Tower of Strength
When the X-Men visited the prehistoric Savage Land in Antarctica, Colossus saved some native women from a dinosaur. In return, the two surviving women, Nereel and Shakani, bade him join in a ritual to honor their fallen friend. Said ritual involved the creation of a new life, and though Piotr was initially reluctant, the two women persisted until he surrendered himself to their affections.
Later, the X-Men were captured by the assassin Arcade, who brainwashed Colossus into believing he was the Proletarian, workers’ hero of communist Russia, and turned him against his teammates. Colossus overcame this conditioning, and the X-Men soon faced the reality-manipulating mutant Kevin MacTaggert, AKA Proteus, who proved to be vulnerable to metal. Seizing upon this weakness, Colossus plunged his metal fists into the heart of Proteus’ energy form, seemingly destroying him and taking Colossus’ innocence along with him.
Soon after, the X-Men recruited young mutant Kitty Pryde. Despite their initial shyness, a romance blossomed between her and Colossus. Later, Arcade’s assistant Miss Locke kidnapped the X-Men’s loved ones, including Illyana, to coerce the team into rescuing Arcade from the despotic Victor von Doom, AKA Doctor Doom. The X-Men rescued them, and Illyana remained with her brother at Xavier’s mansion. Eventually, Illyana was trapped in the demon-filled realm limbo by its then-master, Belasco. She remained his captive for many years, though only moments had elapsed on Earth, and returned as the adolescent sorceress Magik.
Colossus and Kitty grew closer, finally admitting their feelings for one another; however, Colossus was among the X-Men forced by the godlike Beyonder to fight on his Battleworld and while there he fell in love with the healer Zsaji. After Colossus was killed by a cosmic-powered Doom, Zsaji gave her life to resurrect him. A heartbroken Colossus returned to Earth, ending his relationship with Kitty, though they remained friends.
Colossus was later forced to take another life when the Marauders attacked the subterranean Morlocks. To save his teammate Nightcrawler, Colossus killed the Marauder Riptide (though Riptide would endure as a series of clones); however, Riptide’s attacks caused Colossus’ bioenergy to leak from his metallic form like blood from a flesh wound. The X-Men’s then-ally Magneto attempted to heal Colossus with his magnetic powers, but was only able to close the wounds, trapping Colossus in his metal state. Recuperating on Muir Isle, Colossus later rejoined the X-Men in opposing the mystic Adversary in Dallas. When the X-Men returned to the Savage Land after it had been razed by the giant alien Terminus (actually a duplicate Terminus armor operated by the Deviant weaponsmith Jorro), Colossus was reunited with Nereel. He met her son, Peter, unaware that the boy was the result of his earlier union with Nereel.
After the failed demonic invasion of New York, Illyana regressed in age. Colossus believed she would be safer away from the X-Men and sent her home to Russia while he returned to Australia with the team. Weary of seemingly endless battles, the X-Men entered the Siege Perilous, a mystic gateway that judged all who entered it and sent them to new lives. Colossus emerged virtually amnesiac, establishing a new identity as Peter Nicholas, a building superintendent who became a renowned artist. His idyllic existence ended when he was possessed by the psychic Shadow King and sent to kill Xavier. He was freed when Xavier erased the Peter Nicholas persona, restoring Colossus’ true self, and he rejoined the X-Men.
Soon after, the X-Men were pulled into a dimensional void where Colossus was reunited with Mikhail. The X-Men returned to Earth, bringing Mikhail with them; however, Mikhail’s sanity had suffered due to his long years of isolation, and he snapped, leading the Morlocks in an apparent mass suicide. Unknown to Colossus, Mikhail had actually teleported the Morlocks to an alternate dimension known as “the Hill.”
