X-Men: '70s Members / Characters

X-Men '70s Members

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The Team In General

The All New All Different X-men

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When the X-men were captured by Krakoa, only Cyclops managed to escape. Making it to the mansion he informed Charles Xavier of the encounter, after a botched rescue attempt, Xavier traveled around the world recruiting a new team to rescue the old one. Once assembled the team set out to Krakoa to rescue the old team and were successful. Once they returned to the mansion most of the original X-men left, while most of the new team stayed. Cyclops, feeling he had no other place to go, decided to remain to lead the new team.

Dwindling Party: Downplayed in the original Claremont run. Sunfire quits immediately after the first mission, Thunderbird dies on the second mission, and Banshee eventually quits to settle down with Moira after he temporarily looses his powers. This leaves Storm, Wolverine, Colossus and Nightcrawler for quite a while. Then Nightcrawler gets injured and leaves when he thinks the X-men have been killed.
Multinational Team: Shiro is Japanese, John is Apache, Piotr is Russian, Kurt is German, Logan is Canadian, Ororo is New York born & African raised, and Sean is Irish.
Strong and Skilled: Unlike the original team, since every member of this iteration was an adult (with Piotr being the youngest one) they were already rather experienced with their respective powers already. It was the "working as cohesive team" that they needed work on and they managed to pull even that off rather quickly and impressively (Or at least Logan, Kurt, Ororo and Piotr did.)
Superior Successor: Though they had initial struggles living up to the original teams, Scott eventually an admits that they are a much more efficient team.
True Companions: The four mainstays of the team (Logan, Kurt, Ororo and Piotr) grew to become this, to the point that thier friendship easily eclipses the bond the original team had with each other and became one of the closest group of friends among any X-Teams. Kurt and Logan are one of the most iconic Heterosexual Life-Partners in X Men history, Ororo's friendship with both Logan and Kurt is just as strong as the friendship between the boy's (if tinged with several strong Ship Tease moments from time to time) and all three treat Piotr as a treasured comrade.

Nightcrawler

Kurt Wagner^notelegally changed from Szardos / Nightcrawler

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/545f7f97_8705_4b88_8bda_c9507a6721ed.jpeg

"Every so often, liebchen^notesweetheart, since I look like a demon... I have this irresistible urge to play the part."

Nationality: German

Species: Human mutant

First Appearance: ''Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 (May 1975)

A mutant from Germany, Nightcrawler possesses superhuman agility, wallcrawling, a prehensile tail, and the ability to teleport. Despite his demonic appearance, he is a devout Catholic. Nightcrawler was raised in a circus, where he was accepted with the other "freaks" and grew to have a playful and happy-go-lucky personality. He's a fan of swashbuckling fiction and Errol Flynn in particular, and for a time, he took up swordplay and started to wear an almost pirate-like costume. Kurt later discovered that the villainous terrorist Mystique was his mother, who had to abandon him because he couldn't change his shape and blend in with her. This also makes him Rogue's adoptive half-brother. Nightcrawler is generally considered to be one of the X-Men's Ensemble Dark Horses and manages to consistently rank among the most popular X-Men. He's also one of the luckiest with women, as his unusual appearance and approachable personality tends to draw women to him really easily. Especially the tail and the fuzzy. Chicks dig the fuzzy.

Nightcrawler's unique design was a carryover from an earlier Dave Cockrum pitch◊ to DC for new members of the Legion of Super-Heroes. In that pitch, Nightcrawler would have been an alien from a race who inspired Earth's images of demons and something between a Token Evil Teammate and a Nominal Hero, with an animalistic attitude and a taste for Black Comedy; instead, under Chris Claremont he became one of the Marvel Universe's classic examples of Dark Is Not Evil.

See Marvel Comics: Nightcrawler

Wolverine

James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine

Notable Aliases: Logan, Jeremiah Logan, Patch, Weapon X, Death, Mutate #9601, Emilio Garra, Weapon Chi, Experiment X, Agent 10, Peter Richards, Mai' keth, Black Dragon, Captain Canada, Captain Terror, John Logan, Jim Logan

Nationality: Canadian, Krakoan, (possible dual citizenship in Japan and/or Madripoor)

Species: Human mutant

First Appearance: Cameo appearance: The Incredible Hulk #180 (October, 1974); Full appearance: The Incredible Hulk #181 (November, 1974)

A long-lived mutant with the rage of a beast and the soul of a Samurai, James "Logan" Howlett's once mysterious past is filled with blood, war, and betrayal. Possessing an accelerated healing factor, keenly enhanced senses, and bone claws in each hand (along with his skeleton) that are coated in adamantium; Wolverine is, without question, the ultimate weapon.

See Marvel Comics: Logan

Banshee

Sean Cassidy / Banshee

Notable Aliases: Irish, Agent #215-66, Death

Nationality: Irish, Krakoan

Species: Human mutant

First Appearance: X-Men #28 (January, 1967)

A detective and heir to a castle and fortune in County Mayo, Sean Cassidy was a former Interpol inspector with flight and sound manipulation abilities. After his wife died in a terrorist bombing, he blamed his cousin, causing him to run off with his daughter and driving a rift between the two. He was mind-controlled by an alien terrorist group but freed by the X-Men. Later, he joins the X-Men when the original five are kidnapped. Being about 10-15 years older than the rest of the recruits, he was only active for a short amount of time but still hung around as a reserve and as a mentor, who applied his experience in espionage and anti-terrorism to the younger members of the group. Deceased in 2005, he was briefly resurrected in 2013 and became a Horseman of Apocalypse. In 2019 he seems to be entirely restored, whereas he was a weird zombie previously before being outright killed again in Uncanny X-Men (2018).

