delicate artwork. It reinforces the idea that Colossus isn’t a machine built only for battle. He’s a person who happens to have one of the most destructive physical mutations in the Marvel Universe.
That distinction matters.
Colossus and the X-Men
Colossus became part of the classic X-Men family alongside characters such as Wolverine, Storm and Nightcrawler. Over the years, these relationships became just as important to his character as his powers.
Storm developed a particularly close relationship with Piotr, treating him almost like a younger brother. Nightcrawler became one of his trusted friends, while Wolverine and Colossus developed one of the most recognisable friendships in X-Men history.
Then there was Kitty Pryde.
Kitty’s relationship with Colossus became one of the most important romances in both characters’ histories. It began with an obvious difference between them. Kitty was young, energetic and still learning what it meant to be an X-Man, while Piotr was the enormous, quiet Russian who seemed almost impossibly intimidating.
Yet the two gradually became close.
Their relationship went through years of complications, break ups, reunions and circumstances that would make most normal relationships look remarkably straightforward. Their story is one of the longest running emotional threads connected to Colossus, and even when they aren’t together romantically, their history continues to affect both of them.
Before any of that, however, Colossus had already experienced some of the strangest adventures imaginable.
Becoming a Killer
One of the most important parts of Colossus’ character development is that he has never been comfortable with taking a life.
That becomes particularly significant during the X Men’s battles with villains such as Arcade and Proteus.
Arcade once captured and brainwashed the X-Men, turning Colossus against his own teammates and convincing him that he was the Proletarian, a communist era worker’s hero. Colossus eventually broke through the conditioning and returned to his friends.
The encounter with Proteus was much more serious.
Kevin MacTaggert, better known as Proteus, was an enormously dangerous mutant capable of manipulating reality. His energy based body had a weakness to metal, giving Colossus an opportunity that the other X-Men didn’t have.
Piotr took it.
He used his metallic form against Proteus and effectively destroyed him.
The victory came at a cost.
For perhaps the first major time in his life, Colossus had deliberately taken a life. It was a turning point for a character whose innocence and reluctance to kill had always been central to his personality.
This is what makes Colossus’ history so much more interesting than a simple list of fights. His stories aren’t just about whether he can defeat the villain. They’re about what defeating the villain does to Piotr.
Illyana Rasputin
If there is one person who sits at the centre of Colossus’ emotional life, it is his little sister.
Illyana Rasputin, later known as Magik, has one of the most bizarre and tragic histories in Marvel Comics. She was dragged into the demonic dimension of Limbo, where time operated completely differently from Earth. While only a relatively short amount of time passed on Earth, Illyana experienced years in Limbo.
She eventually returned as a teenage sorceress.
For Piotr, this was devastating.
His little sister had effectively been taken away from him and returned as somebody fundamentally changed by what she had experienced. Much of Colossus’ life subsequently revolved around trying to protect Illyana, even when she didn’t necessarily want or need protecting.
Their relationship has never been simple.
They have fought alongside one another, argued, betrayed each other and threatened each other’s lives. There have been periods where Piotr has been furious with Illyana, particularly when she has manipulated circumstances surrounding his own transformation into the Juggernaut.
But underneath the arguments, Piotr loves his sister.
That is never really in doubt.
Battleworld and the Heartbreak of Kitty Pryde
Colossus’ romantic life became complicated during the original Secret Wars era.
While fighting alongside the other heroes on Battleworld, Piotr became involved with Zsaji, a healer whose powers were tied to her life force. Their relationship complicated his feelings towards Kitty, and after Colossus was killed during the conflict, Zsaji sacrificed herself to bring him back.
Piotr eventually returned to Earth with a broken heart.
His relationship with Kitty ended, although their friendship survived.
It was another example of something that happens repeatedly throughout Colossus’ history. Piotr finds happiness, only for some enormous cosmic, mutant or personal catastrophe to rip it away.
The pattern would continue.
The Morlock Massacre
One of Colossus’ darkest moments came during the Mutant Massacre.
The Marauders attacked the Morlocks living beneath New York, slaughtering members of the underground mutant community. During the battle, Colossus was forced into a desperate situation when Nightcrawler was in danger.
