The second generation of the X-Men featured characters from numerous different backgrounds and nationalities. The new team included a Russian mutant, by the name of Piotr Rasputin, who took on the codename of Colossus. Colossus quickly became one of the most popular members of the X-Men, thanks to his mixture of naivete about the world outside of his homeland, coupled with the fact that he possessed one of the most visually impressive powers on the team.

The second generation of X-Men became one of the most popular iterations of the team and helped propel the Marvel mutants to stardom. It took a long time for Colossus to receive his due in the X-Men movie franchise. He was relegated to background roles and cameo appearances throughout the main series, despite his prominence in the comics.

It wasn't until Deadpool that Colossus finally found his place, as he represented the hero archetype of other comic book movies who wanted Deadpool to change his ways and be like him. This comedic take on Colossus helped to make him one of the most popular members of the X-Men. We are here today to look at the peculiarities concerning Colossus and his powers that have cropped up in the comics over the years. From the inconsistencies regarding his ability to intake nutrients, to the strange way in which he acquired his mutant powers.

Here are 20 Crazy Facts About Colossus’ Body!

Colossus Doesn't Need To Eat... Except When He Does

When Colossus changes into his metallic form, he no longer needs to perform certain biological functions. The fact that his body has transformed into metal means that he doesn't need to take in nutrients from outside sources, nor does he produce any waste. This allows Colossus to survive for extended periods of time in isolation. Though, he can only maintain this form so long as he consciously maintains it, which means that he reverts back to flesh when he is knocked unconscious.

Colossus doesn't need to eat food while in his metal form, which is due to the fact that his organs are replaced with steel.

This means that he actually lacks the capacity to digest food, as his stomach and intenstine also turn to metal when he transforms into his armored form.There has been at least one instance where Colossus' inability to eat food has been ignored and that was in the 2016 Deadpool movie. He is first introduced in the film sitting in the kitchen of Xavier's Academy, eating a bowl of cereal and watching the news. It's likely that this version of Colossus doesn't follow the same rules in terms of his powers as his comic book counterpart.

The Nature Of Organic Steel

Colossus X-Men

The details of how the powers of certain members of the X-Men work have changed over time, in order to make them line up with actual science. Cyclops is an example of this, as he used to be able to produce beams of force from his eyes. His powers were later changed so that his eyeballs acted as portals to a realm made up of energy that ignores the laws of physics. Colossus has also had the nature of his powers changed over the years. He originally possessed the ability to transform his flesh into organic metal. This has since been changed to Colossus forming a psionic link with another dimension that allows him to transfer his atoms into the interdimensional metallic compound that makes up his armored form.

When Colossus transforms into metal, he gains height and physical bulk. His armored form grants him super-strength on par with some of the most powerful heroes of Earth. Colossus' armored form also gives him incredible durability to the elements, as well as being able to resist most forms of damage. Adamantium is one of the few substances that can reliably harm Colossus' armored form and that is the strongest metal on Earth.

His Powers Are All Or Nothing

Colossus in his classic X-Men uniform

Colossus only has a single mutant ability, but it grants him access to other superpowers. In Colossus' case, his mutant power is the ability to transform his body into organic steel. It is due to this new form that Colossus gains access to greater strength, speed, and durability, though this is a byproduct of his metallic flesh. The way in which Colossus activates his powers is akin to flipping a switch, which means that it only has one function.

Colossus can only transform his whole body into metal and not individual portions.

This means that he cannot discreetly use his abilities, such as hiding them behind clothing. He also cannot maintain his form after he has been knocked unconscious, which means that it is possible to switch his powers off. Colossus has commonly been showing exhibiting an energy from his body when he transforms. This was taken to the next level in the X-Men arcade game, where he was able to destroy all of the enemies on the screen with a flash of his transformation energy. This energy is usually just a visual shorthand on behalf of the artists and animators that have drawn Colossus over the years.

The Zsaji Situation

Colossus developed an immediate attraction to Kitty Pryde when she joined the X-Men. The writers always presented this as natural and wholesome, even though Kitty Pryde was only thirteen at the time. The burgeoning relationship between Colossus and Kitty Pryde was put into jeopardy by the events of the Secret Wars crossover. The Beyonder sent a group of the heroes & villains to a place known as Battleworld, where they would fight each other. There was a beautiful alien woman on Battleworld, named Zsaji, who spoke an alien language that none of the characters recognized. A love triangle broke out between Colossus, the Human Torch, and Zsaji, which culminated in Zsaji sacrificing her life in order to bring Colossus back from the grave.

