Professor Xavier's first new class of students after the X-Men graduated were known as the New Mutants, which included the powerful and polite Sam Guthrie who enrolled at Xavier's shortly after his explosive powers manifested. His abilities allowed him to fly through the air while protected by a kinetic blast field, earning him the codename of Cannonball and making him one of the more destructive members of the new class. Cannonball would hone his mutant abilities for years alongside the New Mutants and X-Force before officially graduating to the X-Men.

Cannonball held his own against a number of powerful threats over the years, though he was never known as one of the X-Men's biggest hitters, which were definitely needed on the team when they encountered Superman-level threats like the Shi'ar's Gladiator -- the Praetor of the Shi'ar's Imperial Guard who eventually assumed control of the entire Empire.

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The powerful alien Kallark was a young Strontian cadet who was experimented on by his planet's scientists to become Gladiator He was granted psionically-enhanced strength, speed and durability along with flight, heat vision and other abilities that made him one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel universe. So how exactly did a former New Mutant known more for his southern niceties than his impressive displays of power manage to knock out a galaxy-renowned powerhouse like Gladiator?

X-Men Rockefeller Plaza comic

1997's Uncanny X-Men #341 by Scott Lobdell, Joe Madureira, Tim Townsend, Steve Buccellato and Richard Starkings took place shortly after the Onslaught event, which not only took a heavy toll on the X-Men but also deprived the Marvel Universe of its greatest heroes. Some of the X-Men - Beast and his girlfriend Trish Tilby, Rogue, Joseph, Gambit, Bishop, and Cannonball - decided to take a much-needed break with an evening in Manhattan.

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After meeting at Rockefeller Plaza, the X-Men went their separate ways for the evening, with Sam heading off to buy toys for his numerous siblings before planning to meet Beast and Trish Tilby for dinner. However, his Christmas shopping was interrupted by the arrival of Gladiator, who was desperately searching for the X-Men. Gladiator's frenzied teleportation into the toy store led to a confrontation with Cannonball, who rushed into battle against Gladiator despite recalling that the alien had taken on the Fantastic Four by himself and won.

While Gladiator quickly demonstrated his superior abilities during the battle, Cannonball frequently surprised the alien superhuman with his ingenuity and tactical decisions that showcased his increasing confidence with his own abilities. As Gladiator prepared to end the battle with a superpowered punch, Cannonball surprised the alien powerhouse one last time when he managed to absorb the kinetic energy of Gladiator's punch and instantly redirect it to his blast field.

Cannonball vs Gladiator - Kinetic Knockout

Gladiator was understandably shaken when he saw Cannonball unfazed by one of his strongest blows, which allowed Cannonball's blast-field-enhanced punch to knock out Gladiator and end the fight. Due to his extensive studies of the X-Men's files (he was also a great student), Cannonball knew that Gladiator was capable of almost anything he set his mind to due to his psionically-strengthened abilities, which essentially meant the character was fueled by his own confidence.

By masterfully adapting his mutant ability to absorb and rechannel energy into his kinetic field, he managed to create the briefest moment of self-doubt in Gladiator that negatively affected his powers and gave Cannonball the hard-fought win. This powerful and creative display of Cannonball's abilities dramatically altered his status with the rest of the X-Men, and his newfound reputation would lead him on to the Avengers and eventually as a member of the Imperial Guard working under Gladiator himself.

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