Piotr killed Riptide.
It was an act committed to save his friend, but it left another mark on him. Colossus’ metallic body was damaged during the fight, causing his bio energy to leak from his wounds as though he were bleeding.
Magneto attempted to repair the damage using his magnetic abilities and managed to close the wounds, although Piotr was temporarily trapped in his metallic form.
Once again, the important part wasn’t simply that Colossus had won.
It was that he had crossed another line.
Every time Piotr kills, he loses a little more of the innocent farm boy who originally joined the X-Men.
Peter Nicholas
Eventually, Colossus became exhausted by the constant fighting.
The X-Men entered the Siege Perilous, a mystical gateway capable of giving those who passed through it completely new lives. Piotr emerged on the other side with little memory of who he had been.
He became Peter Nicholas.
Instead of being a superhero, he became a building superintendent and an artist. For a while, he lived a relatively ordinary existence. He painted and worked. Living away from the endless battles between mutants, humans and supervillains.
In many ways, it was the closest Piotr ever came to the quiet life he had always wanted.
But the Marvel Universe wasn’t going to leave him alone.
The Shadow King eventually possessed him and used him in an attempt to assassinate Xavier. Piotr was eventually freed, but his new identity was destroyed and the memories of Colossus returned.
Once again, Peter Nicholas disappeared.
Colossus came back.
The Rasputin Family Tragedy
Piotr’s family history is almost as complicated as his superhero career.
His brother Mikhail returned to Earth after spending years trapped in another dimension. Unfortunately, the isolation had severely damaged his mental state. His powers and his deteriorating sanity eventually became a major danger to those around him.
The Russian government also became involved in the Rasputin family’s affairs.
Piotr’s parents were killed, while Illyana was captured because the authorities wanted to use her abilities against another mutant threat. Piotr rescued his sister and brought her back to America.
For all the battles Colossus has fought against supervillains, some of his most painful experiences have involved his own family.
That becomes even more important when Illyana contracts the Legacy Virus.
The Death of Colossus
The Legacy Virus was one of the great mutant tragedies of the 1990s.
It was killing mutants, and Illyana was among its victims.
Piotr had already watched his family suffer again and again. He had seen his sister transformed by Limbo, watched his parents die and endured years of fighting for mutantkind.
Then he watched Illyana die.
When Moira MacTaggert and the X-Men eventually discovered a potential cure, there was one horrifying problem. The cure needed the death of an infected mutant to activate.
Piotr made the decision himself.
He injected the cure into his own body.
His powers surged and the cure was released, saving countless lives while killing him in the process.
It is one of the defining moments of Colossus’ entire history because it perfectly captures the character.
Piotr Rasputin is extraordinarily powerful.
But his greatest strength has never been his ability to lift something heavy.
It is his willingness to sacrifice himself for somebody else.
His death was supposed to be permanent.
It wasn’t.
The Man Who Came Back
Colossus’ body was secretly taken by Ord, an alien from Breakworld who had learned of a prophecy suggesting that an Earth mutant would eventually destroy his world.
Ord had Colossus resurrected and imprisoned him while experimenting on his body.
The X-Men eventually discovered what had happened, and Kitty Pryde was the one who found Piotr alive.
Her reaction is one of the strongest emotional moments in the story because as far as Kitty knew, the man she loved had been dead.
Now he was standing in front of her.
Alive.
Colossus returned to the X-Men and eventually rekindled his relationship with Kitty.
It was a strange second chance for a man who had already sacrificed his life once.
The Hulk
If you want to understand just how strong Colossus is, look at his history with the Hulk.
The two have fought several times, and these encounters have become a favourite way for Marvel writers to demonstrate the ridiculous physical strength of both characters.
The Hulk is one of the strongest characters in Marvel.
Colossus is one of the characters capable of standing in front of him.
That doesn’t mean Piotr is automatically stronger than Hulk. He isn’t. But the fact that he can absorb attacks from the Hulk and continue fighting is an enormous testament to his durability.
During one confrontation, the Hulk grabbed Colossus’ arms and forcibly bent them backwards, seriously injuring him. Piotr was eventually healed by Elixir.
It was a brutal reminder that even Colossus has limits.