10-Minute Retirement: He's forced into one after Mystique slashes his throat and messes up his powers for a while. He was about to recover and get back into things, but his death disrupted that. Once he's revived by the Five, he's back in action for good.
Berserk Button: Don't hurt Moira. As Guardian found out, even if it's an accident, Banshee will try to kill you.
Big Brother Mentor: Plays this role to a lot of younger X-Men, largely due to being among the oldest.
Bound and Gagged: A few times, due to his vocal abilities.
Broken Pedestal: Learning not only that Moira was Faking the Dead but also how she had been lying to him all the while he knew her, as well as what she's really like, hurts Banshee badly.
Butt-Monkey: Between his death, his Apocalypse-caused first resurrection, and learning the truth about Moira, Banshee has gone through a lot in the past while. Deconstructed, as pretty much nothing that happens to him is funny or deserved.
Cain and Abel: With Black Tom Cassidy, his cousin (or brother, in some continuities).
Captain Ethnic: Wears green, ginger hair, 'faith 'n begorrah'.
Cool Old Guy: Being a middle-aged former secret agent when he joined the X-Men, he was older and more experienced than the rest (save Wolverine, but nobody knew that at the time). He took to mentoring Cyclops and the new recruits, being a better influence on them than the Professor. Due to the sliding timescale and the Professor being Older Than They Look, he might actually be older than Xavier at times.
Demonic Possession: Thanks to Mother Righteous, is currently the host of a 'Spirit of Variance', turning him into the Ghost Rider-esque Vox Ignis
De-power: Went a long time without his powers after saving Japan from an earthquake machine, and again after Mystique slashed his throat in the early '00s.
Depending on the Artist: Even in comparison to other X-Men of his generation. He went from ugly in the Sixties to handsome in the '70s, his hair inexplicably changed color in the '80s (he was blond for nearly a decade before becoming a stereotypical redhead) and he started looking younger and burlier in Generation X in the '90s.
Disappeared Dad: For his daughter, Theresa Cassidy, though in all fairness to Sean, he didn't know she was alive, or that his wife had even been pregnant in the first place, and his cousin made sure he remained unaware.
Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe: Sean smokes a pipe when he's relaxing. He gives it up by the time he becomes a teacher after one too many coughing fits interfere with the use of his powers.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: Or rather, a 747. He came back but took a surprisingly long time for an X-Man.
Drowning My Sorrows: He took Moira's death poorly and struggled with alcoholism for a decent while afterward.
Fiery Redhead: Subverted. He's got the red hair, but personality-wise he's one of the more laidback X-Men.
Gender-Blender Name: "Banshee" (bean sí in Irish) literally means "fairy woman", so a male banshee is a contradiction in terms. The male equivalent of "banshee" would be "farshee".
Glass-Shattering Sound: Banshee has used this a few times.
Handicapped Badass: Sean for a time in the early '90s courtesy of a broken jaw preventing him from using his powers.
Heroic Sacrifice: A failed one, but the thought counts; he dies because rather than just fly to safety when he sees a hijacked Blackbird flying at the commercial plane he's on, he throws himself between the two planes and tries to destroy the Blackbird to save his plane. It doesn't work, sadly, as his powers are still weakened from having his throat slashed by Mystique.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Forge. They're practically brothers.
Hidden Depths: Has a deep appreciation of American Country and Western music, and is a devout Christian.
I Believe I Can Fly: Attempted to explain as him riding on soundwaves. No, just... no.
- It comes with a funny moment in X-Men: The Animated Series when he gives Wolverine a ride, Wolverine covering his ears for the whole journey.
  Wolverine: Next time, why don't we try sneaking in with a marching band?
  Banshee: If you think that's bad, you should hear me sing...
I Choose to Stay: After the Proteus saga, Sean stayed behind on Muir Island while the rest of the X-Men went back to America, partly because without his powers Sean wasn't much use to the team, and also because of Moira.
Logical Weakness: His sonic voice powers can be defeated by gagging him or damaging his throat for obvious reasons, a fact that Mystique exploits to put him out of action for a while by slicing his throat.
Love at First Sight: Fittingly, when he first saw Moira, he was rendered speechless.
Make Some Noise: Banshee can manipulate sound in several ways. In addition to the standard sonic scream, he can also "tighten" sound around him to create a barrier, use sonar, and change the tones of his voice to make it more persuasive and subtly influence people.
Nice Guy: Generally one of the most laidback and affable members of the All-New, All-Different team.
No-Sell: As with Cyclops and Havok, Sean and Tom's powers don't affect the other, so their fights usually revolve around them fighting the old-fashioned way.
Not Quite Flight: Banshee can fly by screaming really loud — no clue given as to how this is supposed to work, as he's clearly not shouting at the ground when he does this. Or, you know, moving backward. It's explained as him projecting soundwaves off of the ground, except, you know, sound waves don't work that way. Sometimes he seems to be able to speak while doing this because Talking Is a Free Action. Presumably, it's just because banshees are supposed to fly as well as scream.
- According to the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, he has minor Psychic Powers to redirect the kinetic energy of his screaming so that it propels him through the air. Okay.
Officer O'Hara: Before becoming a superhero, he was an NYPD cop.
Oireland: There's stereotypically Irish, and then there's literally owning a castle full of leprechauns.
Older and Wiser: Than the rest of the All-New X-Men, save Logan.
Out of Focus: Of the mainline X-Men, he spent the first chunk of the Krakoa era mostly on the sidelines. He's been edging his way back into the spotlight slowly and eventually joins the roster of Marauders.
Progressively Prettier: In his first few appearances, he was uncomfortably close to the 19th century "Irish Neanderthal" stereotype. When he joined the X-Men, he was intentionally redesigned to appear more handsome.
Religious Bruiser: A devout Christian on top of a superhero, prone to swearing by Saints.
Retired Badass: Quit active heroics to teach the younger students.
Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: When he noticed Moira was suddenly Not Herself, a sign of the Shadow King's encroaching hold on her and all of Muir Island, Sean, and Forge made the decision to GTFO quick-like since they were immune to his control.
Super-Scream: He can emit a sonic scream that has a variety of effects, including letting him fly, somehow. Oh, and he can talk while using it.
Throw the Dog a Bone: After his death, having his peaceful afterlife disrupted by being revived as a Horseman, and struggling with a cursed half-life for a while after, he's revived properly and cured by the Five and gets to reunite with his beloved daughter. He still deals with some serious problems afterward, like Moira's Face–Heel Turn, but his life is definitely looking up and he's back to his old joyful self, especially since Krakoa means death isn't much of a worry anymore.
What You Are in the Dark: When he realizes that a hijacked Blackbird is about to collide with his plane mid-air, Banshee is left with two choices; abandon the plane and fly to safety but leave the other passengers to die, or get between the two planes and try to destroy the Blackbird. He chooses the latter without hesitation. It costs him his life.
Worf Had the Flu: One of the reasons given for his death was that his throat had been slashed by Mystique some years before, and he wasn't entirely up to his full strength at the time.

Storm

Ororo Munroe / Storm

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e38c2b19ae0184570953f3400f4dc544.jpg

Notable Aliases: Blue, Ororo Iqadi T'Challa (former married name), Queen Ororo of Wakanda, Ororo Komo Wakandas (Former Wakandan title), 'Ro, Beautiful Windrider, Mutate #020, White King, Weather Witch (also as S.W.O.R.D. code name), La Reine Storm (French title), Windrider, Goddess, Mistress of the Elements, Princess of N'Dare, Hadari Yao/Hadari-Yao ("Walker of Clouds" in ancient Alkamite), High Priestess, "Sister Voodoo", Emma Frost (mind swapped), Horseman of Life, Sista Storm

Nationality: American, Kenyan, Krakoan, formerly Wakandan

Species: Human mutant who ascended to godhood

First Appearance: ''Giant-Size'' X-Men #1 (May, 1975)

Gifted with the power to control the elemental forces and energies that govern the weather, ranging from the nervous system and elements present within living beings to planetary atmospheres and the depths of space, Ororo Munroe — also known as Storm or the Hadari Yao — is an Omega-level mutant and Wakandan goddess, solidifying her place as one of the strongest members of the X-men and one of the most powerful beings on Earth.

See Marvel Comics: Storm

Sunfire

Shiro Yoshida / Sunfire

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/afc3d159_5409_4787_8c3c_547d70d8e404.png

Notable Aliases: Famine, Taiyo Kaji, Japan's Ichiban (number one) Son

Nationality: Japanese, American, Krakoan

Species: Human mutant

First Appearance: X-Men #64 (January, 1970)

Sunfire got his powers from his mother being poisoned by the radiation from the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. He vowed to use his radiation powers to fight a one-man war of revenge on the U.S., with the help of his Manipulative Bastard uncle Tomo. After his uncle revealed his true colors by murdering Sunfire's father, he surrendered himself to authorities. He was invited to join the new version of the X-Men, but only agreed to be on reserve status, because his temper and radiation powers combined means he doesn't play well with others.