Meanwhile, the Russian government invaded the Rasputin home, killing Colossus’ parents and capturing Illyana, whom they sought to genetically accelerate to combat the threat of the mutant Soul Skinner. She was soon rescued by Colossus and came to live with him in America. Eventually, Illyana fell victim to the mutant-killing Legacy Virus, and a disillusioned Colossus abandoned Xavier’s dream, joining Magneto’s disciples, the Acolytes. After the destruction of Magneto’s orbital base Avalon, Piotr searched for Kitty, then a member of the British super-team Excalibur. When he found Kitty kissing her then-boyfriend Peter Wisdom, Colossus nearly beat Wisdom to death in a jealous rage. Excalibur took responsibility for Colossus, and he came to accept his role with the team, serving as a valued member until they disbanded, after which Colossus rejoined the X-Men.
When Xavier temporarily disbanded the X-Men to flush out an alien imposter, Colossus and his teammate Sarah Knuckey, AKA Marrow, set off on vacation, but were instead teleported to the Hill. There, Colossus freed Mikhail from the corrupting influence of a sentient energy being and took him back to Earth. Soon after, during a clash between the X-Men and the forces of En Sabah Nur, AKA Apocalypse, Mikhail used his powers to teleport Apocalypse’s Horsemen to parts unknown.
Following the death of renowned geneticist Moira MacTaggert, the X-Men’s resident scientist Hank McCoy, AKA Beast, used her work to create a cure for the Legacy Virus; however, it could not be activated without emulating the manner in which the plague had first been discharged: Through the death of an infected mutant. Having stood by, powerless, as his sister succumbed to the virus, Colossus injected himself with the formula. The serum caused his powers to flare, spreading the cure into Earth’s atmosphere, claiming his life in the process. Colossus’ body was supposedly cremated, and Kitty scattered the ashes over his Russian farmland home; however, his body had secretly been stolen by Ord, an alien who had learned that an Earth mutant would be responsible for destroying his world. Ord had come to Earth to declare war, but the spy agency S.W.O.R.D. was able to settle diplomatically with him. Ord had Colossus restored to life and imprisoned for years while experimenting on him. Ultimately, Ord discovered the Legacy Virus cure still in Colossus’ system and presented his findings to Benetech geneticist Dr. Kavita Rao, who modified it to create a “cure” for the “mutant condition.” Learning of the cure, the X-Men went to Benetech to investigate. There, Kitty found Colossus alive and, after overcoming her initial shock, took him to aid the X-Men against Ord. Defeated, Ord was taken into custody, and Colossus returned home with the X-Men to adjust to his new lease on life and a rekindled romance with Kitty.
Soon after, Colossus became involved in a mystery involving the deaths of several of his cousins, all of whom (like himself) were descended from the “doom of Old Russia,” Grigory Rasputin. Geneticist Mister Sinister had learned that as Grigory’s descendants died, Grigory’s power grew in those remaining until he could be reborn in the last remaining descendant. To foil the plot, Mikhail banished himself to a remote dimension, so that even if he became the last descendant, Grigory would be trapped.
Returning to the X-Men, Colossus became involved in their battle against the sentient computer program Danger as well as the Mummudrai Cassandra Nova’s attempts to lure the X-Men into freeing her from imprisonment. He helped oppose the Hulk’s efforts to kidnap Xavier following the Hulk’s return to Earth after being banished by the secret Illuminati cabal of which Xavier was a member. During the clash, the Hulk forcibly bent both of Colossus’ arms back, causing him great pain and injury; however, Colossus was subsequently healed by X-Man-In-Training Josh Foley, AKA Elixir, before being transported off-world by S.W.O.R.D. to resolve a brewing situation on the extraterrestrial Breakworld over the belief that Colossus was the mutant destined to destroy their world. After preventing Earth’s destruction, Colossus returned to Earth with the X-Men, but was greatly distraught when Kitty was lost during the mission.
Colossus and his teammates then sought the whereabouts of the world’s first mutant child born since “M-Day,” when the majority of mutants lost their powers. This quest brought them into conflict with Nathaniel Essex, AKA Mister Sinister, and his Marauders, the genetically-engineered mutant hunting Predator X, and rogue X-Man Lucas Bishop, AKA Bishop. After Cyclops disbanded the X-Men, Colossus was recruited by Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, to join a new incarnation of the Defenders as part of the Fifty State Initiative in New Jersey. In their first mission, the team clashed with the Sons of the Serpent who had summoned the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. Subsequently, Stark disbanded the Defenders, and Colossus chose to return home to Russia accompanied by his former X-Men teammates Wolverine and Nightcrawler. There, Colossus’ presence was detected by the Russian government’s Red Room, who set their sights on him. The three were captured and they ended up battling Omega Red, though they defeated him and returned to the States to rebuild the X-Men.
