Rusty Collins
Encyclopedia
Russell "Rusty" Collins, formerly known as Firefist, is a fictional character
, a superhero
from Marvel Comics
.
and Jackson Guice
, Rusty Collins first appeared in X-Factor
#1 (February 1986).
The character subsequently appears in X-Factor #2 (March 1986), #4-5 (May–June 1986), #7-10 (August–November 1986), #12-23 (January–December 1987), #27-29 (April–June 1988), X-Factor Annual #3 (1988), X-Factor #30-33 (July–October 1988), X-Terminators #1-4 (October 1988-January 1989), The New Mutants #72-74 (February–April 1989), X-Factor #40-41 (May–June 1989), The New Mutants #76-78 (June–August 1989), #80 (October 1989), #82-87 (November 1989-March 1990), Fantastic Four #342 (July 1990), The New Mutants #100 (April 1991), Cable: Blood and Metal #1-2 (October–November 1992), X-Men #13 (October 1992), #15 (December 1992), X-Force #24-25 (July–August 1993), Cable #11 (May 1994), and X-Men vol. 2 #42 (July 1995).
Rusy Collins received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
#2, and the Marvel Encyclopedia HC vol. #2 - 'X-Men' (2003).
. Raised by his uncle, Rusty joins the US Navy at sixteen years of age. His mutant
power, generation of fire, manifests itself violently, burning a woman. Rusty is arrested, but set the arresting officer aflame and escapes.
X-Factor is alerted and came to the aid of Rusty, helping him to control his powers. He came to live with X-Factor, who were slowly gathering a small team of mutant wards. Rusty forms a relationship with Skids
, a former Morlock
.
For a time, they all lived upon Ship
, a sentient being in the form of a long, rectangular spacecraft that towered over all other Manhattan skyscrapers. Rusty and the X-Terminators help X-Factor when an old booby-trap activates, threatening Ship's brain with a gigantic bomb. Ultimately, the bomb explodes harmlessly far above Manhattan.
storyline, Skids and the other wards, taking the name X-Terminators
, the name their mentors used when traveling in their mutant guises, teamed up with the New Mutants
to help rescue mutant babies from N'astirh
, who was using them to help keep open a portal to Limbo
. Rusty himself had gone back into custody at the Navy but willingly goes with the group when he realizes his younger friends, Leech
and Artie Maddicks
have been captured by demonic forces. At the conclusion of Inferno, with Artie, Leech and the even younger kidnapped children involved rescued from the demons, Rusty joins the New Mutants, along with Skids, Rictor
and Boom Boom
.
Rusty and Skids help out when long time New Mutants member Danielle Moonstar
loses control of her mystical powers. During the incident they are separated from the rest of the group. Mystique
's Freedom Force attacks them at Liberty Island. Part of this conflict involves the ultimate fate of the children Rusty helped rescue; he believes that Freedom Force had wrongfully taken them into custody.
Due to a fight with Nitro
and Vulture
, Rusty is brought back into the sights of Freedom Force. While attempting to escape, he was severely injured by the Blob
. While recovering in the hospital, he and Skids were contacted by members of the Mutant Liberation Front
. With soldiers opening fire on them, they felt there was no other choice than to join them.
by Stryfe
into being two of his soldiers. During this, Rusty is part of a MLF strike team sent to a museum to steal an ancient artifact. Cable
, the man who took over the New Mutants soon after Rusty left, is there. Cable slays MLF member Sumo
. He attempts to kill the rest of the group but only gets two of them in the arm, Rusty included.
Due to the brainwashing, Rusty had no qualms about attacking former teammate Cannonball
during the X-Cutioner's Song
storyline. At the end of this story, the Mutant Liberation Front are turned over to the authorities.
Shortly after, Rusty and Skids were kidnapped by the Friends of Humanity
. While being transported, X-Force
(the team created by the former members of the New Mutants), rescued them. Arriving back to their base, X-Force was soon confronted by Exodus
. He was inviting original New Mutants Cannonball and Sunspot
to Avalon
, a "safe haven" for selected mutants. Cannonball refused to go unless all former New Mutants present (Boom Boom, Rictor, Rusty and Skids) were invited also. While Exodus complained that Rusty and Skids were "damaged" due to their brainwashing, he finally acquiesced.
