As far as superhero tag-team moves are concerned, the X-Men boast one of the most recognizable maneuvers in comics with Colossus and Wolverine’s “fastball special.” Despite these two mutant heroes bringing the attack to fame, however, the best instance of the move in action didn’t involve Wolverine at all.
The fastball special is a fairly simple attack that sees a super-strong hero hurling their teammate toward a target. Superboy and Robin were actually the original duo to execute the move in Dave Wood and Al Plastino’s Adventure Comics #253 in 1958. Wolverine and Colossus were the first to give it a name though, and in 1976’s X-Men #100 by Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, Bonnie Wilford, and Annette Kawecki, the fastball special truly got its start. The two X-Men have repeated the maneuver several times over the years, with other heroes and even some villains having adopted or given their own spin on the attack. In fact, one of the most destructive uses of the move involves Colossus teaming up with Magneto instead of Wolverine.
The epic moment occurs in Avengers Vs. X-Men #2, written by Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, and Matt Fraction with art by John Romita Jr., when Colossus and Magneto deliver one of the conflict’s first blows. Believing that Hope Summers will be chosen as the new host of the destructive Phoenix Force, the Avengers arrive at the mutant island of Utopia to take her into custody. As the rest of his allies wait aboard a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Captain America tries to reason with the X-Men down on the ground, but Cyclops isn’t having it, initiating the fight by firing an optic blast at Cap. Seeing that a battle is inevitable, Magneto immediately moves to attack, using his powers to thrust
Colossus toward the Helicarrier to perform a “magnetic fastball special.” The resulting impact does some devastating damage to the Helicarrier, sending many Avengers flying into the ocean below and forcing both sides into action.
Composed of organic steel when powered up, Colossus is a remarkably heavy individual, so sending him careening into something at high speeds is bound to leave a severe amount of destruction. Adding to this, though, is the fact that during the Avengers Vs. X-Men storyline, Colossus is acting as the avatar for Cyttorak, meaning that on top of his already impeccable strength, he also has the unstoppable power of the Juggernaut. Obviously, the wreckage from the Helicarrier is a testament to his power, but Colossus goes on to further prove that he’s a force to be reckoned with by taking on the Red Hulk.
Judging by the sheer amount of damage that Colossus is able to inflict here, one could certainly argue that he’s the ideal person to be thrown in a fastball special. Of course, the list of heroes who could lob him through the air is fairly short, but once he’s off the ground, he’s sure to be effective. This isn’t to say that Wolverine is a bad option for the fastball special. Wolverine is much smaller than Colossus, and even with his Adamantium skeleton, he’s significantly lighter too, making him much easier to toss around. Plus, he’s gained a significant level of experience performing the attack over the years, proving that he knows how to hit his mark where it hurts. Nevertheless, Colossus and Magneto’s display proves that, even though the fastball special may historically be Wolverine’s move, there are other X-Men who are better suited for the job.