All Asians Know Martial Arts: His Evil Uncle Tomo made sure he got a good training in martial arts. He is competent enough to fight back against several opponents without using his flame powers, which Rogue found impressive.
An Arm and a Leg: He lost both his legs to Lady Deathstrike. Apocalypse was kind enough to replace them when he made him a Horseman.
Anti-Hero: Shiro is rude, belligerent, more than a little racist... but at his core, he's a good man who loves his country, will do anything to defend it, and always ends up doing the right thing at the end of the day despite himself.
The Atoner: Started drinking out of regret for his time as a Horseman of Apocalypse and was talked into becoming an Avenger by Wolverine so he could find a redemption.
Big, Screwed-Up Family: It's rarely pointed out in his appearances (due to him being a relatively secondary character), but his family is really messed up:
- First, there's his Evil Uncle Tomo, who forced him into hating the U.S.A. and killed his father.
- Then there is his other Evil Uncle Shingen, a crime boss who was really abusive towards his daughter Mariko. He was killed by Wolverine.
- Mariko herself became a crime boss despite being one of the nicer people in her family. She was killed by another crime boss, but eventually she got better and became the anti-heroic Scarlet Samurai. Mariko and Wolverine also had a foster daughter Amiko.
- Then there is his paternal half-sister Leyu, who had exactly same powers... and outfit... and she called herself Sunpyre. She was killed by Mystique a year after being introduced.
- Then there is his supervillain cousin Silver Samurai, whom he tried to help to become a hero, but failed, which resulted in a conflict between cousins. After Samurai was killed, his son Shin took up his name and became a super villain himself. Sunfire once fought him with Wolverine.
- He also had a cousin Yoshi, who died because of drug addiction.
Brainwashed and Crazy: Apocalypse brainwashed Shiro to make him a Horseman of Famine. Emma Frost freed him from Apocalypse's influence, but he then joined Mr. Sinister's Marauders for a short time.
But Now I Must Go: Spends a year as an elected X-Man before deciding to move to Arakko.
Captain Ethnic: He's from the Land of the Rising Sun, his codename is Sunfire, his costume in designed after the Japanese flag, and his powers are basically solar radiation.
Captain Patriotic: When he's not working as an X-Man, he's busy being the beloved national hero of Japan, and has grown into basically the Japanese equivalent of Captain America. Whenever Marvel goes to Japan, he's pretty much always portrayed as the de facto leader of that nation's heroes.
Changed My Mind, Kid: In Giant-Sized X-Men, he agrees to join Charles's new X-Men team, but the minute he hears about what's happened, he loudly and angrily storms out... only to catch up with the team on the way to Krakoa, still grumbling and complaining the whole way.
Character Development: With every appearance, he's a little more heroic. He's still kind of an asshole a lot of the time, but his Hidden Heart of Gold is a lot more prone to shining through as he's becomes a much better team player and grows out of his xenophobia.
Clashing Cousins: His cousin is the criminal Silver Samurai. He tried to help him to reform but was eventually betrayed by him.
Combo Platter Powers: He is able to fly, controls fire and has some radioactive powers. In his short time as Famine, he could also make enemies suffer from hunger.
Crimefighting with Cash: Comes from a very wealthy Yashida clan, which has political ties.
Death Is Cheap: Killed by a Knull-possessed Cable during the events of King in Black, because his fire powers make him a Man of Kryptonite to the symbiotes. Given that this happens during the Krakoan Age, it's no big deal and he's quickly given a res by the Five.
Distaff Counterpart: His paternal half-sister Sunpyre, who just happens to have exactly same power set and costume.
Evil Uncle: Not one, but two. The first one is Tomo, who made him attack the U.S.A. and later killed his father. The second is Shingen, who is a crime boss.
Face–Heel Turn: After House of M, he became a horseman of Apocalypse (not willingly), but after he broke off the brainwashing, he willingly served Sinister for a time, mostly out of trauma. Even then, he's a Minion with an F in Evil at best, and quickly gets back on the right side of the law.
Fire-Forged Friends: With all of the X-Men, but especially Rogue. Shiro may be an ass, but after every he's been through with the team, he's an X-Man through and through.
Flight: His powers include the ability to fly (he even flew in space couple of times).
Freudian Excuse: Pretty much all of his major personality flaws are the result of being raised by a cruel, bigoted, and emotionally abusive uncle who mostly saw Shiro more as a weapon to be pointed at his enemies than family.
The Friend Nobody Likes: For the X-Men as a whole. Even after he grows out of it thanks to Character Development and simple proximity, he's still got an edge to his personality that makes it difficult for heroes not used to him to like him.
Good is Not Nice: Although he’s one of the good guys (well, most of the time), he’s not the nicest guy around and can be outright mean occasionally. Even post-Character Development, he's not the sort to mince words.
Hand Blast: Shoots plasma beams.
Handicapped Badass: He has to use cybernetic prosthetic legs for a while after Lady Deathstrike cuts off his real ones. He gets his original legs back when the Five revive him.
Heel–Face Revolving Door: At first Shiro was shortly presented as antagonist, then became an X-Man (for about ten minutes) and Japan's beloved hero, which is how he's stayed for most of his career, aside from a brief period where he got brainwashed by Apocalypse and then joined Mr. Sinister's Marauders before quickly getting back on the side of good as an Avenger and X-Man.
Heroic Sacrifice: Attempted twice in Uncanny Avengers. Not only did Shiro survive both attempts, but he also actually got a power-up after the second one.
A Hero to His Hometown: Even pre-Character Development, he's beloved in Japan as the country's top hero.
Hidden Heart of Gold: Beneath all the bluster and arrogance is a noble man who just wants to do the right thing and does genuinely care for his friends.
Hot-Blooded: Shiro is extremely hot-tempered (no pun intended). He is usually the one who starts a fight without conversation, and is initially not a good team player exactly for this reason. Various bad experiences often brought about by his own impulsiveness force him to chill out a lot as he gets Older and Wiser.
Immune to Bullets: Once melted the bullets after some gangsters tried to shoot him down. Averted when Wild Child injures him with bullets.
Ineffectual Loner: Due to his arrogance and love of working alone, he was never a really good team player. As time goes on, however, he has to seek the help of other heroes more and more when forced to see that he can't handle everything by himself, and has become better at working with others over time as a result. His team-ups include Iron Man, Sub-Mariner and, of course, the X-Men (particularly Rogue and Wolverine).
Japanese Politeness: Completely averted. He's anything but polite.
Jerkass: Like Quicksilver, he's sometimes a good guy, sometimes a bad guy, often straddles the two lines and jumps between them even more often at times. The one thing that you can count on is for him to be unbelievably rude, obstinate, and just plain obnoxious; regardless of the side that he takes, he's invariably going to be that one guy that no one on the team likes.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: It's in there. Just don't expect him to show it. Or admit it. Case in point, when readers meet Mariko for the first time, she tells Wolverine that her cousin had often spoken about the X-Men with respect. All we'd seen of Shiro was him blustering and insulting them the whole time, before storming out.
Leeroy Jenkins: He's usually the first to get into battle, which gets him into trouble fairly often. It costs him his legs in the confrontation with Lady Deathstrike.
My God, What Have I Done?:
- After he finds out what his uncle did...
- Shiro genuinely felt guilt about his time as a Horseman of Apocalypse and Sinister's servant. He overcomes it in part thanks to joining the Avengers expressly to find redemption.
Near-Death Experience: One of his biggest moments of progress in terms of Character Development comes after he has one after being shot by Wild Child, prompting a major shift in his worldview and making him more willing than ever to embrace being an X-Man.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: When abducted by Apocalypse, Shiro chose to crawl through his base and try to rescue Gazer, another mutant Apocalypse had abducted. Unfortunately, by the time Shiro got their Gazer's brainwashing had already sunk in, and Shiro was subsequently brainwashed himself for his troubles.
Nuclear Mutant: While the original explanation for mutantkind was nuclear power anyway, Shiro is one of the few with a confirmed connection to it — his original origin was that his mom was at Hiroshima (Comic-Book Time means this obviously doesn't work anymore).
One-Hit Kill: Well, not a kill (however it would be, had it been someone else opposing him), but the way he managed to beat Sabretooth with one punch is really impressive.
Patriotic Fervor: Japan's national hero and very proud of his country.
Person of Mass Destruction: His nuclear powers and Alpha-level mutant status make him this. After his power boost in Uncanny Avengers he was the one to destroy a spaceship with the highly powerful Apocalypse Twins on the board and his Age of Apocalypse counterpart was capable of destroying a city and injuring Apocalypse no less.
Playing with Fire: His solar-powered energy blasts are extremely hot.
Politically Incorrect Hero: He starts out as being incredibly racist and a sexist on top of that. He grows out of it over time.
The Power of the Sun: Well, what do you expect from someone who goes by Sunfire?
Took a Level in Badass: First after becoming Famine, second after getting power boost during his battle with Kang and the Apocalypse Twins.
Took a Level in Kindness: While still kind of a Jerkass, Shiro becomes much more level-headed than in his early appearances over time. For example, during his first encounters with other X-Men he constantly insulted his allies and was known more as a loner. Nowadays he's less rude and cares a lot about his teammates, even if he's not nice about it. He even sincerely apologized to X-Factor after he was brainwashed into attacking them and befriended them after, something he would never have done in the '70s. He also has developed good relationships with other mutants, including Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit and Polaris.
We Used to Be Friends: Didn't want to believe Rogue that his cousin Silver Samurai betrayed him and tried to reason with him, before Samurai attacked them.
Would Hit a Girl: Punched Rogue on at least on two occasions, much to his later shame after they became friends.
Wreathed in Flames: His appearance from Decimation onward had Shiro looking like his Age of Apocalypse counterpart, though with the slight difference of still having his skin.