Upon arriving at Avalon, the mutants were taken to "the Savior" (in reality Magneto
), who used his powers to undo the brainwashing done to Rusty and Skids. When X-Force arrived to save their friends, Rusty and Skids decided they would stay with Magneto, feeling that they owed him. With thus being done, they joined the Acolytes
.
When a mutant body belonging to Holocaust
, a "survivor" from the Age of Apocalypse
, was discovered floating in space near Avalon it was brought on board. While on guard duty watching over the thought-to-be frozen body, Rusty's life force was drained by Holocaust, killing him.
's army of deceased mutants. Under the control of Selene and Eli Bard
, he takes part in the assault on the mutant nation of Utopia
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
from Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
.
Publication history
Created by Bob LaytonBob Layton
Bob Layton is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor, who has worked for Marvel Comics, Valiant Comics, DC Comics, Future Comics, and other publishers.-Early life:...
and Jackson Guice
Jackson Guice
Jackson "Butch" Guice , is an American comic book artist who has worked steadily in the mainstream comics industry since the early 1980s.-Biography:...
, Rusty Collins first appeared in X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
#1 (February 1986).
The character subsequently appears in X-Factor #2 (March 1986), #4-5 (May–June 1986), #7-10 (August–November 1986), #12-23 (January–December 1987), #27-29 (April–June 1988), X-Factor Annual #3 (1988), X-Factor #30-33 (July–October 1988), X-Terminators #1-4 (October 1988-January 1989), The New Mutants #72-74 (February–April 1989), X-Factor #40-41 (May–June 1989), The New Mutants #76-78 (June–August 1989), #80 (October 1989), #82-87 (November 1989-March 1990), Fantastic Four #342 (July 1990), The New Mutants #100 (April 1991), Cable: Blood and Metal #1-2 (October–November 1992), X-Men #13 (October 1992), #15 (December 1992), X-Force #24-25 (July–August 1993), Cable #11 (May 1994), and X-Men vol. 2 #42 (July 1995).
Rusy Collins received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#2, and the Marvel Encyclopedia HC vol. #2 - 'X-Men' (2003).
Fictional character biography
Rusty Collins was born in Tulsa, OklahomaTulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. Raised by his uncle, Rusty joins the US Navy at sixteen years of age. His mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
power, generation of fire, manifests itself violently, burning a woman. Rusty is arrested, but set the arresting officer aflame and escapes.
X-Factor is alerted and came to the aid of Rusty, helping him to control his powers. He came to live with X-Factor, who were slowly gathering a small team of mutant wards. Rusty forms a relationship with Skids
Skids (comics)
Skids is a Marvel Comics mutant. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Jackson Guice, she first appeared in X-Factor vol. 1 #7 .-Morlocks:...
, a former Morlock
Morlocks (comics)
The Morlocks are a group of several fictional comic book mutants associated with the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, they were named after the subterranean race of the same name in H. G. Wells' novel The Time Machine. They first appeared...
.
For a time, they all lived upon Ship
Ship (comics)
The fictional A.I. entity originally known as Ship has appeared in several incarnations in the Marvel Universe. At times controlled by both the X-Men and their enemies, the sentient Ship A.I. has been at the core of a Celestial starship, two space stations, and a techno-organic being.-Ancient...
, a sentient being in the form of a long, rectangular spacecraft that towered over all other Manhattan skyscrapers. Rusty and the X-Terminators help X-Factor when an old booby-trap activates, threatening Ship's brain with a gigantic bomb. Ultimately, the bomb explodes harmlessly far above Manhattan.
Inferno
During the InfernoInferno (Marvel Comics)
Inferno was a Marvel Comics company-wide crossover in 1989 that mainly involved the mutant titles, namely The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, X-Terminators, Excalibur, and The New Mutants...
storyline, Skids and the other wards, taking the name X-Terminators
X-Terminators
The X-Terminators are fictional characters in the Marvel Universe.-History:The name "X-Terminators" was originally used by X-Factor at that group's inception. The five original X-Men had founded X-Factor Investigations, and posed as normal humans purported to be an organization of mutant-hunters...
