Summary

• Colossus' invention of mutant circuits in 1976's X-Men #100 has led to monumental advancements in mutant powers.
• Colossus, who has faced immense personal hardships, finally receives recognition as the creator of mutant technology, elevating him to new prominence.
• The Krakoan Era has been defined by mutant technology, allowing the X-Men to achieve godlike powers, including resurrection, terraforming, and the ability to conquer entire worlds.

As the Colossus the respect he deserves for redefining the franchise's mutant powers. Piotr Rasputin has long been the team's most underrated member, and the last few years of his life have been a living hell - however, he did at least get to see how he transformed the use of mutant powers.

In a preview of Fall of the House of X #1, Wolverine and Colossus infiltrate the Henry Gyrich Re-Education Center, where Cyclops is being kept prior to his show trial and execution. On the way, they battle some of Orchis' troops, developing a brutal new take on their iconic 'Fastball Special' move, where Colossus hurls Logan at a threat. As the two develop a new 'Screwball Special,' the narration notes that Colossus will be ed as the inventor of the very first "mutant circuit" - a concept which has redefined mutant powers, particularly since 2019.

In X-Men lore, a mutant circuit describes any number of mutants combining their powers to create a new effect greater than can be achieved alone. Colossus and Wolverine's Fastball Special is described as the "primordial circuit" which inspired later experimentation, unlocking power combos which have seen the X-Men conquer death and terraform the planet Mars. The issue comes from Gerry Duggan, Lucas Werneck, Bryan Valenza, and Clayton Cowles.

Colossus Invented the Idea of 'Mutant Technology'

From Resurrection to Chimera Mutants, It All Started with Piotr

First devised by Colossus in 1976's X-Men #100 (by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum), the Fastball Special is a very simple 'power combo' where Colossus' strength allows Wolverine to reach targets neither can attack alone. While mutant power combos have been depicted ever since, 2019 onwards saw this basic idea formalized as an entire field of 'mutant technology,' where the X-Men study not just how to use their powers to the fullest, but how to do totally new things with their combined abilities.

The idea of mutant technology led to the creation of circuits such as the Five - who can bring mutants back to life in rapidly grown clone bodies - as well as the Six - who can achieve extra-universal teleportation to travel beyond the boundaries of reality and bring back impossible treasures, like the anti-magic metal Mysterium. These feats have transformed the Marvel Universe - the discovery of Mysterium alone ended a vast galactic civil war - and allowed the X-Men to survive while under siege from armies of godlike superhumans including the Eternals and the Children of the Vault. However, as complex and vital as mutant circuits have become, Fall of the House of X makes it clear that it all began with Colossus throwing Wolverine (partly because, at the time, he found Logan so annoying.)

Colossus REALLY Needed a Win

Piotr Has Spent the Last Few Years Forced to Murder Those He Loves

Being credited as the source of mutant technology is a major win that Colossus badly needed. During the Krakoan Era, Colossus has been mind-controlled by his evil brother Mikhail. Not only did Mikhail force Colossus to kill his partner Kayla and betray the X-Men to their enemies, but their final battle saw Colossus regain his free will by brutally killing his brother. While other mutants lived in paradise for at least a little while during the Krakoan Era, Colossus has been living his greatest nightmare. Now, fighting to give the X-Men one last chance against Orchis, it's clear that he's in an incredibly dark place.

That's not to say that Colossus' recent woes are unusual. Piotr has had an incredibly hard life - recent tragedies include being left at the altar by Kate Pryde and tortured by Beast's X-Force team, however he also spent years being experimented on and tortured after a confused prophecy predicted he would destroy an alien world. Through all this, Colossus has often been the X-Men's most peaceful member, taking little joy from combat and simply wanting to live a quiet life. Outside the comics, Colossus has also been allowed to stagnate - while heroes like Iceman and Storm have basically become gods over the last few years, Colossus remains a mid-level strongman. Making him the creator of mutant circuits elevates Colossus to where he deserves to be - among the X-Men's most prominent and influential heroes.

'Mutant Technology' Has Redefined What the X-Men Can Do

The Krakoan Era Turned the X-Men into Gods Thanks to 'Mutant Circuits'

In many ways, the Krakoan Era has been defined by mutant technology, and its limits are seemingly nonexistent. The X-Men's resurrection powers literally almost 'killed' Marvel's embodiment of Death (who was saved by Jane Foster's Thor), while Apocalypse recently revealed the practise is close to magic at its highest level. The X-Men terraformed Mars to create the nation of Arakko using a high-level mutant circuit, and Storm just won the war for the planet by using another circuit to create a gigantic flora-kaiju named Kaorak. Meanwhile, in the Sins of Sinister timeline, mutant circuits allowed mutantkind to become the dominant force in the universe, achieving feats such as 'shooting' Thanos dead with the Juggernaut and birthing a species of mutant 'Chimeras' capable of razing entire worlds.

As the twin series Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X bring the X-Men's Krakoan Era to an official end, it's great to see Colossus getting credit for upgrading the X-Men from powerful individuals to godlike mutant circuits. If the X-Men have a chance of surviving this final battle against Orchis, it's only because of the advances that came from Colossus' invention.

Fall of the House of X #1 is available January 3 from Marvel Comics.