Colossus

Piotr Nikolaievitch "Peter" Rasputin / Colossus

^{Click here to see him as The Juggernaut}

Notable Aliases: Chrome Dome, The Destroyer of Worlds, Juggernaut, The Killer of Worlds, Little Brother, Pete, Peter Nicholas, Petey, Phoenix, The Proletarian, Russkie, Rasputin, War

Nationality: Russian, Soviet, Krakoan

Species: Human mutant

First Appearance: ''Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 (May, 1975)

Joined In: Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May, 1975)

A Russian mutant with the ability to transform the entirety of his body into organic, indestructible metal, Colossus was introduced as one of the "all-new, all-different X-Men" who followed in the footsteps of the original roster — alongside Storm, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine — who would also become stalwart mainstays of the team.

Despite his imposing appearance and immense strength, cultivated from years growing up on a Soviet collective farm, Piotr is characterized by his kind soul and love for painting. He may be a physical threat and reliable tank for the X-Men in battle, but violence is frequently his last resort in any given situation — which sometimes works against him.

He's also notable for his extensive relationships among the X-Men. His younger sister, Illyana Rasputin, became the demonic sorceress Magik, while his longtime (on-off) love interest is fan favorite — and eventual leader of the X-Men — Kitty Pryde. And that's not even mentioning his friendship with Wolverine, with whom he'd become the Trope Maker and Trope Namer for the so-called Fastball Special. He has a spanning network of relationships among the X-Men's rogues as well, having followed Magneto for a time as one of his Acolytes and having a supervillain older brother, Mikhail Rasputin.

As a longtime X-Man, Colossus has appeared frequently in other media. Most notably, he's appeared throughout the X-Men Film Series since its inception — primarily portrayed by Daniel Cudmore in the original trilogy, while Andre Tricoteux & Stefan Kapičić share the role ^note in 2016's Deadpool and its sequels, Deadpool 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine.

Colossus has also appeared in just about every cartoon series featuring the X-Men, voiced by a variety of well-known voice actors like Nolan North and Tom Kenny, as well as (non-speaking) appearances in Marvel Anime: X-Men.

Also, he's canonically related to Rasputin the Mad Monk.