, the name their mentors used when traveling in their mutant guises, teamed up with the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
to help rescue mutant babies from N'astirh
N'astirh
N'astirh is a fictional character created by Marvel Comics as a demonic inhabitant of Limbo. He first appeared in X-Factor #32 and was created by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove.-Fictional character biography:...
, who was using them to help keep open a portal to Limbo
Otherplace
Otherplace, is a fictional location in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in Uncanny X-Men #160, and was created by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson.-History:...
. Rusty himself had gone back into custody at the Navy but willingly goes with the group when he realizes his younger friends, Leech
Leech (comics)
Leech is a character in the Marvel Comics Universe.Leech made his first appearance in Uncanny X-Men as a Morlock, a group of mutants whose deformities force them to live in the sewers under Manhattan. He is usually depicted as being around 12 years old...
and Artie Maddicks
Artie Maddicks
Arthur "Artie" Maddicks is a fictional comic book character in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe. He first appeared in X-Factor #2 and was created by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice.-Publication history:...
have been captured by demonic forces. At the conclusion of Inferno, with Artie, Leech and the even younger kidnapped children involved rescued from the demons, Rusty joins the New Mutants, along with Skids, Rictor
Rictor
Rictor is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe, who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Walt Simonson and first appeared in X-Factor vol.1 #17...
and Boom Boom
Tabitha Smith
Tabitha Smith is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom, the character first appeared in Secret Wars II #5 . She later appeared as a member of the X-Force and, more recently, as a member of Nextwave...
.
Rusty and Skids help out when long time New Mutants member Danielle Moonstar
Danielle Moonstar
Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men....
loses control of her mystical powers. During the incident they are separated from the rest of the group. Mystique
Mystique (comics)
Mystique is a fictional character associated with the Marvel Comics' franchise X-Men. Originally created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, she first appeared in Ms...
's Freedom Force attacks them at Liberty Island. Part of this conflict involves the ultimate fate of the children Rusty helped rescue; he believes that Freedom Force had wrongfully taken them into custody.
Due to a fight with Nitro
Nitro (comics)
Nitro is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Captain Marvel #34 and was created by Jim Starlin....
and Vulture
Vulture (comics)
The Vulture is the name of six comic book supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The best known Vulture in the Marvel Universe is Adrian Toomes, an elderly enemy of Spider-Man created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in The Amazing Spider-Man #2 .-Golden Age Vulture:In Young Men #26, a scientist...
, Rusty is brought back into the sights of Freedom Force. While attempting to escape, he was severely injured by the Blob
Blob (comics)
The Blob is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men #3 ....
. While recovering in the hospital, he and Skids were contacted by members of the Mutant Liberation Front
Mutant Liberation Front
The Mutant Liberation Front, or MLF, is a Marvel Comics supervillain group, primarily enemies of X-Force. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist/co-writer Rob Liefeld, the original MLF first fully appeared in The New Mutants #87 ....
. With soldiers opening fire on them, they felt there was no other choice than to join them.
Brainwashed
Shortly after, Rusty and Skids were brainwashedMind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
by Stryfe
Stryfe
Stryfe is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character was created by Louise Simonson and Rob Liefeld, and first appears in The New Mutants #87...
into being two of his soldiers. During this, Rusty is part of a MLF strike team sent to a museum to steal an ancient artifact. Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
, the man who took over the New Mutants soon after Rusty left, is there. Cable slays MLF member Sumo
Sumo (comics)
Sumo is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in Tales of Suspense #61.-Fictional character biography:...
. He attempts to kill the rest of the group but only gets two of them in the arm, Rusty included.
Due to the brainwashing, Rusty had no qualms about attacking former teammate Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
during the X-Cutioner's Song
X-Cutioner's Song
"X-Cutioner's Song" is a crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics' in twelve parts from the November 1992 to early 1993. It involved the Uncanny X-Men, X-Men , X-Factor, and X-Force....
storyline. At the end of this story, the Mutant Liberation Front are turned over to the authorities.
Shortly after, Rusty and Skids were kidnapped by the Friends of Humanity
Friends of Humanity
The Friends of Humanity are one of the many anti-mutant hate groups in the Marvel Universe. Notable anti-mutant activists such as one time presidential-hopeful Graydon Creed and the robotic Bastion were among its members.-History:...
