Piotr Rasputin isn't an Omega Level mutant, but you might think otherwise after you see him bench press a bus or curl a massive tree! Hailing from Mother Russian, Piotr learned that he could turn his skin into organic steel when he was 13. Not long afterward, Charles Xavier offered Piotr and his sister a safe place to hone their powers.
Ever since then, Piotr's defended the weak and battled the forces of evil under the codename Colossus. An ancient Russian proverb suggests that "the best defense is an attack." Piotr's powers offer him the best of both worlds - allowing him to give as good as he gets! Below are ten of the Proletarian's most ridiculous feats of strength - sans Cytorrak or the Phoenix Force's influences.
10 KO's A Wendigo
The Marvel Comics Universe's quasi Sci-Fi/ Fantasy setting enables all sorts of mythological characters to interact with Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the like. For goodness' sake, the Norse God of Thunder is a founding Avenger! Not all of these interactions are peaceful; for every mythological hero that aids humankind, there's a monster that's out for blood.
The Wendigo is a cannibalistic spirit from Algonquian lore. In the Marvel Universe, these monsters have fought the likes of Wolverine, The Thing, The Hulk, and Colossus on multiple occasions! With each encounter, our heroes learned how to better deal with this man-eating monstrosities. As one of his greatest displays of strength, Piotr once knocked out a Wendigo with one swift move!
9 Eats A Punch From Rockslide
Santo Vaccarro, aka Rockslide, is a virtually unkillable X-Man from Boston, Massachusetts. Our use of the adjective 'virtually unkillable' isn't hyperbole, by the way. Rockslide is a mutant whose body is completely made of inorganic rocks - if he loses an arm, Santo just needs to find enough rocks to repair himself!
Unfortunately, Santo is a bit of a hothead who sometimes buys into his own hype too much. After getting into an argument with Colossus, Rockslide believed that he could knock out his senior X-Man. Santo threw a haymaker at Piotr - only for the Russian to tank Rockslide's blow without flinching! Suffice it to say that Santo slowed down his role after this blunder.
8 Powers Through War Machine's Arsenal
Despite their best efforts, the MCU's depiction of War Machine pales in comparison to his comic book counterpart. In the Mainstream Marvel Universe, James Rhodes is an Avenger, a Secret Defender, and a US Marine Lieutenant! The Iron Patriot has traded blows with the best of them and lived to tell the tale. Not every hero can say they've fought the Greek God of War, but James can.
Years of fighting can put a warrior on edge, however, occasionally causing them to lash out at friend and foe alike. Colossus typically tries to talk his friends down when they're enraged. But Rhodes wasn't having any of that and unleashed his full arsenal on Piotr. The Russian responded by tanking War Machine's missiles, bullets, and blasts before swiftly KOing him!
7 Grabs Ultimate Iron Man Mid-Flight
In a completely unrelated incident, Colossus once traded blows with Iron Man! This battle took place in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Here, mirror images of our favorite heroes and villains live in a world with elevated stakes and permadeath. Most characters completely identical to their Mainstream counterparts, while others are stronger or weaker to varying degrees.
Ultimate Colossus is the same as his Earth 616 version, while Ultimate Iron's mind was irradiated by an Infinity Stone! Antonio Stark's technopathic powers didn't stop Piotr from fighting him head-on, or catching Iron Man mid-flight! For added context, Ultimate Iron Man can fly at least Mach 3 (2,300 mph) speeds.
6 Colossus Catches A Train
Okay readers, raise your hands if you were around when Spider-Man 2 came out. Cool, now keep your hand up if you remember that dramatic scene where Peter Parket used his powers to stop a train! Nobody raised their hands, did they? Eh, we're probably all on the same page - there are more than enough Spider-Man memes to keep the train scene memetic and iconic.
As awesome as that scene was, Spider-Man nearly killed himself trying to stop the train. In stark contrast to that, Colossus didn't break a sweat the last time he stopped a runaway locomotive. That thing probably weighed ~ 5,000 tons and Piotr caught it like a fastball!
5 The Fastball Special
That transition could've been much more graceful, but it did bring us to our next topic. Numerous Marvel superheroes have pioneered unique signature moves in the same vein as WWE wrestlers. Iron Man has his Uni-Beam and the Human Torch can go 'Supernova.' However, the Fastball Special is undoubtedly the most famous tag-team signature move in comic book history!
The move looks simple enough - Colossus picks up Wolverine and chucks him like a football. Thing is, Wolverine weighs 300 pounds thanks to his Adamantium skeleton! Every time Piotr and Logan perform this move, it's like the Russian is throwing a washing machine with one hand. Piotr's also performed the Fastball Special with Emma Frost in her diamond form! Moreover, the Fastball Special takes a lot of accuracy and coordination on Piotr's part. over the years, he's managed to hit airborne targets moving at high speeds.
4 Carries A K14 Submarine Out Of The Ocean
Do you want to know what's more impressive than stopping a high-speed train or throwing an angry Canadian with pinpoint accuracy? Singlehandedly lifting a 2,010-ton submarine from out of the ocean! Referencing the Ultimate Universe one again, Colossus once dragged a K14 submarine out of the ocean and onto a nearby beach.
This feat exhausted Piotr for a short time, but he soon regained his composure and said that he felt "fantastic" when asked about the experience. It's worth noting that K14 subs weigh approximately 2,607 tons once submerged! Colossus also didn't have much leverage under the sea, meaning he probably had to propel the sub upward with his own momentum!
3 Cracks The Juggernaut's Helmet
At the start of this article, we said we'd list Colossus' best feats sans Cyttorak's influence. Technically, the Crimson God did affect this feat - but to Piotr's detriment, not his benefit! Indeed, this feat best displays what happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force.
During the Fear Itself event, a demon named Kuurth possessed Cain Marko - enhancing his already formidable Juggernaut powers. When the demon-possessed Juggernaut went on a rampage, Colussus set out to stop him with his sister Magik's aid. Piotr had a hard time matching Marko's newfound power. Ultimately, Piotr managed to crack the Juggernaut's nigh-invulnerable helmet with a solid straight!
2 Shields The X-Men From A 'Terminus Blast'
These days, the average person is at least partially familiar with many of Marvel's big baddies thanks to other artistic mediums. The MCU alone introduced millions of people to Ultron, Dormammu, and Thanos while rappers like MF Doom and Eminem are fans of Dr. Doom and Venom respectively. One villain that isn't as famous is Terminus - who is just as deadly as the villains mentioned previously.
This massive homunculus was created centuries ago as a weapon against the Celestials! Using his powerful staff, Terminus can reduce mountains into pebbles. This fact didn't stop Colossus from taking a direct blast from this beast to save his teammates! Piotr stood tall and endured Terminus' punishment for minutes - surviving through sheer force of will.
1 Trades Blows With World War Hulk
The heading for this article and that cute little picture up there says it all, doesn't it? Still, it's hard to wrap your head around this incredible feat; Piotr Rasputin, a simple farm boy from Russia, went mono-a-mono with the "strongest one there is" in his foe's most powerful state!
No, Colossus didn't win this battle - the Hulk actually broke his arms after winning a brutal game of mercy! However, the fact that Piotr endured a beating from Worldbreaker Hulk shouldn't be overlooked. Moreover, the bravery that Piotr displayed - facing a monster that trounced scores of powerful heroes and villains - is what makes this feat so impressive in our eyes.