Affectionate Nickname: Colossus often calls Katherine "Kitty" Pryde "Katya". When he broke off their teen romance after the Secret Wars, he made a point of calling her "Kitty". Later when they resumed their romance during Joss Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men, he resumed calling her "Katya". His sister, Illyana also calls Kitty "Katya"... make of that what you will.
- Colossus also calls his sister "Snowflake".
Amicable Exes: With Kate to a degree but even more so with Domino. He’s much more honest with Dom when he’s not Brainwashed and Crazy.
Arch-Enemy: Mikhail Rasputin, Mr. Sinister and Proteus are his three most recurring and dangerous foes.
The Atoner: Colossus is this after having spent time as the Juggernaut and as one of the Phoenix Five in Amazing X-Men. He's only technically welcome at the X-Mansion because he's a long term X-Man. Storm tells him flat out that between his lack of anger management skills and his poor decisions, he has proven himself untrustworthy.
As Long as It Sounds Foreign: A marginal example — "Piotr" is the Polish version of Peter. Due to being Russian, his name should be spelt "Pyotr".
Bash Brothers: Most long-runningly with Wolverine, though he has also been half of this with Deadpool and Exodus.
Battle Couple: With Kitty Pryde. Also, during his stint with X-Force, with Domino.
Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: In the mini-series Colossus: Bloodlines, it was revealed that Rasputin was an ally of Mr. Sinister, as well as an ancestor of Piotr "Colossus" Rasputin. Piotr is not proud of that fact.
Berserk Button: During the '70s, any insult toward Storm was likely to set him off. At one point, Wolverine (pre-character development) yelled at her when she took off on her own during a fight, and Colossus promptly picked him up and tossed him into the distance.
Beware the Nice Ones: He's a calm, gentle artist. But upset him seriously and you'll end up with his metal fist in your face. Or, in the case of Riptide, twisted in half.
Big Brother Instinct: To Illyana... initially. No wonder he is hurt after learning that she was Evil All Along in Avengers vs. X-Men. And yet, even after threatening to kill her if he saw her again, he still cares for his "Little Snowflake". Illyana still cares about him too, and both make amends not too long after.
- He was the youngest of the "All-New, All-Different" team, being 17 or 18 when recruited, but he was also the Big Guy and towered over the others in his metal form.
- Even outside his metal form, Piotr is taller than his older brother Mikhail, who is not a short person anyway.
Big Brother Worship: He deeply respects his own big brother Mikhail, even after the latter's turn to supervillainy, and never gives up on him even at his worst moments. This eventually pays off, as Mikhail was ultimately able to overcome his insanity and the mental manipulations of Mr. Sinister long enough to make a Heel–Face Turn and Heroic Sacrifice for his little brother's safe.
The Big Guy: He's physically huge (7'5" in his armored form), and his abilities to both ignore and dish out great amounts of damage makes him one of the most powerful X-Men. In the early days, he was usually the one to take on people like Juggernaut and Gladiator because he was the only X-Man who would even have a chance against them.
Big Little Brother: Despite being younger than Mikhail, he's the larger of the two.
Brainwashed and Crazy:
- Arcade once brainwashed him into believing he was the Proletarian, a Russian enforcer.
- Apocalypse also brainwashed him into becoming one of his horsemen at one point.
- He spends much of the Krakoan Age brainwashed by a the Chronicler, a Russian mutant who is under his brother’s orders. Under this thrall he murders his girlfriend, infiltrates the ruling Quiet Council, votes members of Orchis onto the Council and sabotages Krakoa by voting to reveal the events of the mutant-dominated Bad Future known as the Sinister timeline to the world.
Bruiser with a Soft Center: An archetypal example, as he is a comic book strongman whose greatest passion is painting.
Cain and Abel: Kinda sorta with Mikhail, depending on how Ax-Crazy the latter is that day.
Cain and Abel and Seth: Ironically enough, Illyana is the Cain in this trope, given that she predates Mikhail in terms of creation and has also played a more antagonistic/corrupting role to Piotr in recent years. As this trope and the Rasputins go, Piotr is the Abel, Illyana is the Cain and Mikhail is the latecomer Seth.
The Cape: After Captain America, he's among the best examples in the Marvel Universe. Ironically, the only time he's actually worn a cape was during his Face–Heel Turn stint with the Acolytes.
Captain Ethnic: Colossus is a very clear example. He can change into a "Man of Steel" (the literal meaning of "Stalin"), and as such he is a mutant from the USSR with an actual "Stalin" power, in addition to his Gratuitous Russian. His last name is even Rasputin (later revealed to actually be a direct descendant of the infamous RL Rasputin, who in the MU was actually an early mutant supervillain himself).
Chrome Champion: He can transform at will from a normal (though fairly large and muscular) flesh-and-blood human to what the comics refer to as "organic" osmium steel.
Chummy Commies: Introduced during the Cold War as a kindhearted Soviet immediately onboard with Professor X's suggestion that his powers be used for the good of "the whole world". A Gentle Giant, he was usually depicted as something of a patriot for the Soviet Union, though the sliding timeline means this has largely since moved on to just pride for simply Russian heritage.
Cold Iron: Demons can't stand contact with his steel form.
Common Knowledge: Colossus is the most Russian Russian to ever appear in a comic book, and therefore has a strong Russian accent, right? In fact, while he peppers his speech with the occasional Russian word or expression, Chris Claremont had people mistake him for an American based on how he spoke, on at least two occasions. Which makes sense if you think about it — he was taught English telepathically, by Professor X, and therefore presumably has the same accent as him.^noteSo…British? However, multiple voiced adaptations have given him a Russian accent (or at least a generically foreign one).
- This is actually a case of Depending on the Writer (or a Retcon); Uncanny X-Men 109 has James Hudson notice that Colossus has a Russian Accent.
Despair Event Horizon: During the late '80s to early '90s, he was put through a long Trauma Conga Line which culminated in him losing both of his siblings. Losing Illyana in particular was his Event Horizon, driving him to renounce Xavier's ways and join Magneto as one of his Acolytes.
Determinator: Another good reason not to piss him off.
Disposable Woman: Peter Rasputin broke up with Kitty Pryde because of Zsaji, a Disposable Woman he met during Secret Wars and fell hopelessly in love with despite not even speaking her language. After spending hours together, she ends up sacrificing her life to save the heroes from Doctor Doom's attack after he absorbed the Beyonder's power. Karma then came and kicked his ass in the form of the Juggernaut. Afterwards, Wolverine lectured him on not letting Kitty down gently.
Does Not Know His Own Strength: When Colossus is stuck in transformed form he gets angsty about people seeing him as a monster. He then proceeds to try and call his team from a phone booth but since he is frustrated, trying to dial the number causes his fingers to punch right through the phone.
The Dog Bites Back: In X-Force (2019) #46, when Colossus is finally freed from the Chronicler’s control, he is PISSED, and ultimately rips out his own brother's heart with his cold steel hands.
Dogged Nice Guy: Took this approach toward Kitty Pryde in X-Men: Gold: Persistence appears to have paid off; at the end of issue #20, she asked him to marry her... only to get cold feet and leave him at the altar in issue #30.
Dragon Rider: Colossus once pulled this off, in order to provide Cyclops and Wolverine with a flying rescue. How did he obtain a dragon? Well, he waited until it attacked him... but he's literally Made of Iron, so it's okay.
Escapist Character: Colossus is an unusual example in the superhero genre, as while many superheroes exist to serve as a power fantasy, Colossus's main purpose over the years has evolved into being a Romance fantasy. A Hunk with Chronic Hero Syndrome and Incorruptible Pure Pureness, Colossus could have stepped whole and breathing from the most wholesome books of the Romance Novel genre. Most of what he does and who he is is defined by his love relationships, another trademark of the romance novel love interest. The character ended up so much into this that was Reductio ad absurdum in Deadpool 2.
Extra-ore-dinary: He even provides the trope image.
Face–Heel Turn: Joined Magneto for a while after the aforementioned death of his little sister. His personality didn't change all that much, though, and between this and being Out of Focus his turn to the 'dark side' wasn't very well received. He went back to the X-Teams within a couple of years.
Fake American: In-universe. Piotr speaks English with a noticeable American accent, so when he passed through the Siege Perilous and ended up amnesiac in New York, he was assumed by everybody (including himself) to be a local.
Fake Defector: In retrospect he was one of these in his defection to the Acolytes, though he wasn't originally intended to be such (even though he betrayed his comrades almost from the get-go by allowing the X-Men to teleport onto Avalon unhindered).
Famous Ancestor: He is a direct descendant of the infamous Mad Monk, Grigori Rasputin. Piotr doesn't claim kinship with any pride.
Fantasy Metals: His armoured form is made of a metal called osmium, the densest element known to man. His power exchanges osmium from this other place with carbon atoms in his own cells to make a super-strong steel alloy.
Fastball Special: He and Wolverine cornered the market on this, their Combination Attack being both the Trope Maker and Trope Namer.
Faster Than They Look: It's been commented many times throughout the years that his metallic form is both much faster and more agile than people would think.
Fatal Flaw:
- His love for Illyana is not, strictly speaking, a negative, but if it comes down to his Snowflake or anyone else, Piotr will go for Illyana, regardless of anything else.
- As noted in Heroic Sacrifice Peter will always try to take the bullet for someone else. This gets him in trouble a few times.
First Kiss: Colossus and Kitty Pryde's first kiss was Kitty kissing him on the cheek at Christmas with a sneaky use of mistletoe◊. Kitty gave him the full lip lock later, but Colossus broke it off reminding Kitty of the age difference between them. It wasn't till Astonishing X-Men where Colossus and an older Kitty made out as two consenting adults.
Flat Character: With a liberal dose of Good Is Boring, as unlike his more multifaceted teammates Piotr has been given little characterization over the years beyond "Bruiser with a Soft Center and Incorruptible Pure Pureness". To be fair, this seems to be the way fans like him, as an attempt in the '90s to inject some Darker and Edgier angst into him was not well received and the idea has not been revisited, but if you ever wonder why he always seems to be in the background compared to the likes of fellow second-generation X-Men like Wolverine or Storm, well, this is why.
Fratricide: Colossus tearfully rips out Mikhail's heart in X-Force (2019) #46 to put an end to his horrors.
From Nobody to Nightmare: He went from a simple Russian farm boy to one of the strongest mutants alive.
Gentle Giant: Colossus is one of the strongest members of the X-Men, and his favourite activities include painting.
Good Hurts Evil: His Incorruptible Pure Pureness has been shown to be as harmful as his metal body when it comes to most demons and Legions of Hell.
Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Zig-zagged with Colossus and his sister Magik. Illyana is a teleporter and sorceress; while her older brother Piotr hits things really, really, really hard. Although she usually needs time to teleport and only has her full complement of sorcery when she's in Limbo, so she ends up relying on slicing things up with her soulsword. On the other hand, Colossus is also known for launching his own allies at enemies.