Breakworld
Colossus later became central to the X-Men’s conflict with Breakworld.
The alien world had a prophecy surrounding an Earth mutant who would supposedly bring about its destruction. The inhabitants believed that mutant was Colossus.
Piotr was taken to Breakworld, where the X-Men became involved in a much larger struggle over the planet’s fate.
The story once again placed Colossus in an uncomfortable position. He wasn’t interested in becoming a prophesied destroyer. He wanted to protect people.
Eventually, he and the X-Men prevented the destruction of Earth, although the mission had another devastating consequence.
Kitty was lost in space.
For Piotr, it was another enormous personal loss.
The Juggernaut
One of the strangest chapters in Colossus’ history came when he became the Juggernaut.
His sister Magik helped him make a deal with Cyttorak, the supernatural entity responsible for the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak. Piotr needed enough power to stop Kuurth, a transformed and immensely powerful version of Juggernaut.
So Colossus became the Juggernaut.
It sounds like the perfect combination on paper.
Colossus already had incredible strength and durability. Add the power of Cyttorak and you have something close to an unstoppable force.
The problem was that the power came with a cost.
Kitty was horrified by what Piotr had done and eventually ended their relationship.
Piotr himself realised that the power was becoming too dangerous. Rather than allowing himself to run free, he asked to be kept imprisoned with Magik and released only when the X-Men needed him.
That is a very Colossus decision.
Give somebody else the dangerous power and they might use it because they enjoy being powerful.
Give it to Piotr and he’ll ask to be locked in a cell so nobody gets hurt.
The Phoenix Five
Colossus’ life became even stranger when he became one of the Phoenix Five.
Alongside Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor and Magik, Piotr was empowered by the Phoenix Force.
For a character who was already physically overwhelming, giving Colossus cosmic power was never going to end quietly.
The Phoenix Five initially believed they could use their power to create a better world, but their actions became increasingly authoritarian and destructive.
Piotr also attempted to win Kitty back.
She refused him.
The Phoenix Force had changed him, and when Kitty rejected him, Piotr reacted with anger rather than understanding.
It was a disturbing glimpse of what happens when one of Marvel’s most gentle characters is given almost unlimited power and pushed beyond his emotional limits.
Spider Man eventually exploited the conflict between Colossus and Magik, tricking the two into attacking each other. After the Avengers and X-Men defeated the Phoenix Five, Magik used her Soulsword to remove the Juggernaut power from Piotr.
Piotr was furious.
He believed Magik could have freed him sooner.
Their relationship became even more complicated.
Losing Control
After losing the Phoenix Force, Colossus’ powers became unstable.
He eventually joined Cable’s X-Force, using technology to help keep his mutation under control. It was later revealed that the Phoenix Five had been manipulated through nano Sentinels created by Dark Beast, giving some context to the disturbing changes that had taken place.
Piotr eventually returned to Wolverine’s X-Men team and regained control of his powers.
His story, however, wasn’t finished with the Juggernaut.
When Cyttorak began searching for another person to inherit the Crimson Gem’s power, Colossus and Cain Marko were once again drawn into the conflict. Piotr attempted to prevent the Gem from falling into the wrong hands and even tried to convince Cyttorak to choose him.
Cyttorak ultimately returned the power to Marko.
Colossus fought Juggernaut once again and defeated him.
It was another reminder that Piotr’s strength isn’t simply a single number. His power has evolved, fluctuated and been enhanced throughout his history, and he has repeatedly found himself standing in battles far beyond what most X-Men could survive.
Apocalypse’s Horseman
Things got even worse during the Terrigen crisis.
The release of Terrigen had devastating consequences for mutantkind, leaving mutants vulnerable to M-Pox and threatening the future of the species. The X-Men established X-Haven in Limbo as a refuge.
Colossus fought to defend it.
Then he disappeared.
When the X-Men eventually found him, Piotr had been transformed into one of Apocalypse’s Horsemen.
This was another cruel twist for a character whose entire life had revolved around choosing how to use his power. Now someone else had taken control of him and turned him into a weapon.
Nightcrawler eventually helped restore him to normal.
