SPOILER WARING: The following article contains major spoilers for Powers of X #1, by Jonathan Hickman, R.B. Silva, Adriano di Benedetto, Marte Gracia, VC's Clayton Cowles and Tom Muller, on sale now.
When Marvel Comics released the first teaser art for House of X and Powers of X, the illustration by Mark Brooks featured X-Men heroes and villains from different eras of the franchise's history. However, what raised some eyebrows was the inclusion of new characters that had the physical appearance of fan-favorite X-Men.
Resting on opposite sides of the artwork was a man who had Nightcrawler's body but red skin, and a woman with metallic skin like Colossus, Mirage's ponytails and Magik's Soulsword. We pointed that out when the teaser image was released, with speculation ranging from a type of fusion to the characters as descendants of present-day X-Men.
As Marvel released more covers and preview art, we learned these two new characters would appear primarily in Powers of X, which promised to pull back the curtain on "the secret past, present, and future of mutantkind, changing the way you look at every X-Men story before and after." Powers of X #1 definitely accomplished that by depicting a dark future for the X-Men, but the issue also revealed exactly what the deal is with those two mystery characters, with an emphasis given to the woman.
Chimera Class Mutant
One of the many data pages in Powers of X #1 recaps how, in the future, the X-Men foe Mister Sinister will be responsible for the fall of Krakoa. Somehow, Sinister convinces the mutant leadership to allow him to breed a mutant army on Mars. Dubbed the Sinister breeding pits, this strategy involves combining different mutant DNA to create an amalgamation that possesses multiple power sets. The mutants that contain up to five X-genes are called Chimera.
We then get a breakdown of Rasputin IV and the five X-genes inside of her, along with the donor names and powers. Four of the five names will be familiar to X-Men fans, although longtime readers will surely recognize the outlier as well.
Kid Omega (Quentin Quire)
Created by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely during the duo's New X-Men run, Quentin Quire, aka Kid Omega, is one of the world's greatest telepaths, even at such a young age. Quire is also one of the 14 known Omega-level mutants listed in House of X #1. His Omega-level power is telepathy, although he is also a skilled telekinetic.
He can come across as abrasive and impulsive, but Quentin Quire has shown heroic tendencies as a student at the Jean Grey Institute for Higher Learning in Wolverine and the X-Men, as well as joining Kate Bishop's West Coast Avengers team. Quire is one of the select few mutants destined to be a host of the Phoenix Force, even stepping in to help stop the firebird in The Mighty Thor's Asgard/Shi'ar War.
Colossus (Piotr Rasputin)
Colossus was among Charles Xavier's second class of students, beginning with his introduction in Giant-Size X-Men #1. His mutant power to turn his skin into metal is clearly evident in Power of X's Rasputin. However, we should point out that it's his sister Magik who wields the Soulsword, although Colossous did use it in the Secret Wars miniseries, Inferno.
Piotr Rasputin has experienced a few staggering status-quo shifts over the years, with his biggest coming from his death caused by the Legacy Virus. Colossus sacrificed himself to help develop a cure for the mutant disease, but eventually returned in Astonishing X-Men. Another change was when he became the new avatar of the Juggernaut with the gem of Cyttorak.
Unus the Untouchable (Gunther Bain)
Formerly known as Angelo Unuscione, Gunther Bain is a villain with the mutant ability to form a forcefield around his body. Debuting in 1964's X-Men #8, Bain was a previous member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and Factor Three, and was one of the many mutants to be depowered during M-Day.
After his death at the hands of the Inhuman Karnak, Bain returned during the Necrosha X-Men event in which mutants were resurrected by Selene. Although he's been rarely used in recent years, Bain's last appearances include Spider-Man and the X-Men #1 and All-New X-Men #19 Vol. 2.
Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde)
Kitty Pryde has gone from a young protege of Wolverine to the headmaster and team leader of the X-Men. Her progress is a great example of how the X-Men evolve over the decades. Kitty can turn her body intangible, allowing her to phase through objects.
She was recently the headmaster of the Xavier School in X-Men Gold, and almost tied the knot with her longtime friend and lover, Colossus. Unfortunately, their wedding was called off when Kitty got cold feet, but it allowed Rogue and Gambit the opportunity for an unexpected proposal and marriage. It's been revealed that Kitty will headline an all-new Mauraders book in Marvel's Dawn of X.
X-23 (Laura Kinney)
Laura Kinney is a clone of Wolverine, and even stepped into the Wolverine role after Logan's demise in the Death of Wolverine miniseries. Known more widely as X-23, Laura has Wolverine's Adamantium claws and healing factor, making her just as dangerous and deadly as her "father."
X-23 has also been cloned, with her sister Gabby (Scout) quickly becoming a fan-favorite X-Man with her youthful enthusiasm and infectious personality. Laura has served as a member of various X-Force teams, as well as fighting alongside the time-displaced X-Men in All-New X-Men.
With these five mutants comprising the X-genes inside Rasputin, we can see how the mix of powers makes her almost impossible to contend with in battle. Of course, we might add this was Mister Sinister's goal all along with the Chimeras, since they are created with the intention of having more aggressive, militaristic traits.
When it comes to Rasputin, her power breakdown is as follows: Telepathy 5; Metamorphosis 6; Forcefield 3; Intangibility 2; and Healing Factor 2. Rasputin's combination of a unique visual look and compelling backstory almost guarantees she will either stick around following the conclusion of House of X, or reappear down the line in an explosive manner -- possibly with the help of some handy time travel. And as we've learned with a majority of X-Men stories, that can't be quickly ruled out.