Heroic Build: He has a very muscular body.
Heroic Russian Émigré: Piotr Nikolaievich Rasputin aka Colossus was introduced as part of the new team in Uncanny X-Men's 1975 relaunch. He was only a farmboy in rural Russia until Xavier recruited him. He became one of the most recognizable mutant heroes, and is generally one of the kindest and most honorable people on the team.
- However, Colossus is something of a subversion, though. While he is heroic, and is a Russian emigre, he is shown to be a bit of a Soviet patriot initially, and a few Claremont/Byrne stories, including the first X-Men fight with Arcade, explore his unease with joining an American-based superteam.
Heroic Sacrifice: To stop the Legacy Virus, which had infected and eventually killed his sister, Piotr sacrificed himself so that no other mutants would fall victim to its curse. Don't worry, he got better.
- He has a tendency towards this in general. It's part of the reason Kitty breaks up with him once and for all.
Hidden Depths: He's the team tank and one of the strongest and toughest heroes of the Marvel Universe. He's also a capable painter, and one of the sweetest and most truly gentle people you'd ever want to meet.
Hopeless Suitor: In the '70s, he had a huge crush on Storm (and due to his innocent nature wasn't exactly good at hiding it). However, Storm didn't return the affection, and the idea eventually vanished, mostly because everyone had a crush on Storm under Chris Claremont's pen.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl:
- Many times over with Kitty Pryde, who is ever the Tiny Girl to his Huge Guy.
- Also the case with Kayla, the purple water-bender he lives with in the Savage Land in X-Force (2019).
Hunk: He's extremely muscular and good-looking.
Husky Russkie: He's Russian, and very big and muscular even when he's not transformed. However, unlike most examples, he's an art student and fairly intelligent. Also, aside from the spattering of Russian words that some writers (notably Chris Claremont) liked to spatter into his dialogue, Colossus speaks English with an American accent, thanks to being taught the language telepathically (this detail is easy to miss, which is why he speaks with a Russian accent in the cartoons).
Implacable Man: You piss him off and nothing will stop him. Riptide found this out the hard way. After the events of Fear Itself, he became the Juggernaut for a time.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: As mentioned above, Colossus is one of the nicest, gentlest, and most decent-hearted of all the X-Men. His "purity of spirit" has been shown to be harmful to the various incarnations of The Legions of Hell, whenever the X-Men have gone up against them — in a crossover with Doctor Strange, he was able to literally open the gates of Hell, he was so pure. Though this turned out to be the first hint something wasn't right about "Hell", as Strange noted that good-hearted as he is, only one guy was supposed to be able to do that. Though he has killed (most famously when he snapped Riptide's neck during Mutant Massacre), he has to be pushed very far to do it, and it usually involves righteous rage, which doesn't detract from his "purity" in any way.
Innocent Fanservice Girl: A rare male example. While Colossus is consistently portrayed as one of the most shy, naive and innocent character in the X-Men, his costumes are usually extremely skimpy and revealing.
In-Series Nickname: "Pete", "Petey", "little brother" (by Storm in earlier days).
Iron Woobie: Colossus is a very literal example. He's seen his brother "die", come back after many years, and exile himself from this realm. He's seen his sister die from the Legacy virus. He then sacrificed his own life to find a cure for said virus. An alien resurrected and imprisoned him, tortured him for two years, and shortly after he was freed, his girlfriend disappeared in space. She came back recently... only to discover that she was trapped in her intangible form, and unable to interact with the rest of the world, including Colossus. And he's still one of the noblest of the X-Men. Later, Colossus's sister also came back. She may or may not be a soulless abomination. Regardless, she acts more emotionless and detached than before, and endangered the entire world for her own vendetta. Colossus still stands by her. Much later, he took the mantle of the Juggernaut, which makes him even more mentally unstable.
The Juggernaut: Literally, after he gains the Power of Cytorrak. Like Cain Marko before him, he becomes a walking engine of destruction that cannot be stopped by physical force. At least, on a good day; Cytorrak eventually starts to weaken his powers because he's not destructive enough.
Knight Templar Big Brother: Colossus will go through hell and back for his siblings, especially toward his sister Magik, to the point where he allowed himself to be possessed by the demon Cytorrak and became the new Juggernaut to protect her, losing his humanity and the love of Kitty Pryde in the bargain.
- Subverted in Avengers vs. X-Men when Illyana reveals she had manipulated him into becoming the new Juggernaut to make him see that she wasn't his sweet little sister anymore but a monster he shouldn't care for. Right off the bat Colossus vows that he would kill Illyana if they ever met again, but later they make up.
Lightning Bruiser: Colossus, while a Mighty Glacier, originally has geared more towards Lightning Bruiser in more modern comics, especially when getting the Juggernaut's powers.
Love at First Sight: Colossus and Zsaji in Secret Wars (1984), despite the facts that a) they couldn't speak each other's languages and b) she died days after they met. A popular Fanon theory states that Zsaji was an empath who either intentionally or inadvertently manipulated Peter's emotions, especially since he went from pining over Kitty to doting over the alien healer so fast that the boy probably got whiplash. And apart from his subsequently breaking things off with Kitty (which was the sole purpose for Zsaji's existence), she was almost entirely forgotten within a year and is almost never mentioned.
Loving a Shadow: Colossus refused to see his sister Illyana as anything but his beloved little "snowflake" even after it was clear to everyone else that her time in Limbo and her transformation into a demon sorceress had changed her for the worse (it was even a factor in ruining his renewed romance with Kitty Pryde). Illyana got fed up with this and manipulated Colossus into temporarily becoming the new Juggernaut to teach him a lesson. In her own words, "there are no snowflakes in Hell." When Colossus realizes that she tricked him into becoming the servant of a God of Evil and let him suffer when she could have freed him at any time, he acknowledges that she's become a monster and vows to kill her the next time they meet.
Made of Iron: Can take a beating even in his un-armored form, but even tougher when steeled up.
Magic Pants: Almost literally; his classic uniform's pants completely disappear when he transforms, leaving only his boots, due to being made of unstable molecules. Why they do this, only the Professor knows...
Male Might, Female Finesse: Colossus, the Husky Russkie with metallic skin, is often paired with Kitty Pryde, an Intangible Woman who has trained in ninja skills. He's also paired with his sister Illyana, who's got a Cool Sword, magic and teleporting discs compared to his good old fashioned brute strength.
Man of Kryptonite: Serves this role whenever the supervillain Proteus is around, as metal is Proteus's Weaksauce Weakness, and Colossus is made of it. Because Proteus is a Reality Warper of Physical God proportions, Colossus was forced to Shoot the Dog and kill him, making him the one being Proteus is afraid of when he came back (because of course he came back).
Martial Pacifist: At heart, he's an artist. He doesn't like violence. But over the years he's become extremely good at it, and as probably the strongest and most durable X-Man, he tends to be first on the front lines.
May–December Romance: His and Kitty's relationship dates back to roughly when she was thirteen or fourteen^note and he was at least eighteen (but certainly not more than twenty). This caused him a lot of angst at the time. When a depressed Kitty wants to consummate their relationship before a battle, he refuses due to her age. Things like this disturbed then-Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter to no end, finally leading him to not only demand in no uncertain terms an end to the relationship arc, but to personally write a story arc in Secret Wars (1984) in which Colossus falls in love out of nowhere with alien healer Zsaji (for whom the Human Torch also had the hots — no pun intended) to force a "breakup" story in Uncanny X-Men. They finally consummated their relationship in Astonishing X-Men.
Wolverine: About damn time.
Middle Child Syndrome: Averted — Even though he is the middle child there is no evidence that Piotr was regarded with any less love or affection than his siblings, even with his older brother was a famous cosmonaut.
Mighty Glacier: Even though he's easily much, much stronger than he is heavy, this doesn't translate into any speed advantage. In one X-Men issue, he is summoned to Limbo by his sister and has to chase down Baba Yaga—he could barely run faster than a shriveled old hag. Not only is he a slow runner but he's pretty sluggish in a fist fight too; Thor lampshades this when he curbstomps Peter without taking any hits in an issue of Cable and X-Force. This is pretty much why Colossus sticks to going toe-to-toe with opposing heavy-weight big guys and leaves the quicker ones to Beast or Wolverine. This is a case of Depending on the Writer, as early editions of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe attributed Colossus with impressive levels of speed in human form, and claimed he reached peak Olympic athlete levels of speed when he turned into metal.
Mind Control: In X-Force (2019) #24, it’s revealed that Peter has been under the influence of the Chronicler, potentially for some time, just as he makes poor Colossus snap his lover’s neck. It doesn't end until issue 45.
Mistaken for Afterlife: In Astonishing X-Men Colossus emerges from his prison in the Benetech compound and takes out several guards before Kitty Pryde stops him. When Colossus recognizes Kitty's voice, he falls to his knees and sobs "Am I...God please...am I finally dead?"
- In a flashback scene in X-Men: Gold #28, Colossus recalled this moment and confirmed that he genuinely thought he was in Heaven since the first thing he saw after escaping was Kitty, the woman he still loved.
The Mole: He becomes an unwilling one on the Quiet Council, forced by the Chronicler's brainwashing to vote in ways that undermine Krakoa.
Monster Modesty: Colossus is normal looking but can turn himself into a Chrome Champion. Usually, he wears very little, showing off his metallic form. In his earlier appearances, Marvel editors felt that it was unacceptable to have a half-naked man, but it was fine if he was made of metal at the time. Because of this, Colossus was shown in full glory while in his metal form but when it came time to change back into a human, the bare parts of his costume were colored blue. This mandate didn't last long, though.
Mother Russia Makes You Strong: His origin story has him being raised on a Russian collective farm, and he was clearly a hard worker even before his mutation kicked in.
Mr. Fanservice: He's frequently noted in-universe to be very good looking, being tall, handsome and muscular. It helps that, in order to show off his armored form, his costumes tend to leave a fair amount of him uncovered. His good looks are best summarized in Astonishing X-Men when Emma Frost praises how attractive he was.
Observer: He's a good-looking boy, isn't he?
Emma Frost: If you like the tall, muscular, square-jawed, unbelievably gorgeous type... I suppose he's all right.
- When he was resurrected in Astonishing X-Men he spent the first 3 issues of his reappearance wearing nothing but a pair of tight red boxer shorts.