Zsaji's life was saved by Deadpool of all people. There was a series that retold the Secret Wars crossover with Deadpool as a participant. Zsaji was able to heal Wade's wounds using her powers, which meant that his skin returned to its original appearance. Deadpool would later use his wish from surviving the battle to bring Zsaji back to her life and he sent her back to live on her home planet once more.

The Rasputin Bloodline

Magik of the XMen

The second generation of X-Men was intended to be a more inclusive version of the team in terms of nationalities. The original X-Men were all white Americans, while the second generation was a mixed group, with the only American in the group being a Native American.It's not known if the inclusion of a Russian member of the X-Men was controversial when Colossus first debuted on the team, as the Cold War was still going on when Giant-Size X-Men #1 was first printed in 1975. It's possible that any Russians who read the issue might not have been so thrilled. The one Russian member of the X-Men team was named after Rasputin, who was one of the most hated figures in the country's history.

You may think that it's a coincidence that Colossus and his siblings have the same name as Rasputin.

Maybe that it is just a common surname in Russia? Or, maybe it became common at some point after World War II? No, Colossus and his siblings, Mikhail and Illyana, are descendants of Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, who befriended the final royal family of Russia. The fact that Rasputin had living descendants who possessed superpowers played into his plans to gain even more power and influence.

The Rasputin Plot

It turns out that Rasputin was an associate of Mr. Sinister, as the two had met during World War II. Sinister revealed the origins of Rasputin's mutant abilities to him and convinced him to impregnate as many women as possible, in order to share his DNA and potentially create even more powerful mutants. Rasputin was assassinated in the same way that is described in the history books. The Marvel version of Rasputin survived long enough to perform a magic ritual that spread his essence among all of his unborn children. So long as these descendants lived, there was a method by which Rasputin could return to the world, as he would possess his last living survivor.

Mr. Sinister traveled across Russia and slew almost every surviving member of the Rasputin family. He did this because he wanted to use Rasputin's own DNA to try and restore his own failing powers. The final two members of the Rasputin family were Colossus and his brother, Mikhail. In the end, Mikhail chose to exile himself to another dimension. This act foiled Mr. Sinister's plans, as he could not risk slaying Colossus without Rasputin being reborn in a dimension from which he couldn't escape.

The Destiny On Breakworld

X-men Breakworld

The X-Men started out as a secretive organization, to the point where many wondered if they even existed at all. This was helped by the fact that they had Charles Xavier on their team, who could easily wipe the minds of those who might causes problems for the group. As time went on, the X-Men became more public about their goals, which was helped by their inclusion in crossover events. The X-Men stood alongside the other heroes of Earth and saved the planet on numerous occasions. The X-Men have become even more politically active in recent years, which is a change that has been spurred on by the writers of the series. It turns out that Colossus might be the most famous member of the X-Men, though for reasons that he wasn't happy about.

There is a planet in the Marvel universe called Breakworld, where the inhabitants are convinced that a mutant from Earth will be responsible for the destruction of their world. They eventually come to the conclusion that this mutant is Colossus. This led to the Breakworld story arc, where Colossus and the rest of the X-Men had to deal with the problems on Breakworld. The storyline ends with the planet still in one piece, but there is a chance that another writer might pick up the storyline again someday.

The Cure For The Legacy Virus

One of the most prominent storylines in the X-Men comics of the '90s involved a fictional disease known as the Legacy Virus, which was intended to be a metaphor for the HIV epidemic. This was an artificial disease that was created by Stryfe, who brought it from the future and released it in the modern era of the X-Men. The Legacy Virus was intended to only affect mutants, which meant that it was responsible for claiming the lives of many different heroes and villains from the X-Men comics. The Legacy Virus was finally cured in Uncanny X-Men #390, thanks to a serum that was created by Beast. Moria MacTaggert had worked out the details of the cure and Professor Xavier managed to extract the information from her mind before she passed away, which allowed Beast to finish her work.

