Cannonball, real name Sam Guthrie has had an extremely varied career as a superhero. Debuting as a member of New Mutants, the next generation of mutant students of the Xavier Institute, he would also become a member (and leader) of X-Force, the X-Men, and the Avengers. In the current New Mutants series, he's being brought back to Earth by his friends.
Cannonball, though, hasn't really gotten the love that other X-Men characters have and that's a tragedy because he's a very cool character. His reintroduction has been a long time coming. This list is going to present some of the little known facts about Cannonball.
10 He Worked In A Coal Mine When He Was A Child
Before his mutant powers manifested and he was brought to the Xavier Institute, Sam Guthrie was just a simple kid from Kentucky. His was a coal mining family. His father died from black lung and Sam, as the oldest, had to help take care of his family.
What did he do? He mined coal. With no other choice, the Cannonball, one day leader of X-Force, became a teenage coal miner and it was during this time that his mutant powers manifested during a mine cave-in.
9 He Has Many Mutant Siblings
Cannonball came from a big family and a lot of his siblings were mutants. A lot of readers know about is sister Paige Guthrie, who became Husk. She would join Generation X and then become an X-Men. However, Husk isn't the only mutant in the Guthrie clan to hang out with the X-Men.
Melody Guthrie would develop an aura that would allow her to fly, taking the name Aero. Jay Guthrie would grow red wings and become Icarus. In the Age Of Apocalypse universe, Elisabeth Guthrie would manifest size-changing power and take the name Amazon.
8 He Was A Villain In The Age Of Apocalypse
Speaking of the Age Of Apocalypse, Cannonball and Amazon were members of Apocalypse's Elite Mutant Forces. They worked for Mister Sinister and battled Magneto's X-Men team whenever they could. Their sister Paige had sided with the good guys, though.
Seeing Cannonball as a villain was a jarring change for readers who were used to seeing him as a good guy. The Age Of Apocalypse version of the character had a sadistic streak that fit the altered reality and was a very different character than he had ever been before.
7 He First Joined The X-Men In 1995
In the 90s, Cannonball was known for being a member of X-Force. Once Cable left the team, Cannonball would take over the group, becoming the group's leader. During this time, he would learn a lot about running a team and being a hero. After the "Age Of Apocalypse" story ended, X-Force would become closer to the X-Men than they had been before.
Cable would return to the team and Cannonball would be ready to step down as leader... when Cable tells him that he's graduated. Cannonball is now a member of the X-Men. Cannonball would be the first member of the New Mutants or X-Force to graduate and he did it in 1995.
6 He And Boom Boom Were An Item For Years
While a member of X-Force, Cannonball and Boom Boom became very close. Fighting together in Cable's private war, the two would grow closer and closer before becoming lovers. They were a good couple and the only real relationship that was built in the early days of the team.
When Cannonball went to the X-Men, though, the relationship soured. Distance can always make things difficult and it did for the two of them. While Sam was dealing with Operation: Zero Tolerance, Boom Boom (who at the time was known as Meltdown) would grow closer and closer to Roberto DaCosta, Sunspot, and Sam's best friend. Things would end badly for the couple.
5 He Would Join The Second Incarnation Of The New Mutants
The New Mutants would make a comeback eventually, during the Utopia era of the X-Men. Magik would return to the team and bring together the classic roster of the team- Magma, Sunspot, and Cannonball all join up in an effort to find Dani Moonstar and Karma, but end up releasing Legion, the schizophrenic son of Professor X.
Cannonball would stay with the team up until the Schism. Cannonball ends up joining Wolverine's faction of mutants and becomes a teacher at the Jean Grey Institute that Wolverine began.
4 He Would Get Married As An Avenger
Cannonball and Sunspot would both become Avengers after the X-Men and the Avengers battle it out over the return of the Phoenix Force. Besides Sunspot, the only other person he knew on the team was Wolverine. Sunspot and Cannonball, best friends, would form a little clique on the team and hang out a lot.
However, Cannonball would meet Smasher during his time with the team. Smasher was the first human Shi'Ar Superguardian and member of the Imperial Guard. Her real name was Izzy Kane and she and Sam would fall in love and get married.
3 He's Fought Against The Chitauri
Sam eventually leaves Earth and the Avengers to be with Izzy and their son. He would stay away for a while but return to the Earth during the Captain America engineered Chitauri invasion. Cannonball would fight alongside the Alpha Flight Space Program, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Ultimates.
This battle goes very badly for the heroes. The Chitauri vastly outnumber them and Captain America had cut them off from resupply from the Earth with a protective field he set up around the Earth. Unfortunately, he's thought to have died during the battle.
2 His Friends Have To Go On A Quest To Find Him
Cannonball wasn't killed in the Chitauri invasion, but was captured and sold at auction. He is taken to a bizarre Earth-like planet and imprisoned. Meanwhile, Smasher gets in touch with Sunspot, who is leading his own team of Avengers, and tells him that Cannonball is still alive.
Smasher, Sunspot, and his team of Avengers search space for Cannonball, but he's able to break free on his own, staging a prison riot on the planet he is on. His wife and friends show up to help in the battle and then he goes back with Smasher to their son in the Shi'Ar Empire.
1 He's Beaten Gladiator
Cannonball's powers might not like seem much, but they are greater than most people imagine. He body produces energy that allows him to fly and that energy manifests a force field around his body that protects it when he's "blasting". He's able to extend this field to protect others and the field itself can absorb kinetic energy, which Sam reuse to make his attacks stronger.
During his first stint with the X-Men, Cannonball got into a fight with Gladiator, the leader of the Shi'Ar Imperial Guard. Gladiator is basically Superman, but with a twist- his powers are based on his confidence in himself. As the fight goes on, Gladiator decides he's bored with the whole thing and hits Cannonball with all his strength. Using his force field, Cannonball is able to take the blow without flinching. Gladiator is dismayed by this, his powers weaken, and Cannonball uses the kinetic energy that he's absorbed to defeat the alien. Cannonball is able to solo an enemy that has defeated the X-Men.