Summary

• Colossus' brother, Mikhail, possesses powers that take Colossus' abilities to a whole new level, allowing him to manipulate and change atoms and matter at their very core.
• Unlike Colossus, Mikhail can create voids between atoms and has the ability to redefine or reorganize matter, giving him immense control over the world and everything in it.
• Mikhail's powers allow him to create worlds and control physics within these voids, making him seem invincible. However, maintaining these voids requires intense concentration, and breaking his concentration can cause everything to collapse.

Warning: Contains spoilers for X-Force #45!!Mikhail Rasputin’s abilities show that he takes Colossus’ powers to a whole new level.

In X-Force #45 - by Benjamin Percy, Robert Gill, and Guru-eFX - Domino and Sage seek out Dr. Strange’s help in puzzling out a ring that belongs to Mikhail. After examining it, Dr. Strange develops a working theory that Mikhail is able to manipulate and change atoms and matter at their very core.

It isn’t simply a matter of transmuting flesh to metal, as Colossus does. Instead, Strange likens it to a type of “subatomic literacy” that is close to magic. He posits that Mikhail is so innately adept at it that he can create voids between atoms, too. While there are limitations, his abilities are staggering.

Colossus Possesses Only a Fraction of His Brother’s Power

Piotr is impressive in his own right and has gone toe-to-toe with some of the biggest threats in the world, yet Mikhail shows how limited he really is. Colossus’ abilities are currently confined to his own body. He’s able to swap between organic steel skin and “normal” flesh, rendering him impervious to an incredibly broad range of blunt or piercing blows and elemental attacks. He is not immune to everything, though, and his skin can be damaged by stronger metals (like vibranium) or higher levels of strength from opponents like the Hulk. Because he exerts no control over the world outside his own body, Mikhail easily outstrips him.

On the other hand, if Dr. Strange’s theory about the nature of Mikhail’s powers is correct, there is virtually nothing he can’t influence. He suggests that he can “redefine or reorganize” matter, along with simply manipulating it, thus changing its very nature. That potentially gives him massive sway over the world (and anything in it) in a way Colossus can’t hope to achieve. Mikhail’s abilities are Piotr’s taken to a grand scale - and then some. Rearranging and changing the structure of atoms themselves leaves everything within his reach. Moreover, he's able to push them aside and create an entire realm between them where he has unchallenged control.

Mikhail Rasputin’s Abilities Allow Him to Create Worlds

It is Mikhail’s ability to create pockets between atoms that puts him a (literal) world apart from Colossus. Dr. Strange suggests that he can control physics and practically every other aspect of existence in the voids he forges, including creating ways to enter and leave. On the surface, this makes Mikhail seem invincible and powerful on an otherworldly level, too grand for many others to even reach. He’s certainly a formidable enemy, as he’s used Piotr as a puppet (with Chronicler’s help) in betraying his X-Force team and has designs on Orchis, and Strange's theory makes it seem as if the building blocks of life are putty in his hands.

Fortunately, his incredible powers also come with limitations. Wielding such devastating power requires intense concentration to maintain. Once a void world or dimension is created, it doesn’t maintain itself. Just as Mikhail made it, he must keep it functioning, and breaking his concentration sends everything crashing down. In the very same issue, Mikhail is shot by an Orchis member. The injury demonstrates just how real that weakness is as the void world begins falling apart. Mikhail’s abilities go above and beyond what Colossus can do, but his weaknesses may keep the X-Force alive and the world in one piece.

X-Force #45 is available now from Marvel Comics!