The problem with Beast's cure for the virus was that it needed to be injected into a mutant who could activate their powers. This process would end the life of the mutant in question, though the cure would be released. Colossus had previously lost his sister to the Legacy Virus, so he went behind Beast's back and used the serum on his own body. This meant that he acted as the catalyst for the cure of the Legacy Virus, but it took his life in the process. Colossus came back a few years later when it was revealed that he was revived by aliens, but what else would you expect from a comic book.

The Phoenix Force

The Phoenix is one of the oldest and most powerful entities in the universe. It was there at the birth of reality and it continues to exist as the protector of the universe. The Phoenix became corrupted when it chose a human to become the bearer of its power. Jean Grey was believed to have become the Phoenix, but it was actually a new form that the Phoenix took on itself. The Phoenix would go on to become the Dark Phoenix in what is considered to be one of the best X-Men storylines of all time. The Phoenix has reappeared on several occasions in the years since the Dark Phoenix Saga. It would go on to take several different avatars at the same time when it was split apart by Iron Man during the Avengers vs. X-Men series.

Who needs the Fantastic Four, when you can have the Phoenix Five.

This led to five different mutants becoming the avatars of the Phoenix. They became a new team, called the Phoenix Five. Colossus was one of the five mutants who took on the power of the Phoenix Force. This meant that he briefly became one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel universe. Even holding a diminished part of the Phoenix's power, Colossus could travel the universe and create flames of such ferocity that only the mightiest of beings could hope to stand against it.

Colossus Doesn't Need To Breathe... Except When He Does

Colossus' armored form has the added benefit of allowing him to ignore most important and basic biological functions, such as eating and drinking water. This also extends to oxygen, as Colossus no longer needs to breathe when he is in his armored form, as his lungs have been replaced with metal. The fact that Colossus doesn't need to breathe when using his powers, means that he is one of the best members of the X-Men to send on missions that involve traveling to locations with harsh or unknown environments. His durable form means that he can survive in most situations that would result in the demise of the other members of the team.

Colossus's lack of lungs, also, makes him one of the best members of the team to use on underwater missions. His metallic form will sink to the bottom of the ocean and he can just walk wherever he needs to go. The movie version of Colossus that appeared in Deadpool does need to breathe, as he was almost choked out by Angel Dust during their battle. This is another example of the movie version of Colossus possessing different abilities from his comic book counterpart.

The Demonic Transformation

X-Men: The Last Stand may have given the fans the impression that Juggernaut gains his powers of super strength and invulnerability from being a mutant. This was the case in the Ultimate X-Men continuity, but in the main series of X-Men comics, he gains his powers from magic. The Juggernaut is actually the avatar of a mysterious magical deity known as Cyttorak. The power of the Juggernaut comes from a magical crimson gem that he keeps in his possession.Colossus once took on the role of the Juggernaut and gained possession of Cyttorak's gem.

The gem gave Colossus tremendous powers, as he possessed both his mutant abilities and the might of being the Juggernaut.

It seems that Cyttorak took a liking to Colossus, as he was the only bearer of the gem to try and fight its influence. Cain Marko was already a hate-filled man, which is why he took to the role of being the Juggernaut so easily. It was due to Colossus' reticence that Cyttorak gave him a powerful transformation, which made Colossus look more like Cyttorak. When Colossus lost control over his emotions, he would take on a demonic appearance and become even stronger. This was Cyttorak's way of tempting him with power, in order to corrupt Collosus' innocent spirit.

The Virbanium Weakness

The organic metal that makes up Colossus' armored form is considered to be one of the strongest substances in the Marvel universe. This isn't to say that Colossus is invulnerable, as he can be damaged by a sufficiently powerful force. It's also possible to take weaker substances and make them strong enough to break organic steel, as is the case with Gambit's ability to charge items with kinetic energy.

Colossus does have a huge weakness in the form of Vibranium. Any sort of physical contact with Vibranium will force Colossus to revert to his original form. This forced reversion doesn't last for long and he can return back to his armored form once he is away from the Vibranium. But, this still means that his powers can be counteracted. A Vibranium weapon would incredibly effective against Colossus, as he would be forced to fight in his more vulnerable form.