The X-Men then became embroiled in the growing conflict between mutants and the Inhumans. Colossus fought alongside his teammates until the destruction of the Terrigen brought the crisis to an end.
When the mutants could finally return home, Kitty Pryde took leadership of the X-Men.
Colossus returned to the team.
And, naturally, his complicated relationship with Kitty remained.
Why Colossus Matters
It would be very easy to reduce Colossus to one thing.
The strong one.
The big metal guy.
The bloke who gets thrown through a wall and gets back up.
But that completely misses the point.
Colossus has survived explosions, cosmic wars, alien invasions, magical transformations, mutant massacres, possession, resurrection and the deaths of people he loves. He has been brainwashed, killed, resurrected, depowered, repowered and transformed into the Juggernaut.
Through all of that, the central question surrounding Piotr has remained the same.
What does a good man do when he has the power to hurt almost anybody?
That is what makes him such a brilliant X-Man.
Wolverine has claws and a violent nature. Cyclops has enormous responsibility and the burden of leadership. Magneto has spent decades wrestling with his beliefs about mutant survival. Colossus is different.
Piotr is powerful because he chooses not to abuse his power.
He could be terrifying.
Instead, he tries to be kind.
He could use his strength selfishly.
Instead, he protects his friends.
He could simply become another super powered bruiser.
Instead, Marvel gave him a paintbrush.
That is the genius of Colossus.
His metallic form is the thing everybody notices first, but it isn’t the thing that makes him memorable. The real character is Piotr Rasputin, the Russian farm boy who left his home to protect strangers, who repeatedly put himself between his friends and danger, who watched his family suffer and still kept trying to save people.
He is a character built around the idea that immense strength doesn’t have to make somebody hard.
If anything, Piotr’s greatest strength is his humanity.
And after everything Marvel has put him through, the fact that he still manages to be the gentle giant of the X-Men is probably the most impressive superpower of all.
Essential Colossus Reading
If you’ve got this far and you’re thinking, “Right, I actually want to read some Colossus comics now,” good. There’s a lot to choose from, and this is where things can get slightly ridiculous. Colossus has been around since 1975, so you’re looking at decades of stories, crossovers, deaths, resurrections, alternate realities and enough mutant terminology to make your head spin.
You absolutely do not need to read everything.
Instead, these are the stories I’d point you towards if you want to understand why Colossus is such a brilliant character. Some are essential because they define him. Some are here because they show an important relationship or side of his personality. And a couple are here simply because they’re bloody good fun.
X-Men Origins: Colossus #1 (2008) Where It All Begins
If you want to start with Piotr himself rather than jumping straight into the middle of an X-Men adventure, this is an excellent place to begin.
Chris Yost and Trevor Hairsine go back to Piotr’s early life and show how the boy from rural Siberia eventually became the metal giant we know as Colossus. His mutant abilities emerge, his family becomes increasingly important to his story and the authorities take an interest in what this remarkably powerful young man can do.
What makes this worth reading is that it gives you the person before the costume. You understand that Piotr wasn’t born wanting to be a superhero. He was a young man from a farming family who happened to possess an extraordinary mutation.
If you’ve only ever known Colossus as the massive silver bloke standing behind Wolverine, this is the story that reminds you there’s a whole person underneath all that steel.
Giant Size X-Men #1 (1975) The First Appearance
Now we’re going right back to where it all started.
Giant Size X-Men #1 is not merely an essential Colossus comic. It’s one of the most important X-Men comics ever published. This is the issue that introduced the new team that would eventually become the X-Men most people think of today, including Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler and, of course, Colossus.
Piotr’s introduction is wonderfully simple. He’s working on his family’s farm when his sister is suddenly placed in danger, forcing him to transform into his metallic form.
And that’s it. Colossus has arrived.
Professor Xavier sees what Piotr can do and offers him a place on the X-Men. The new team is then thrown straight into a mission to rescue the original X-Men from Krakoa, a living island that has captured them.
If you want to understand where Colossus fits into X-Men history, start here. You’re not just reading his first appearance. You’re watching the beginning of an entire era of Marvel Comics.
X-Men #165 (1983) Colossus and Kitty Pryde
You can’t properly talk about Colossus without talking about Kitty Pryde.
