Jim Lemoine
Feb 10, 2003, 03:51 am
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/logos/dittol_logo.jpg" align=left width=115 height=100 border=0 alt="Did I Think That Out Loud?!? logo">By Jim Lemoine, darkkelf@earthlink.net
And now for something completely different, not at all sarcastic, and slightly less controversial:
The Strange Paradox of Peter Rasputin
The poster-boy for Marvel’s new “dead is dead” policy, Colossus has remained one of the most fascinating X-Men over the last twenty-odd years. A simple Russian farm boy with the power to convert his body to super-strong organic steel, Piotr Rasputin served as the team’s mainstay for literally hundreds of issues. When Wolverine, Storm, or Shadowcat left the team to pursue personal issues, it was Colossus who stayed behind to hold down the fort. When Morlock Massacre injuries forced many of the team members from active duty, Colossus was the first to return. When the team was fragmenting at the edges in the Australian Outback, it was Colossus who held the team together.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=98" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/52/gszxmen1.jpg" align=right alt="Giant-Size X-Men #1"></a>Most people don’t realize that when the second generation X-Men were introduced in 1975, the creative team’s original vision for the characters was often very different from what the characters became. For instance, Wolverine was originally meant to be a young, rebellious, James-Dean knockoff. Nightcrawler was meant to be a bitter and brooding demon. Banshee was meant to have an extremely short tenure with the X-Men (he was originally only slated to be a member for one issue!) as a crotchety old Irishman.
Colossus, on the other hand, was the early favorite. There’s a reason that Peter’s original costume was made up entirely of primary colors; it’s the same reason that you’ll see Colossus in the “primary” front-and-center slots on many of those early Uncanny X-Men covers. It’s because originally, the lead character of the X-Men wasn’t meant to be Wolverine, or Storm, or Cyclops… it was supposed to be Colossus. And when you think about it, it wasn’t a bad idea at all. After all, as the naïve young farmboy, Peter was the perfect window into the strange and uncanny world of the X-Men. You’d get the added bonus of political correctness as well, since virtually all Russian characters in the seventies were communist villains. With Colossus, Wein, Claremont, and Cockrum had a chance to explore the other side of the Soviet mindset.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=149" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/8/uxmen094.jpg" align=right alt="X-Men (1st series) #94"></a>Of course, when Claremont took over the series with X-Men #94, he slowly changed the characters and series direction to what we’re now familiar with. Peter faded to the background a bit as Wolverine, Cyclops, and Storm took center-stage. What little we saw of Colossus over the first few years mostly revolved around his surprise at American culture and an almost unhealthy fascination with his teammate Ororo Munroe.
However, it’s quite possible that Claremont did the character a great service when he sent Colossus to the relative background over his first hundred issues. While characters like Cyclops and Storm were coming to terms with themselves and their problems, the young Colossus (perhaps realistically) remained blissfully naïve and even immature. The very fact that he wasn’t perfect, that he often doubted himself, made Colossus much more engaging and interesting for a bevy of readers who knew what it was like not to be sure of your place in the world.
But that’s exactly what brings about the paradox of Colossus: on the one hand, Peter has always been known as the “rock” of the X-Men… the one who stands tall amidst the carnage, the one with the indomitable will, the last man standing. But on the other hand, the guy has a history of immaturity and even mental instability. Don’t get me wrong, I love this character. But even his biggest fan has to admit that he did a lot of things that didn’t really make sense. So which was he? The brave, invincible, determined warrior or just a weak-minded mutant?
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=182" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/8/uxmen127.jpg" align=right alt="X-Men (1st series) #127"></a>There’s a great multitude of evidence on both sides of the coin. One of Peter’s finest moments, in this writer’s opinion, was during his battle with Proteus. Proteus was probably the foe that first gave Colossus the image of being the “last man standing” for the X-Men. Literally all of the other X-Men were completely defeated, and Peter stood alone against the most powerful mutant that the team had ever faced. With his friends unconscious and wounded around him, it was Peter who stood bravely against this murderous mutant, and it was Peter who finally laid him low. Colossus had to kill Proteus to stop him, and you could see a bit of Peter’s innocence… maybe even a bit of Peter’s soul… escape from him that day. Good stuff.