My Suit Is Also Super: Colossus' traditional costume had Magic Pants made of unstable molecules, exposing his thighs when he was in his metal form and allowing them to be decently covered while in human form. "Had" is the operative word. Ever since Colossus' return in Astonishing X-Men, whenever he's in his otherwise-just-like-day-one costume, he shows just as much leg in human form as in metal form.
Named After Somebody Famous: Len Wein came up with the name Peter Rasputin, based on two famous Russian figures: Peter the Great and Rasputin the Mad Monk. Ironically enough, decades later the latter would be retconned into an ancestor of Peter's family.
New Child Left Behind: During an arc in the Savage Land, Piotr (somewhat reluctantly) lost his virginity to a native. Some time later, during another mission there, he reconnects with her and her new son. It's implicit then that the son is his, but she decides not to tell him. Bloodlines definitively shows that he's his son, and in an alternate future he develops the same power set.
Nigh-Invulnerability: Colossus has the superhuman ability to convert the tissue of his entire body into an organic steel-like substance. In his armored form Colossus is invulnerable to most forms of bodily harm. His armor is capable of withstanding ballistic penetration, including that of a 155 millimeter Howitzer shell. He can survive extremes of temperature from 70 degrees above absolute zero (-390 degrees Fahrenheit) to approximately 9000 degrees Fahrenheit. He can survive a collision with a loaded, ten-ton flatbed truck at 100 miles per hour or an explosion of 4500 pounds of TNT. He can also survive falls from great heights while in his armored body. He can now go toe-to-toe with any incarnation of the Hulk (barring the tragedy-enhanced "Green Scar" incarnation from World War Hulk). It should be noted, though, that his nigh invulnerability is only in effect when he's in metal form. If an enemy manages to catch him off-guard in human form, he can be taken down just as easily as any normal human. Well, as easily as any normal human who happens to be about seven feet tall, built like a bear and an extremely experienced hand to hand combatant.
Not Brainwashed: All the X-Men thought Piotr had been brainwashed when he made the decision to join Magneto's Acolytes, but no, he was just burned out and at the bottom spiral of a Despair Event Horizon.
Oh, My Gods!: During the early Claremont days, had a tendency to exclaim "By the White Wolf!" or "Lenin's Beard!" when startled.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Invoked in his focus issue of Immortal X-Men. By this time he has come to be almost completely under the control of the Chronicler, a mutant who can make anything he writes come true. And he’d been writing Poitr’s actions for a while with increasing control, which had only been worsened by Piotr being voted into the Quite Council, Krakoa’s deciding government. Under the Chroniclers control Poitr started making decisions against Krakoa’s favor including colluding with Shaw, voting Selene onto the Quiet Council and voting to reveal the events of Sins of Sinister to humanity. Beneath all of this however was a small piece of Poitr fighting back at the Chronicler’s writing. This Colossus wanted his close friends to pick up on how O.O.C this was with his inner dialogue begging them to figure out that something is wrong. Unfortunate for him, Kate and Storm, while shocked at his behavior express disappointment.
Only Sane Man: During his time as an Acolyte, as he and Only Sane Woman Amelia Voght were the only two members of their ranks who did not worship Magneto as a divine mutant messiah.
Personality Powers: Piotr has a very protective and self-sacrificing personality, and just so happened to manifest a mutant ability that more or less allows him to be the ultimate human shield. Even his Super-Strength, which more aggressive personalities would use for destructive purposes, is most often used by Colossus to help or support his teammates, the natural use of it for a person without a selfish bone in his body.
Prepare to Die: In Mutant Massacre, when Harpoon and Riptide attack his teammates, Colossus snaps Riptide's neck and shouts to Harpoon, "Make peace with your gods, little man! YOU. ARE. NEXT."
Rasputinian Death: The trope is referenced after Colossus (who was thought to be dead after his Heroic Sacrifice) came back in Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men;
Beast: Boy's named Rasputin. Should have known he wouldn't be easy to kill.
Retired Badass: Subverted as he genuinely tried to just be a farmer with his new girlfriend in the Savage Land once Krakoa became a nation. Tragically, his brother and Charles Xavier had other plans.
Russian Guy Suffers Most: None of the X-Men have it easy, but Colossus seems to get the shaft even more often than most. He lost multiple family members (one of which returned later as a demonic child that screwed over him multiple times in order to show him she was a "monster" now), lost multiple girlfriends (sometimes getting them back, only for them to break up with him) and also died and was brought back as a pawn for multiple alien overlords... It's a wonder the "Gentle" part stays with this Gentle Giant at all.
Same Surname Means Related: Colossus, real name Piotr Rasputin. Originally it was just a stereotypical Russian surname, but later it was revealed that the most well-known Rasputin was actually his ancestor.^note
Sealed Inside a Person-Shaped Can: Piotr after becoming the avatar of Cyttorak.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: While they are both very manly physically, in terms of their personalities he and Wolverine are this, with him being the Sensitive Guy to Wolverine's Manly Man.
Sex God: When he and Kitty finally consummate their relationship in Astonishing X-Men, it turns out he's such a phenomenal lover that he causes Kitty to subconsciously activate her Intangibility powers and phase through the floor of the mansion (to her embarrassement). When they have sex again in Breakworld, Kitty gushes to him afterwards about what a great lover he is.
Kitty: [collapsing on his chest post-sex] Whoof.
Piotr: Kitty I—
Kitty: Wait. Not done with "Whoof". You're more than I could have imagined. And I've imagined.
Shirtless Captives: When Colossus is Kidnapped by Lydia Nance and the advanced Sentinel Alpha from his bachelor party. He is taken to her base in the savage land, where he is placed in restraints and stripped of his shirt.
Shoulder Teammate: Colossus himself is known to give shoulder rides to Kitty, Lockheed, and Illyana his little sister.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Piotr Rasputin aka Colossus and Illyana Rasputin aka Magik. Piotr is a textbook Gentle Giant and soft spoken artist with has organic metal skin while Illyana is brash, outspoken and can teleport through dimensions. Piotr is also a pacifist whilst Illyana will readily kill with her Cool Sword.
So Proud of You: In Giant Sized X-Men #1, when [[Colossus Peter Rasputin]] left his family farm to join the X-Men, he told his parents, "I will make you proud of me." His father assured him, "We are proud of you."
Spock Speak: Frequently, but especially after his revival.
Stripperiffic: A very rare male version. His main costume is very revealing, consisting of his boots, armbands, a red speedo and leotard that's open at the sides revealing most of his upper body. This is probably the reason he's almost always in his metal form whenever he's wearing it.
Stronger Sibling: In terms of pure strength, he's easily the strongest of the three Rasputins, and he's also easily the most stable and moral among them. Not so much anymore in the Krakoan age.
Super-Strength: Initially stated to be in the impressive 70-ton range when he was in his teens, but this was bumped up a bit following the Mutant Massacre due to physical maturity and a side-effect of Magneto's treatment on him after getting injured by Riptide, so he's now in the godlike "Class 100" strength (able to lift more than 100 tons) these days.
Super-Toughness: Even when unarmored he's a big guy with some degree of this.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Colossus is very much tall, dark-haired and really handsome.
Technical Pacifist: Originally, he was one of these, but over the years, as his world has grown Darker and Edgier, Piotr has had to accept using lethal measures here and there, though he still prefers only to kill when absolutely necessary.
Thou Shalt Not Kill: Averted. Piotr is possibly the gentlest and kindest-hearted member of the team, but he will kill someone if necessary. He killed Moira's son Proteus in cold blood, simply because he was so dangerous, there was literally no other option. And when he realised the Marauder Riptide was enjoying killing helpless people, he broke his neck with just one hand. In fact, it's because Piotr is usually so kind-hearted that you know when he kills someone, things have gotten very, very serious.
Token Good Teammate: He served as this during his time as a member of Magneto's Acolytes, in contrast with the far more vicious or bloodthirsty members of the team.
Too Dumb to Live: A justified example during one of his first times facing Magneto. He turns into his metal form to fight... the guy who controls metal. This was very soon after the second generation's introduction, and the point is made several times that the new team, while powerful, lacks experience and cohesion, and isn't ready to handle Magneto (which is why they're even in a position to have that particular fight in the first place).
Trauma Conga Line: Starting from the '80s onwards, his sister was abducted by a demon, aged into young adulthood, then aged back down. His parents and everyone he knew on the farm he grew up on were murdered, and then Illyana caught the Legacy Virus and died.
Unwitting Pawn: Of Illyana.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Poitr was once a sweet gentle farm boy, but many a traumatic events and other decisions have hardened him and he has not recovered.
Villainous Legacy: Colossus: Bloodlines show that his last name isn't a coincidence — he really is descended from the Mad Monk himself. On his death bed Grigori, who was apparently a mutant, used his powers to imbue his essence into the unborn children of all the women he slept with in a kind of mutant breeding cult with Mister Sinister. This had the effect of corrupting everyone descended from him, as pieces of him drove them to madness and eventually suicide, redistributing his essence to the rest until the final survivor ended up with all of him thus resurrecting him completely.
Walk, Don't Swim: Colossus can do this, as his "organic steel" body doesn't need to breathe. As he walks away from a plane crash on one occasion, things get troublesome when the island the team is headed to disables all mutant powers...
Wearing a Flag on Your Head: Colossus always wears a red and yellow costume to represent his Soviet roots.
We Used to Be Friends: He and Exodus were comrades in the Acolytes and Piotr initially was convinced that Exodus had a "firmer grasp of Magneto's commandments" than the traitor Fabian Cortez. In a darker example, his relationship with his sister Illyana had gone this way but they eventually reconciled.
Will They or Won't They?: Piotr and Kitty in particular have had a strife-ridden relationship. The latest installment in the story of their relationship happens in X-Men Gold. After Piotr proposed to her and Kitty asked for time to think about it, Kitty proposed back in Gold #20. Unfortunately, in Gold #30, Kitty decides to back out at the last minute because of their history, to the point that her powers trigger when he tries to put the ring on and vanishes in front of all their friends. And then, in #31, she's surprised and upset when he tries to leave without saying good-bye.
The Worf Effect: Frequently in his earlier years, Colossus would be beaten away by the latest enemy of the week. It even got to the point that he started grumbling about it to himself.
Working with the Ex: In X-Men: Gold, Kitty has made it clear to Colossus that while she will always care about him she has moved on and is not interested in resuming their old romance. As of issue #11, Kitty and Peter appear to have reconciled. #20 ends with Kitty asking Piotr to marry her. Unfortunately, Kitty gets cold feet and calls the wedding off. Shortly after, Colossus decides to leave the team, stating that it will be too painful to keep working alongside Kitty.