Their relationship becomes one of the most enduring romances in X-Men history, and X-Men #165 is an important part of that story. Kitty and Piotr’s relationship had been developing for some time, but this issue pushes their feelings into much more complicated territory.
The circumstances aren’t exactly cheerful. Kitty is dealing with the terrifying possibility of a Brood infection, and the two finally act on the chemistry that has been building between them.
This is worth reading because it shows Colossus doing something that doesn’t involve punching somebody.
That’s important.
Piotr’s romantic relationships, particularly his relationship with Kitty, are a huge part of understanding him as a character. He’s not simply the X-Men’s muscle. He’s a young man trying to work out love, loyalty and responsibility while living an utterly insane life.
And if you’re a fan of Colossus and Kitty, you’ll find plenty here to get invested in.
X-Men #293 (1992) Mikhail Rasputin
One of the things I really like about Colossus is that his family never feels like a bit of background trivia.
His relatives actually matter.
Mikhail Rasputin is particularly important because Piotr grew up looking up to his older brother. Mikhail was a cosmonaut, and to a young Piotr, that made him almost impossibly impressive.
Unfortunately, Mikhail’s story gets considerably darker.
His travels through other dimensions have a devastating effect on him, leaving him psychologically damaged while also giving him enormous power. Eventually, his path brings him into conflict with his own brother and the X-Men.
This is one of those stories I’d recommend once you’re already invested in Piotr. You get much more out of Mikhail’s relationship with Colossus when you understand how much Piotr admired him in the first place.
It also opens up the wider Rasputin family story, which becomes increasingly strange and tragic as the years go on.
X-Men #390 (2001) The Death of Colossus
This is the big one.
If you’ve read everything above and want to understand why Colossus is so beloved by X-Men fans, you need to read X-Men #390.
The Legacy Virus has devastated mutantkind, and the X-Men are desperately searching for a cure. Eventually, a potential solution is discovered, but activating it requires something horrifying.
The death of an infected mutant.
Piotr decides that it will be him.
He injects himself with the cure and uses his own body to release it, sacrificing his life so that the Legacy Virus can finally be defeated.
This is Colossus at his absolute best.
Not because he’s strong. Not because he’s indestructible. And not because he can turn into living metal.
Because he chooses to die for other people.
For a character whose entire history has been built around protecting others, it’s a devastatingly fitting ending.
Of course, this is Marvel Comics we’re talking about.
You should probably already know that death doesn’t always stick.
Astonishing X-Men #6 (2004) Colossus Returns
And here he is.
Back from the dead.
Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men run brought Colossus back into the spotlight in one of the most memorable X-Men stories of the modern era.
The X-Men believed Piotr had died years earlier. Kitty certainly believed it. Then, suddenly, there’s evidence that Colossus may still be alive.
The eventual reveal is brilliant because it doesn’t simply ignore his death. There’s an explanation for what happened to his body, why he survived and how he was eventually brought back.
And yes, this is also the run responsible for giving us some absolutely fantastic Fastball Special material.
If you’re going to read one Colossus story after his death, make it this one. Seeing him standing alongside the X-Men again is exactly the sort of moment that reminds you why these characters matter to people.
X-Men: Colossus Bloodline #1-5 (2005) Back to Russia
This one is particularly good if you want to explore the Rasputin family rather than just Colossus’ superhero career.
Colossus returns to Russia when members of his family begin dying under mysterious circumstances. What starts as a family crisis develops into something much stranger, involving ancient secrets and supernatural forces connected to the Rasputin bloodline.
It gives Piotr a chance to step away from the usual X-Men setting and deal with something much more personal.
And there’s something satisfying about putting Colossus back in Russia.
For all the years he’s spent in America with the X-Men, Piotr never stops being the farm boy from Siberia. His homeland, his family and his past remain fundamental parts of his identity.
X-Men Unlimited #14 (2004) The Artist
This is one I’d especially recommend if you want to understand the softer side of Piotr.
X-Men Unlimited #14 contains two Colossus stories, one dealing with his grief over his sister and another focusing on his artistic ability.
Yes, the giant metal superhero can paint.
And honestly, I love that.