But on the other hand, just a few issues earlier the X-Men had been kidnapped by Arcade and imprisoned within his diabolical Murderworld. While most of the team fought to escape, Colossus was easily brainwashed into believing that the X-Men were merely a capitalist plot against his motherland. Arcade manipulated Peter’s insecurities and patriotism, and was able to use them with surprising ease to turn Colossus against his former comrades.
Emotionally, it would seem at first that Colossus had a maturity far in advance of his young years. He was entrusted with the care of his young sister Illyana after one of the X-Men’s many adventures, but she was kidnapped by the demon lord Belasco and aged ten years in the span of ten seconds. While most older brothers would probably be uncomfortable with the situation and try to avoid her, Peter proved to be a rock of strength for his sister as she adjusted to her new life. Together with his girlfriend, Kitty, they helped Illyana accept her new life and enjoy it.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=3042" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/418/secwars03.jpg" align=right alt="Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #3"></a>But that image of Peter’s maturity was destroyed when he was spirited away to the Secret Wars. Colossus was gravely wounded in battle and was healed by a beautiful alien woman named Zsaji. He was completely smitten with her from that point, going so far as to stalk her thoughout her village and delay returning to his teammates (who were in desperate need of his power). Other heroes who had felt her healing touch, like the Human Torch, warned Colossus that the fascination with her was merely a side-effect of the healing power. Wolverine and Nightcrawler implored Peter to remember Kitty. But Peter listened to none of them and continued to enjoy his “love” for the alien woman, a love that very nearly resulted in Victor Von Doom retaining ultimate power. And when Colossus at last returned to the mansion and reunited with Kitty Pryde, he broke her heart. I winced as I read that issue.
Another of my favorite Colossus moments was during the demon infestation of New York City circa Uncanny X-Men #240, more popularly known as the Inferno. The storyline as a whole was a bit depressing for our heroes: Madeline Pryor had gone over to the dark side and brought Havok with her, all of the X-Men were corrupted by the demonic influence, and only a small handful of mutants remained unaffected. The one man who could not be corrupted, though… the sole X-Man the demons couldn’t touch… was Colossus. His love for his team, his care for his sister, and his belief that the demons were fundamentally evil: all of this was set in stone. While every one of his teammates was being manipulated into fighting X-Factor, Peter searched alone for the source of the malefic influence that had his city in a stranglehold. And alone, Colossus triumphed. Great scripting by Claremont and fantastic art by Marc Silvestri built up to a chills-run-down-your-spine moment.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=481" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen240.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #240"></a>But if he was so strong, how do you explain the fact that years later, Peter was the only X-Man to turn his back on Xavier’s teachings and join Magneto? How do you explain the fact that he stayed an Acolyte for years and even fought his former friends? Originally, the Professor believed that Colossus wasn’t thinking clearly due to a head wound he had received in battle with the X-Cutioner. With the help of Nightcrawler’s Excalibur, the Professor managed to kidnap Peter and heal the damage. However, it was with some surprise that the assembled mutants learned that Peter’s mind hadn’t changed; he was still set on joining Magneto.