Luckily for Colossus, Vibranium is a highly rare substance that is usually only found in the Savage Land or Wakanda. Vibranium is also incredibly expensive, which means that few enemies have the money necessary to make Vibranium weapons. With that being said, it still only takes a small amount of Vibranium to be effective against Colossus.

The Magneto Buffs

Magneto debuted in X-Men #1, which makes him just as old as the X-Men themselves in terms of publication history. Magneto was battling the X-Men from the beginning and he still continues to act as their greatest foe to this day. The introduction of the second generation of X-Men meant that Magneto's job had just become a whole lot easier. This was due to the fact that two members of the team were based on metal in terms of their abilities. Wolverine had a skeleton that was coated in Adamantium, while Colossus' powers involved him turning into metal. Colossus always had to be careful when fighting Magneto.

He couldn't transform into his metal form without essentially giving control of his body over to his enemy. There was a period of time when Magneto was an ally of the X-Men, to the point where he even became the teacher of the New Mutants. It was during this period that Magneto was able to help Colossus, who had been badly injured during the Mutant Massacre event. It was revealed that Magneto's abilities could actually help heal Colossus's wounds, due to his unique connection to the electromagnetic spectrum.

Mr. Colossus Sinister

Mr. Sinister is one of the most mysterious characters in the X-Men comic books. He was once a gifted human scientist named Nathanial Essex. He was physically altered by Apocalypse so that he became immortal and could continue his research into genetics. Mr. Sinister would improve his own physical capabilities using experiments and began a quest to create the perfect mutant, which was related to DNA of the Summers family. There was a long period of time when Mr. Sinister's backstory had yet to be revealed. This led to numerous theories surrounding his origins, one of which included the idea that he was a version of Colossus from a different reality or from a future timeline.

The reason why people suspected this was due to the fact that Mr. Sinister had similar lines on his body to the ones that appear on Colossus' body whenever he uses his powers. Mr. Sinister also had a similar hairstyle & head shape to Colossus when he first appeared. This crazy theory turned out to be true in the Earth X/Paradise X series, as it was revealed that Colossus was indeed Mr. Sinister, who had traveled back in time in order to manipulate his younger self and the other members of the X-Men.

The Banshee Addict

The Ultimate line was composed of several new series of comics that were created by Marvel in order to make the most of the increased popularity of their franchises, thanks to the original Spider-Man and X-Men films. The Ultimate comics were set in their own separate continuity that wasn't bogged down by forty years of storylines. The Ultimates line began with Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men, with the other Marvel teams slowly being added over time. One of the best parts about the Ultimate series was that characters were often very different from their original counterparts, with Colossus being a prime example. He started out as a mobster for the Russian Mafia.

The version of Colossus that appeared in Ultimate X-Men was very different from his main series counterpart.

This version of Colossus cannot physically move his body when he transforms into his metal state. He is forced to depend on a synthetic substance, called Banshee. The substance gives superpowers to regular people and increases the potency of existing superpowers. Colossus needed Banshee in order to use his abilities in a functional way. The Ultimate version of Colossus was also different from his main series counterpart in that he was gay. Colossus had an on-again-off-again relationship with Northstar, who is often regarded as being the first openly gay character in the main Marvel continuity.

The Gambit Weakness

Colossus existed in the world of the Age of Apocalypse, which was a different timeline that was created when Legion went back in time to assassinate Magneto. Legion accidentally struck down Charles Xavier instead, which led to the creation of a new reality where Apocalypse was the ruler of North America and Magneto led the X-Men in rebellion against him. In the Age of Apocalypse, Colossus was one of Magneto's allies. He eventually grew weary of the fighting and was chosen to become the teacher of Generation Next, which was the Age of Apocalypse version of Generation X.

Colossus had to lead his team on a dangerous mission to rescue his sister, who was needed for Magneto's plan to restore reality back to the way it was. Only Colossus and Kitty Pryde survived the mission, as the members of Generation Next perished after being attacked by Apocalypse's forces. It was later revealed that Husk was kept alive by Apocalypse's men and she became the villain of one of the Age of Apocalypse revival series. The Age of Apocalypse version of Colossus was taken down by Gambit of all people, who used blades instead of cards in this reality. Gambit's kinetically-charged blades were powerful enough to pierce Colossus' body and end him.