. While being transported, X-Force
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...
(the team created by the former members of the New Mutants), rescued them. Arriving back to their base, X-Force was soon confronted by Exodus
Exodus (comics)
Exodus is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Joe Quesada, he first appeared in X-Factor #92...
. He was inviting original New Mutants Cannonball and Sunspot
Sunspot (comics)
Sunspot is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero most commonly associated with X-Men-related groups the New Mutants and X-Force....
to Avalon
Providence (comics)
Providence is a fictional island featured in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Providence, located in the South Pacific Ocean, southwest of Hawaii at 20°N 165°W, is an artificial island made of parts from Cable’s old space station Graymalkin...
, a "safe haven" for selected mutants. Cannonball refused to go unless all former New Mutants present (Boom Boom, Rictor, Rusty and Skids) were invited also. While Exodus complained that Rusty and Skids were "damaged" due to their brainwashing, he finally acquiesced.
Upon arriving at Avalon, the mutants were taken to "the Savior" (in reality Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
), who used his powers to undo the brainwashing done to Rusty and Skids. When X-Force arrived to save their friends, Rusty and Skids decided they would stay with Magneto, feeling that they owed him. With thus being done, they joined the Acolytes
Acolytes (comics)
The Acolytes is a team of comic book mutant supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The Acolytes followed the principles of the mutant Magneto, particularly the mutant right of superiority over normal humans. Some members of the Acolytes even worshipped him with a religious fervor and regarded...
.
When a mutant body belonging to Holocaust
Holocaust (comics)
Holocaust is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men Alpha , and was created by Scott Lobdell and Roger Cruz.-Fictional character biography:...
, a "survivor" from the Age of Apocalypse
Age of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 - 1996 comic book crossover storyline published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616, although it was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295, it had...
, was discovered floating in space near Avalon it was brought on board. While on guard duty watching over the thought-to-be frozen body, Rusty's life force was drained by Holocaust, killing him.
Return
Rusty is resurrected by means of the Transmode Virus to serve as part of SeleneSelene (comics)
Selene Gallio is a fictional character, a comic book supervillainess from the Marvel Comics universe. She is a mutant, and an enemy of the X-Men often associated with the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle.-Publication history:...
's army of deceased mutants. Under the control of Selene and Eli Bard
Eli Bard
Eli Bard is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain from the Marvel Comics universe. He is a member of the Purifiers and an enemy of the X-Men.-Fictional character biography:...
, he takes part in the assault on the mutant nation of Utopia
Utopia (comics)
"Utopia" is a 2009 comic book crossover story arc written by Matt Fraction and published by Marvel Comics, starring the X-Men and the Dark Avengers...
.
Powers and abilities
Rusty could turn some or all of his body into flames. He could also create flames around his body or up to twenty feet away from himself, though he rarely did this.Television
- A much younger version of Rusty was featured in the X-MenX-Men (TV series)X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
episode "No Mutant is an Island." There he was an orphan whom CyclopsCyclops (comics)Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
met while visiting his old orphanage in Nebraska. Rusty was finding it hard to control his pyrokenetic powers. A man known as KilgravePurple ManThe Purple Man is a Marvel Comics supervillain. Originally a foe of Daredevil, he was introduced in Daredevil vol. 1 #4...
, offered to help and adopted Rusty seemingly out of charity. In reality, Kilgrave, a mutant himself with telepathic abilities, wanted to use the powers of Rusty, SkidsSkids (comics)Skids is a Marvel Comics mutant. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Jackson Guice, she first appeared in X-Factor vol. 1 #7 .-Morlocks:...
, Boom BoomTabitha SmithTabitha Smith is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom, the character first appeared in Secret Wars II #5 . She later appeared as a member of the X-Force and, more recently, as a member of Nextwave...
, RictorRictorRictor is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe, who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Walt Simonson and first appeared in X-Factor vol.1 #17...
, and Whiz KidTaki MatsuyaTakashi "Taki" Matsuya or sometimes called the Wiz Kid is a fictional mutant character from Marvel Comics. Created by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove, his first appearance was in X-Terminators #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
to take over as governor. Cyclops was able to snap Rusty and the others out of Kilgrave's hypnotic brainwashing in the end.