And then, Colossus’s last great moment: he sacrificed his life to end the threat of the Legacy virus. To this day, his teammates wonder if that last act was noble or cowardly. The truth, like most truths, is somewhere in the middle. It was indeed noble and courageous that Colossus was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice so that no other innocents would die. It’s even more impressive when you consider Peter’s religious stance: he was an atheist and had no belief in life after death. So yes, of course, it was brave. But it was also cowardly. Colossus didn’t want to go on, dealing with the pain of his existence every day. He didn’t want to remember little Illyana or his dead parents. He didn’t want to continue fighting a neverending battle. He just wanted to rest.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=646" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen390.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #390"></a>Colossus was always very different from most of the other X-Men. Unlike most, he gave up a family. Unlike most, he gave up a life he loved. And unlike scrappers like Logan, swashbucklers like Kurt, and warriors like Ororo, Peter was never comfortable with his role as a fighter. It’s been painfully obvious throughout his tenures with the mutant teams that Peter’s heart just wasn’t in it. He could have been very happy living out his years in a relatively boring existence as an artist, or a painter, or probably even a farmer. Unfortunately for his own psyche, Peter realized the “power leads to responsibility” credo, and thus was doomed to never enjoy the life he truly desired.
So which was he? The man with the unyielding, indomitable will, or the immature man who couldn’t cope with this life? How do you resolve this paradox?
Like Peter, the answer is simple. Colossus didn’t have layers and layers to his soul, and there was little darkness embedded within it. Peter Rasputin was a man whose life was based on trust and love. There was no duplicity, no deviousness, no plotting. This very simplicity was what made it so hard for him when his family died. This absolute trust made it simple for Arcade to brainwash him. This basic love for all mankind was what kept him at Magneto’s side. It’s what made him trust in his feelings for Zsaji, even when all his friends told him that the love was false. But despite all the negatives, this simplicity is also what made him so strong.
The very lack of what we might call “adult maturity,” the very lack of duplicitous intentions within his soul, was what made Colossus completely invulnerable to the evil spells of the demons of the Inferno. It’s why he wouldn’t give up against Proteus, and why the choice between his life and countless innocent lives was one of the easiest ones he’d ever made.
Colossus was a true hero, in every sense of the word. He was not perfect; far from it, in fact. Instead, he persevered past his imperfections, and lived and died as one of the greatest heroes of the Marvel Universe.
Jim Lemoine (who's been getting very interesting e-mail lately) has worked as a disc jockey, a video game designer, and a leadership consultant. He's been reading comics for 18 years, and he's been thinking too much for a while before that.
And now for something completely different, not at all sarcastic, and slightly less controversial:
The Strange Paradox of Peter Rasputin
The poster-boy for Marvel’s new “dead is dead” policy, Colossus has remained one of the most fascinating X-Men over the last twenty-odd years. A simple Russian farm boy with the power to convert his body to super-strong organic steel, Piotr Rasputin served as the team’s mainstay for literally hundreds of issues. When Wolverine, Storm, or Shadowcat left the team to pursue personal issues, it was Colossus who stayed behind to hold down the fort. When Morlock Massacre injuries forced many of the team members from active duty, Colossus was the first to return. When the team was fragmenting at the edges in the Australian Outback, it was Colossus who held the team together.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=98" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/52/gszxmen1.jpg" align=right alt="Giant-Size X-Men #1"></a>Most people don’t realize that when the second generation X-Men were introduced in 1975, the creative team’s original vision for the characters was often very different from what the characters became. For instance, Wolverine was originally meant to be a young, rebellious, James-Dean knockoff. Nightcrawler was meant to be a bitter and brooding demon. Banshee was meant to have an extremely short tenure with the X-Men (he was originally only slated to be a member for one issue!) as a crotchety old Irishman.
Colossus, on the other hand, was the early favorite. There’s a reason that Peter’s original costume was made up entirely of primary colors; it’s the same reason that you’ll see Colossus in the “primary” front-and-center slots on many of those early Uncanny X-Men covers. It’s because originally, the lead character of the X-Men wasn’t meant to be Wolverine, or Storm, or Cyclops… it was supposed to be Colossus. And when you think about it, it wasn’t a bad idea at all. After all, as the naïve young farmboy, Peter was the perfect window into the strange and uncanny world of the X-Men. You’d get the added bonus of political correctness as well, since virtually all Russian characters in the seventies were communist villains. With Colossus, Wein, Claremont, and Cockrum had a chance to explore the other side of the Soviet mindset.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=149" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/8/uxmen094.jpg" align=right alt="X-Men (1st series) #94"></a>Of course, when Claremont took over the series with X-Men #94, he slowly changed the characters and series direction to what we’re now familiar with. Peter faded to the background a bit as Wolverine, Cyclops, and Storm took center-stage. What little we saw of Colossus over the first few years mostly revolved around his surprise at American culture and an almost unhealthy fascination with his teammate Ororo Munroe.