The Joint Weakness

Kitty Pryde and Colossus stand side by side

Colossus is one of the most physically powerful characters on Earth, as his metallic form gives him almost unparalleled strength. The problem that Colossus often faces is that there are quite a few beings who are stronger than him who happen to be enemies of the X-Men. This means that Colossus has often gone up against the likes of the Juggernaut and the Hulk, which has usually ended poorly for him. One of the problems Colossus can face when facing a more powerful opponent is that his metallic form can be used against him.

It's possible for a sufficiently strong foe to be able to bend Colossus' limbs in such a way that they cannot be undone, essentially locking his joints in place.

Colossus would then be unable to return to his original form, as his wounds will become more serious. This exact scenario happened during the World War Hulk crossover event. The Hulk came to Xavier's Academy seeking vengeance against Charles Xavier, which brought him into conflict with the X-Men. He managed to overpower Colossus and lock his arms into place. Once the battle was over, the X-Men had to strategically heat up Colossus' arms so that they could be returned to their original position.

The Rogue Retcon

Rogue has one of the deadliest touches in the Marvel universe. She possesses the mutant ability to drain the life force of those she comes into physical contact with, which includes any memories or superpowers that person may possess. Rogue's touch has shown to be effective against the most unlikely of individuals, including Rom the Spaceknight (a cyborg with barely any of his original body remaining) and Mephisto (the literal Devil that tempts mortals to their doom.)

The fact that Colossus can turn into a man made of metal is meaningless when Rogue touches him, as his steel body is still considered to be organic material. Rogue has absorbed Colossus' powers on several occasions and has used them in battle.

The exception to this happened in X-Men #100 when Rogue was able to touch Colossus when he was in his armored form without any negative effects happening. The two even kissed, which suggested a future romance storyline, as both Gambit and Kitty Pryde were out of the picture in terms of being potential love interests. The fact that Colossus was briefly immune to Rogue's powers and that they kissed was ignored from that point on. Rogue has since gone on to absorb Colossus' powers without any issues.

The Liquid Metal Form

Apocalypse believes in the concept of the survival of the fittest. It is for this reason that he has concocted many plans that would result in Armageddon, as he is curious to see who would be powerful enough to still be standing when the dust settles.In order to fit his biblical theme, Apocalypse has created several different iterations of his Four Horsemen, who act as his most powerful and trusted lieutenants. Apocalypse will often use his technology to alter the bodies and minds of his former enemies, in order to turn them into his most loyal allies.

Who doesn't like their metal in a liquid state?

Colossus was once transformed into the Horseman of War when the X-Men arrived in the apocalyptic reality of the Omega World. Colossus was captured by Apocalypse when he tried to hold off his forces allowing the X-Men to escape. Colossus was transformed into one of the Four Horsemen and he took his place alongside Deadpool, Moon Knight, and Venom. The transformation into one of Apocalypse's Horsemen meant that Colossus gained the ability to transform his body into liquid metal. It allowed him to take control over his form in the same way as the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

Colossus Owes His Mother A Huge Gift On Mother's Day

There have been many different reasons given for why mutants exist in the various Marvel universes. Prince Namor was considered to be the first mutant by many, though this isn't true, as mutants date all the way back to ancient Egypt and ancient Greece. Mutants, like Apocalypse and Selene, have existed for thousands of years and continue to linger on in modern times. The number of mutants began to drastically increase in the '60s, which led some fans to speculate that it was a result of the previous testing and usage of nuclear weapons during World War II.The X-Men movies have indirectly confirmed that radiation can lead to the creation of mutants.

One example of this was Colossus, who only exists due to the Chernobyl Disaster. A website called 25 Moments was created by Fox to promote the release of X-Men: Days of Future Past. This website shows how events in the X-Men universe differed from our own in the form of history lessons. One of the twenty-five moments revealed that the Soviet Union saw an increase in their mutant population after the Chernobyl Disaster, with a baby Colossus in his metal form being shown as one of them. This means that Colossus' mother gave birth to a big metal baby. We can only hope that she was given a bucket full of epidurals to get her through the birth.

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Do you know any crazy facts about Colossus that we may have missed? Share it in the comments below!