An issue of What If…? highlighted how important Colossus was to an early mission for the X-Men — and how they would have failed without him.
The X-Men have grown to become their own nation, expanding their roster and reach across the entire Marvel Universe. But without one crucial hero in a pivotal early moment in the team’s overall history, the mutant heroes might have been removed from the board years early.
What If…? once revealed Colossus’s important role within the X-Men during their first encounter with Proteus which meant his absence more or less doomed one world’s version of the mutant heroes in brutal fashion.
When Colossus was recruited to the X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men #1 by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum, he filled a pivotal role in the roster. Thanks to his metallic form, Colossus was capable of amazing acts of strength and durability that his more vulnerable teammates couldn’t match. This was especially crucial in the battle against Proteus in Uncanny X-Men #128 by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. The sweet-natured tank that he was, Colossus was the only one who could defeat Proteus — with his protective nature for his friends overcoming his moral constraints over effectively murdering the dangerous mutant. What If…? highlighted how vital Colossus was to the team during this era, revealing without him the Proteus Saga would have taken some severely dark turns.
What If…? #110 by Bill Roseman and Melvin Rubi explored a world where Xavier’s attempts to recruit Colossus backfired terribly. On Earth-987, Colossus was too distracted by Xavier to notice the out-of-control tractor on his farm. In the core world of Earth-616 (and many others across the multiverse), Colossus transformed to his steel state and saved his sister Illyana from the tractor. But in this world, Pitor and Xavier were inside when they were speaking instead of on the farm itself — and Illyana was killed by the out-of-control tractor instead. Blaming Xavier for the distraction, Colossus refused to join the X-Men, instead, he became a major member of the Soviet Super-Soldiers alongside this world’s Darkstar, Crimson Dynamo, and Ursa Major.
Without Colossus as a member of the team, the X-Men’s encounter with Proteus resulted in the Omega-Level reality-warper taking over the body of Jean Grey — at the time secretly an extension of the Phoenix Force. Coupled with that cosmic power, the Proteus Phoenix was able to defeat the X-Men and become the most powerful being on Earth. As it tore Edinburgh apart unchecked, the Russian Super-Soldiers arrived on the scene to help, but too late to save Nightcrawler or Cyclops from Proteus’ wraith. Ultimately, Charles Xavier was forced to make the ultimate sacrifice — offering up his body to Proteus, the body-hopping mutant jumps at the chance to gain Omega-Level telepathy. But Xavier and Colossus had planned ahead, and the Russian mutant was able to kill Xavier and Proteus in one fell swoop.
It’s a brutal timeline that seemingly ended in the defeat of the X-Men (and likely their dissolution following the brutal losses of their founder and teammates). It also could only offer a bittersweet peace for Colossus who following the battle retired with Darkstar and led a quiet family life. The city of Edinburgh became such a twisted landscape that it’s likely mutants are feared more than ever in this reality. Without the X-Men, it’s unlikely the future of mutants around the globe is any brighter — all because Colossus wasn’t able to become the X-Men’s foundation in the early days of the team’s expansion into some of the world’s most important and powerful heroes. Without Colossus as a member of the team during that mission, the team more or less failed on every major level.
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