However, it’s quite possible that Claremont did the character a great service when he sent Colossus to the relative background over his first hundred issues. While characters like Cyclops and Storm were coming to terms with themselves and their problems, the young Colossus (perhaps realistically) remained blissfully naïve and even immature. The very fact that he wasn’t perfect, that he often doubted himself, made Colossus much more engaging and interesting for a bevy of readers who knew what it was like not to be sure of your place in the world.
But that’s exactly what brings about the paradox of Colossus: on the one hand, Peter has always been known as the “rock” of the X-Men… the one who stands tall amidst the carnage, the one with the indomitable will, the last man standing. But on the other hand, the guy has a history of immaturity and even mental instability. Don’t get me wrong, I love this character. But even his biggest fan has to admit that he did a lot of things that didn’t really make sense. So which was he? The brave, invincible, determined warrior or just a weak-minded mutant?
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=182" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/8/uxmen127.jpg" align=right alt="X-Men (1st series) #127"></a>There’s a great multitude of evidence on both sides of the coin. One of Peter’s finest moments, in this writer’s opinion, was during his battle with Proteus. Proteus was probably the foe that first gave Colossus the image of being the “last man standing” for the X-Men. Literally all of the other X-Men were completely defeated, and Peter stood alone against the most powerful mutant that the team had ever faced. With his friends unconscious and wounded around him, it was Peter who stood bravely against this murderous mutant, and it was Peter who finally laid him low. Colossus had to kill Proteus to stop him, and you could see a bit of Peter’s innocence… maybe even a bit of Peter’s soul… escape from him that day. Good stuff.
But on the other hand, just a few issues earlier the X-Men had been kidnapped by Arcade and imprisoned within his diabolical Murderworld. While most of the team fought to escape, Colossus was easily brainwashed into believing that the X-Men were merely a capitalist plot against his motherland. Arcade manipulated Peter’s insecurities and patriotism, and was able to use them with surprising ease to turn Colossus against his former comrades.
Emotionally, it would seem at first that Colossus had a maturity far in advance of his young years. He was entrusted with the care of his young sister Illyana after one of the X-Men’s many adventures, but she was kidnapped by the demon lord Belasco and aged ten years in the span of ten seconds. While most older brothers would probably be uncomfortable with the situation and try to avoid her, Peter proved to be a rock of strength for his sister as she adjusted to her new life. Together with his girlfriend, Kitty, they helped Illyana accept her new life and enjoy it.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=3042" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/418/secwars03.jpg" align=right alt="Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #3"></a>But that image of Peter’s maturity was destroyed when he was spirited away to the Secret Wars. Colossus was gravely wounded in battle and was healed by a beautiful alien woman named Zsaji. He was completely smitten with her from that point, going so far as to stalk her thoughout her village and delay returning to his teammates (who were in desperate need of his power). Other heroes who had felt her healing touch, like the Human Torch, warned Colossus that the fascination with her was merely a side-effect of the healing power. Wolverine and Nightcrawler implored Peter to remember Kitty. But Peter listened to none of them and continued to enjoy his “love” for the alien woman, a love that very nearly resulted in Victor Von Doom retaining ultimate power. And when Colossus at last returned to the mansion and reunited with Kitty Pryde, he broke her heart. I winced as I read that issue.