Thunderbird I

John Proudstar / Thunderbird I

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/john_proudstar_earth_616_chaos_war_x_men_vol_1_2.png

^{Click here to see him post resurrection}

Nationality: American

Species: Human mutant

First Appearance: ''Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 (May, 1975)

An Apache Indian and Vietnam veteran with the mutant abilities of superspeed, strength, and invulnerability — and super-tracking which was basically a standard requirement for all Native American superheroes throughout the 20th century. He joined the X-Men solely for excitement and glory, despite resenting "the White Man". He died in vain and acted against orders — trying to keep a minor supervillain from getting away, causing a plane crash that he did not survive. His younger brother, James Proudstar (Warpath), would eventually become a member of the X-Men and X-Force.

Anti-Hero: The major factor leading to his character's death. Claremont wanted to kill off one of the characters early in his run (for the shock value, apparently), and Thunderbird was chosen because, as Claremont put it, "everything he had, Wolverine had too, plus claws".
Back from the Dead: After being dead for 46 years (not counting a very brief resurrection that did not last long) John is finally brought back life on Krakoa by the Five thanks to the improvements the Scarlet Witch made to the resurrection protocols in X-Men: The Trial of Magneto.
Big Brother Instinct: About the only person John cares about is his little brother. It's another reason he hates everyone on Krakoa, seeing them as having "used" Jimmy.
Does This Remind You of Anything?: The Classic X-Men reprint series included a new backup story in which the X-Men react to his death, and while the word "suicide" is never used, it's clear that they think it was exactly that. Storm and Nightcrawler remember times when he seemed obviously troubled and wish they had reached out to him, Banshee wonders "what demons drove [him] to such a mad decision", and Wolverine concludes that he "checked out" because of something that happened to him while he was a Marine.
Dramatic Irony: A flashback had Logan ruminating that John would likely last the longest of all the new X-Men.
Famed In-Story: After his death a legend was built up around him due to him being the first X-Men to die in the field. After his revival by the Five, John was extremely uncomfortable with finding himself remembered more for his death than anything he had done in life by thousands of mutants in a culture he had little connection to.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Seems to exist in a perpetual state of "pissed off".
Ineffectual Loner: Not to mention a total dick.
Irrational Hatred: He took an instant dislike to Cyclops (well, in fairness, he took a dislike to everyone). As the first issue of X-Men Red (2022) shows, he'll quite happily punch the crud out of anyone related to Scott as well. Including the categorically insane and violent Vulcan.
Jerkass: Like Sunfire, he can be rude as hell, completely unwilling to work with others, and just generally not a pleasant person.
Jerk Justifications: An issue of Classic X-Men suggested Thunderbird was initially genuinely interested in becoming an X-Man, and on his first night Iceman attacked him in a fit of childishness, bringing John back to square one.
Leeroy Jenkins: Basically, if he hadn't been an impetuous moron, he probably wouldn't have died. He was, however, and his decision to jump onto a moving jet to stop a villain from escaping wound up being the bit of blind idiocy that killed him.
Lightning Bruiser: Superhumanly strong and quite fast as well.
The Nicknamer: Tended to refer to Cyclops as "One-Eye".
Not So Invincible After All: Died on his second mission, having been previously thought of as effectively invulnerable.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: His sole driving motivation with the team was to prove the Apache were still a strong people.
Sacrificial Lion: Killed off in his third appearance. He eventually came Back from the Dead, but not for a very long time.
Senseless Sacrifice: The supervillain whose jet he was killed bringing down? Still around today, and way more powerful than he was back then.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: Classic X-Men revealed that he had lied about his age to join the Marines and returned home from war with some major issues as a result. It's strongly implied that his PTSD was a factor in the recklessness that got him killed.
Super-Strength: Not as strong as Colossus, but strong enough to stop a running bison.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork:
- He was questioning his decision to join the team up until his death.
- With Cable in X-Men: Red. The two may be working together, but John truly despises Nathan for what he sees as "manipulating" his little brother, and because he's related to Cyclops. Nathan still thinks he can win him over.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Lasted a grand total of three issues. Even flashback issues and retcons haven't been able to add much, since his time with the X-Men was so short. Eventually averted after his return, becoming star of a one-shot special and a supporting character in X-Men Red (2022).

Characters / X-Men: '70s Members
aka: Colossus

X-Men '70s Members

The All New All Different X-men