In a major change, iconicX-MenheroColossushas declared his reinvented powers and costume are here to stay. For months, Colossus has been hiding his identity andposing as new hero Tank, working with Forge’s X-Force to address world-ending problems. Now, with the team disbanded, Colossus embarks on a new era - but one in which he’s holding onto his X-Force upgrades.
InX-Men: Hellfire Vigil #1, a section by Geoffrey Thorne and Marcus To sees Colossus sharing a heart-to-heart withmaster teleporter John Wraith. Later, he meets up with his sister Magik, who asks ifhe’s going to keep wearing the Tank armor. Colossus confirms that with its many advantages, he plans to keep it around.
Created by Forge,the tank armor uses nanotechnology to assemble custom weapons, including axes, maces and billy clubs, depending on the user’s needs. The helmet also blocks telepathy, making it impossible to read or control the wearer’s mind. Given his recent experiences being controlled by others, it makes sense that Colossus doesn’t want to lose the advantages the Tank costume lends him.
Colossus Is Keeping the Tank Armor’s Weapon Creation and Telepathic Blocking
X-Men’s Good-Natured Hero Is Moving on from X-Force Forever
While Colossus will seemingly continue wearing the Tank armor,it’s likely there will besomechanges to its design.X-Forceused the armor to hide Tank’s true identity, which Colossus no longer needs to do, andHellfire Vigilshows him in a less extreme version of the suit, including visible forearms. It’s likely that when Colossus rejoins the X-Men again, he’ll have a new combination of the Tank armor with his classic look - after all, with the ability to turn his skin to metal, the one thing hedoesn’tneed is additional protection.
During the Krakoan Era, Colossus was controlled for months byhis evil brother Mikhail Rasputin, forced to betray the X-Men and even kill his partner Kayla to cover up his crimes. He was left with a deep shame and a need to redeem himself, which he chose to do under another name. However, it’s likely that being rendered immune to mind control was also part of the attraction of becoming ‘Tank.’
Interestingly,Colossus' discussion with Wraith seems to suggest he’ll be following a very different path to his missions with X-Force. Wraith points out that Colossus has always been one of the most peaceful and self-sacrificing of the X-Men, but that the mutant cause has repeatedly demanded he act against his nature and embrace constant violence, culminating in having to kill his own brother. Colossus suggests that he’s going to try something new, looking for a role where he can be true to himself.
It will be fascinating to see what theX-Menfranchise does with Colossus next, as he gains telepathic immunity and the ability to assemble tools and weapons at will, on top of his usual mutant abilities. For years, it’s seemed thatX-Mendoesn’t know what to do withColossusbeyond turn him into an unlikely traitor - hopefully, this latest makeover means that’s at an end.
X-Men: Hellfire Vigil #1is available now from Marvel Comics.
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