It would have been incredibly easy for Marvel to make Colossus nothing more than the team’s strongman. Instead, they’ve repeatedly given him this artistic side that sits in almost complete opposition to his physical appearance.
There’s something brilliant about a character who can probably punch through a tank spending his free time painting.
If you’re trying to understand Piotr rather than simply Colossus, don’t skip this one.
X-Men #496 (2008) Back to Russia
Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Colossus head back to Russia together, giving us a much more personal story than the usual X-Men superhero spectacle.
Piotr visits his parents’ grave, and the presence of Wolverine and Nightcrawler gives the whole thing another layer. These aren’t just teammates accompanying him somewhere. They’re his friends, and they understand that this is important to him.
Naturally, because these are the X-Men, the trip doesn’t exactly remain peaceful.
That’s part of what makes the issue work. You get the emotional material, you get the friendships and then, inevitably, something goes wrong.
If you’ve ever wondered what Colossus is like when he’s away from Xavier’s mansion and dealing with his past, this is well worth your time.
Fear Itself #7 (2011) Colossus Becomes the Juggernaut
Now we’re going completely mental.
Colossus becomes the Juggernaut.
Yes, really.
When the X-Men need a way to stop Kuurth, an immensely powerful version of Juggernaut, Piotr makes a deal with Cyttorak and gains the power of the Crimson Gem.
The result is exactly as absurd and brilliant as it sounds.
Take Colossus, one of Marvel’s strongest and most durable heroes, and then give him the power of the Juggernaut. You end up with an absolute monster.
But the story works because it isn’t simply about making Colossus even stronger. Piotr knows this power is dangerous. He knows what it can do to him and the people around him.
So even when he’s practically unstoppable, he’s still wrestling with the consequences of his own strength.
And that’s Colossus in a nutshell.
Cable and X-Force #1 (2012) X-Force
After the events surrounding the X-Men’s increasingly fractured world, Colossus joins Cable’s new X-Force team.
This is a different side of Piotr again.
The X-Force approach to superhero work is considerably less clean than the traditional X-Men method. Missions are darker, the situations are more violent and the team isn’t exactly famous for leaving behind a tidy crime scene.
Putting Colossus in that environment is interesting because of everything we’ve already established about him.
This is a man who has always struggled with violence and killing.
Now he’s part of a covert team built around doing the jobs that the heroic X-Men often can’t.
If you want to see how far Piotr has travelled from the innocent young farmer who first joined the X-Men, this is a fascinating place to look.
Where Should You Start?
If you’ve never read a Colossus comic before, don’t feel like you need to buy all of these immediately and work through them like homework.
Start with Giant Size X-Men #1.
Then read X-Men Origins: Colossus if you want more of his early life. Move into his relationship with Kitty, explore the Rasputin family through Mikhail and Bloodline, then work your way towards his death and eventual return.
And when you’re ready for the completely bonkers stuff, read Fear Itself and watch Marvel turn the X-Men’s gentle giant into the Juggernaut.
That’s the fun of Colossus.
You can read him as the powerhouse. You can read him as the artist. Or you can read him as a brother, a friend, a lover or a mutant trying desperately to protect the people around him.
Ideally, you read him as all of them.
Because that’s when you start to understand why this enormous man made of steel has remained one of the most human characters in the X-Men for more than fifty years.
Thanks for reading
If you’ve actually made it this far, thank you. Seriously.
This was a bloody long one, and I know not everyone is going to sit down and read thousands of words about Colossus. But that’s exactly why I wanted to write it. He’s one of those characters who can easily get reduced to “the big metal bloke from the X-Men”, when there’s a hell of a lot more going on underneath all that steel.
I love doing pieces like this because they give me an excuse to properly dig into a character rather than just telling you what they look like, what powers they have and when they first appeared. Hopefully, somewhere along the way, this has made you look at Colossus a little differently.
And if you disagree with me about something, that’s completely fine. In fact, I’d rather you did. Comics are far more interesting when people have different interpretations of the same character.
So, whether you read the whole thing, skipped through a few sections, or somehow ended up here by accident, thanks for giving the article your time.
That’s about it. See you in the next one.
It’s been over 2 months since I’ve written a comic article. If you like them, read more here.