When Colossus’ sister Illyana becomes stuck in limbo, Megan Gywnn, AKA Pixie, aids him and the team in entering the dimension where they are attacked by demons. They defeat their antagonists and locate Illyana, who was defeated by Belasco’s daughter Ananym, AKA Witchfire, but together they successfully trapped her in the Elder Gods dimension. Colossus and Cyclops offered Illyana refuge back on their Earth and with the X-Men.
Colossus battled the Dark Avengers with the X-Men and faced off with Eddie Brock, AKA Venom. During this time, Colossus experienced depression over the loss of Kitty but they are reunited by Magneto. He later became depowered due to the Warlord Krunn’s mutant cure and Colossus was beaten by him as well.
To defeat the Juggernaut who had become Kuurth, Colossus struck a deal with Cyttorak thanks to his imprisoned sister, Magik. As such, Colossus used Cyttorak’s Crimson Gem to become an unstoppable juggernaut of destruction and was able to hold off Kuurth. Kitty broke up with him over his decision to sacrifice himself. Colossus stayed in Utopia with Cyclops’ X-Men but soon realized his powers were too dangerous and he requested to be locked up with Magik and freed only when necessary for missions.
Colossus, alongside Magik, Scott Summers, AKA Cyclops, Emma Frost, and Namor McKenzie, AKA Namor the Sub-Mariner, became a part of the Phoenix Five, a group empowered and enhanced by the Phoenix Force. He attempted to regain Kitty’s love, but she refused him, wary of the changes he underwent due to the Force—and he proved her right when he responded with a fiery anger. He is defeated by Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, when the web-crawler tricks him and Magik into attacking one another. After the Avengers and X-Men defeated of the other Phoenix Five, Magik used her Soulsword to purge Colossus of the Juggernaut powers. Colossus grew angry toward his sister who could have done so sooner and threatens to kill her.
Losing the Phoenix Force caused Colossus’ powers to go haywire, but he joined Nathan Summers, AKA Cable’s new X-Force team after Cable gave him a stabilizing device. It was then revealed that the Phoenix Five were actually infected with nano-sentinels courtesy of Dark Beast. He then joined Wolverine’s X-Men team with some pressure applied by his sister and regained control of his steel powers having no need of Cable’s device.
But Cyttorak called for candidates to become the new Juggernaut leading Colossus and Cain Marko to join forces alongside the X-Men to prevent the Crimson Gem from falling into Man-Killer and Ahmet Abdol, AKA the Living Monolith’s hands. Though the Living Monolith acquired the Gem and while Colossus tried to convince Cyttorak to empower himself. Cyttorak returned the power to Marko. Colossus fought Marko ending in Colossus defeating him.
Colossus is later used by the Hulk’s Doc Green aspect to destroy the Triskelion during an incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610. Later Colossus joined Storm’s X-Men team while they were living in limbo in Xavier’s mansion, now dubbed X-Haven. Her team provided refuge to mutants from M-Pox which had infected mutants, rendering them sterile, due to a Terrigen outbreak. When Colossus was separated from the team, he was found later transformed into one of Apocalypse’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Thanks to Nightcrawler tricking Apocalypse, Colossus was transformed back to his original state.
The Terrigen outbreak led to war with the X-Men and the Inhumans. As such, Colossus protected X-Haven from the Inhuman Royal Family and joined the X-Men later in Iceland to fight off the Inhumans. The battle ended when Medusalith Amaquelin Boltagon, AKA Medusa, voluntarily destroyed the Terrigen. With Earth habitable again for the mutants, they returned from X-Haven and Colossus asked Kitty to lead the team. In taking the reins, she recruited Storm, Nightcrawler, Old Man Logan, Prestige, and Colossus though tension remains between Colossus and Kitty.
