Mikhail Rasputin
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Mikhail Nikolaievitch Rasputin is a Marvel Comics supervillain, best known as the brother of the X-Men's Colossus. He is also the older brother of the deceased New Mutant, Magik. Created by Jim Lee and John Byrne, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men (February 1992).
Rasputin is a mutant with substance-altering and dimension-hopping abilities. He was a Cosmonaut and the Russian Federal Space Agency tried to test his powers by sending him on a suicide mission. He was the only surviving member of his crew and returned to Earth mentally unbalanced, harboring a dangerous messiah complex.
He sometimes collaborates his efforts with other villains such as Callisto, Omega Red, Apocalypse, and Mister Sinister.
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[edit] Fictional character biography
The fact that Colossus had an older brother was first revealed in Uncanny X-Men #99. He was a Russian Cosmonaut and was believed dead after a faulty mission where his space shuttle exploded. However, it was later discovered that the explosion was set up by the government who learned of Mikhail's powers and wanted to exploit them without the family's interaction.
Mikhail made his first actual appearance in Uncanny X-Men #285. His superiors sent him into an inter-dimensional void, counting on his powers to keep him and his comrades safe, to see what was on the other side. He found a world, although he was the only survivor of his crew. He soon became a messiah-like figure and found himself embroiled in a civil war. The X-Men happened to end up on the same planet, and told Mikhail that he had to close the void before it destroyed both this world and their home. However, having had one failed attempt that killed many, Mikhail was apprehensive to try it again. With the help of Sunfire, Iceman, and Jean Grey he succeeded, and was transported home where next he appeared with the Morlocks.
Tragically, after Mikhail set himself up as leader of the Morlocks, the tunnel-dwelling mutants beneath New York City, he massacred nearly all of them by flooding the tunnels in Uncanny X-Men #293. He did, however, survive, as seen in the second Storm limited series, along with Callisto the former leader of the band of outcasts and a group of Morlocks who later descended to form Gene Nation. In a world where time moves faster than normal, Mikhail had established a citadel for himself on the top of a massive hill. The pseudo-Darwinian philosophy of "survival of the fittest" was the only thing which governed the society. If someone could reach the summit of the hill they were considered "fit" and worthy of being part of Gene Nation. Mikhail was forced to transport Storm and the Gene Nationals back to Earth, but he escaped once more (presumably back to the Hill) ranting about his benefactor being displeased with him. Storm then transported all of the Gene Nationals to a dying village in Africa where they would eke out a new life for themselves. It was discovered that Mikhail was working for the Dark Beast to try and propagate a group of elite warriors.
Distraught by the death of his little sister Illyana by the Legacy Virus, Mikhail decided to do something. In the limited series New Mutants: Truth or Death Mikhail goes back and exposes his sister to the virus when she is in her aged form, thinking that with her magical abilities it would shield her from harm and help her to build an immunity. It was later revealed that Mikhail himself was suffering from the disease and was also trying to rid his body of the fatal virus. However, his plan backfired and Illyana contracted the disease, her brother having been the one to administer it to her.
Most recently in the Colossus: Bloodline mini-series, Mikhail has made a reappearance and this time has allied himself with Sinister. The two are attempting to assassinate all of the members of the Rasputin family but one, so that the spirit of their forefather Grigory Rasputin may be concentrated and reincarnated in the last remaining member of the lineage. Mikhail teleported himself and his brother to another dimension that was a series of rocky caves. Not wanting to physically kill his brother, he decided to leave him in the rock dimension where he would die in a matter of weeks. However, away from Sinister for a period of time, he was able to overcome his mental manipulations and came to his senses, rescuing his brother. His final decision was to teleport to a world named The Dark Zone, a dimension from which it was impossible to return and also once entered, impossible to die in. This protected the rest of the Rasputin line from the depredations of Sinister as at some point Mikhail would have been the sole surviving Rasputin, which would then trap his ancestor in the dark zone. Colossus tried to persuade him to save himself, but Mikhail determined that it would be best for the possible problem and for his own insanity.
- Rasputin retained his powers post-M-day.
[edit] Notes
Mikhail's sacrifice in Colossus: Bloodline was really an unnecessary one due to the existence of Colossus' son Peter who lives in the Savage Land. However, his existence is unknown to their family.
[edit] Alternate versions
[edit] Age of Apocalypse
In the Age of Apocalypse, Mikhail was one of the Russian mutants that opposed Apocalypse's invasion. He killed War, one of Apocalypse's Horsemen. However, Apocalypse captured Mikhail and brainwashed him. Mikhail became a Prelate and one of Apocalypse's Horsemen, and turned his powers into himself, significally altering his physiology and appearance. The land that was delegated to him is a significant portion of mid-eastern North America. Mikhail surrounded himself with human servants, the survivors of his Upscales Program, which turned ordinary humans into cyborgs under his control, and employed the Stryfe Force as his personal army. At his side was his majordomo Keeper Murdock (the AoA-Daredevil), who served Rasputin out of personal gratitude, as he believed his powers were the product of Rasputin's Upscale Program.
Rasputin abandoned North America and approached the Human High Council with an offering of peace, which he didn't intend to fulfill. The Forgotten Horseman, as he was nicknamed, captured the Council Agents aboard his ships and planned on murdering the Human High Council leaders. His plan was to assume control of all Europe using the amplified powers of Empath to manipulate the emotions of all humans. However, the Council agents took control of Rasputin's fleet. Mikhail was stopped from murdering the Council leaders by Donald Blake, who killed the Horseman by pushing him out of the Big Ben, at the cost of his own life.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Mikhail's powers have always been rather ambiguous and have never fully been explained. The Age of Apocalpyse version is said to, "command energy and force forces." In various appearances he is shown to be able to manipulate the substance of matter on a subatomic level and warp energy wavelengths, allowing him to fire destructive blasts and teleport through space and dimensions although the full extent and limit of his powers are unknown.
[edit] Appearances in other media
In the video game X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, Mikhail is the second of the Horsemen of Apocalypse encountered. His appearance is more reminiscent of his character in the Age of Apocalypse storyline from Marvel comics than his traditional look.