Another of my favorite Colossus moments was during the demon infestation of New York City circa Uncanny X-Men #240, more popularly known as the Inferno. The storyline as a whole was a bit depressing for our heroes: Madeline Pryor had gone over to the dark side and brought Havok with her, all of the X-Men were corrupted by the demonic influence, and only a small handful of mutants remained unaffected. The one man who could not be corrupted, though… the sole X-Man the demons couldn’t touch… was Colossus. His love for his team, his care for his sister, and his belief that the demons were fundamentally evil: all of this was set in stone. While every one of his teammates was being manipulated into fighting X-Factor, Peter searched alone for the source of the malefic influence that had his city in a stranglehold. And alone, Colossus triumphed. Great scripting by Claremont and fantastic art by Marc Silvestri built up to a chills-run-down-your-spine moment.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=481" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen240.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #240"></a>But if he was so strong, how do you explain the fact that years later, Peter was the only X-Man to turn his back on Xavier’s teachings and join Magneto? How do you explain the fact that he stayed an Acolyte for years and even fought his former friends? Originally, the Professor believed that Colossus wasn’t thinking clearly due to a head wound he had received in battle with the X-Cutioner. With the help of Nightcrawler’s Excalibur, the Professor managed to kidnap Peter and heal the damage. However, it was with some surprise that the assembled mutants learned that Peter’s mind hadn’t changed; he was still set on joining Magneto.
And then, Colossus’s last great moment: he sacrificed his life to end the threat of the Legacy virus. To this day, his teammates wonder if that last act was noble or cowardly. The truth, like most truths, is somewhere in the middle. It was indeed noble and courageous that Colossus was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice so that no other innocents would die. It’s even more impressive when you consider Peter’s religious stance: he was an atheist and had no belief in life after death. So yes, of course, it was brave. But it was also cowardly. Colossus didn’t want to go on, dealing with the pain of his existence every day. He didn’t want to remember little Illyana or his dead parents. He didn’t want to continue fighting a neverending battle. He just wanted to rest.
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=646" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/4images/data/thumbnails/188/uxmen390.jpg" align=right alt="Uncanny X-Men #390"></a>Colossus was always very different from most of the other X-Men. Unlike most, he gave up a family. Unlike most, he gave up a life he loved. And unlike scrappers like Logan, swashbucklers like Kurt, and warriors like Ororo, Peter was never comfortable with his role as a fighter. It’s been painfully obvious throughout his tenures with the mutant teams that Peter’s heart just wasn’t in it. He could have been very happy living out his years in a relatively boring existence as an artist, or a painter, or probably even a farmer. Unfortunately for his own psyche, Peter realized the “power leads to responsibility” credo, and thus was doomed to never enjoy the life he truly desired.
So which was he? The man with the unyielding, indomitable will, or the immature man who couldn’t cope with this life? How do you resolve this paradox?
Like Peter, the answer is simple. Colossus didn’t have layers and layers to his soul, and there was little darkness embedded within it. Peter Rasputin was a man whose life was based on trust and love. There was no duplicity, no deviousness, no plotting. This very simplicity was what made it so hard for him when his family died. This absolute trust made it simple for Arcade to brainwash him. This basic love for all mankind was what kept him at Magneto’s side. It’s what made him trust in his feelings for Zsaji, even when all his friends told him that the love was false. But despite all the negatives, this simplicity is also what made him so strong.
The very lack of what we might call “adult maturity,” the very lack of duplicitous intentions within his soul, was what made Colossus completely invulnerable to the evil spells of the demons of the Inferno. It’s why he wouldn’t give up against Proteus, and why the choice between his life and countless innocent lives was one of the easiest ones he’d ever made.
Colossus was a true hero, in every sense of the word. He was not perfect; far from it, in fact. Instead, he persevered past his imperfections, and lived and died as one of the greatest heroes of the Marvel Universe.
Jim Lemoine (who's been getting very interesting e-mail lately) has worked as a disc jockey, a video game designer, and a leadership consultant. He's been reading comics for 18 years, and he's been thinking too much for a while before that.