Origin
When Mikhail first developed his powers the Soviet Union, who had been carefully watching the Rasputin family due to their legacy, wanted to explore his powers, but were unable do so due to his family’s intervention. Doing so a fake governmental agency was established and Mikhail was chosen as a cosmonaut, he and his crew where sent to a thinner area of space where his shuttle was detonated. Back on his family farm, the Rasputins were informed of their older son’s death and Piotr sought out to be twice the son for his parents. However like the Soviet Union had hoped, Mikhail’s powers saved him by ripping away at the sub-atomic wall of space and Mikhail found himself in a swords and sorcery like world. Being the only survivor was not the only shock, getting used to this new technological deprived world was the second. Mikhail did an excellent job; he was easily trusted by the locals, fell in love with a princess, and married. His father-in-law, however, was something of a tyrant, and Mikhail found himself embroiled in political conflicts that led to a civil war. For unexpected reasons the rift that he originally opened when in near death, opened once again. Mikhailâs powers allowed him to close it, but the backlash killed hundreds of his people, including his wife.
Mayor Story Arcs
Meeting the X-Men
His new life a mess, Mikhail fled to the desert of his world, where he remained until the X-Men and Sunfire traveled through the re-opened rift to try and seal it. The meeting with the X-Men was very special to him, since he saw his long lost brother Peter, now a member of the X-Men as Colossus. While he was afraid of using his powers ever again, the X-Men convinced him to do so whuke using Sunfire and Iceman as elemental receptors, Mikhail controlled the backlash and they were able to close the rift and return to Earth, without any loss of life. Mikhail then joined his brother to America and the X-Men. Life back on earth was harder for Mikhail then he thought however. He had visions of his dead, torturing him in his mind. Not even his brother could help him, although the two did draw closer to each-other once more.
Morlocks
Eventually, Mikhail was taken over by fear of his visions and fled the X-Men and fled into the Morlock Tunnels, where after a battle with the X-Men, he collapsed and flooded the Morlocksâ home, taking them with him. They did not die, though, as Mikhail used his power to open a new dimensional rift to a nasty world called the Hill. The hill was essentially just that, nothing more than a hill. The Morlocks now lived in a dog-eat-dog society where they would climb levels on this enormous hill and fight their way up. They were forced to learn how to kill or die right away. The ones who were able to make it it to the top were deemed fit and allowed to join Gene Nation.
After Colossus and Marrow disbanded the X-Men, Mikhail abducted them in a gallery art where was an Illyana´s drawing done by Piotr, he transported them to the hill and tried to use Colossus´ imagination to got back to life a representation of their sister. Colossus refused to collaborate with Mikhail making his brother enraged. Marrow lived a complete flashback of her early years living in the hill and what she did to survive in that world. Marrow remembered everything and attacked Mikhail. After a fight they discovered that an alien entitiy was possessing Mikhail and finally the managed to remove it. A knocked out Mikahil was translated to X-Men medical headquarters where he was abducted by Apocalypse.
The Twelve
He appears as one of the Twelve mutants with power to destroy Apocalypse. After those events, Mikhail returned back to Russia and nothing much was heard from him again after that.
Colossus: Bloodlines
Mikhail was seen again when he accompanied Mr Sinister with the killing off the members of the extended Rasputin Family. It appeared that Mikhail was suffering from headaches, perhaps brought on by his proximity to his relatives. He managed to transport himself and Colossus to a reality of solid rock, and left Piotr there so he could be the lone Rasputin and absorb all of the dispersed portions of the psyche of his ancestor, Grigoriy Efimovich Rasputin. However, the good aspects of some of his relatives appeared to hold influence in his mind, and Mikhail refused to finish assisting Sinister. He returned to the rock universe to save Piotr, and then exiled himself into an inter-dimensional void, so that he would never die and Rasputin would never be reborn. In order to keep the ‘curse of Rasputin’ at bay, Mikhail has apparently banished himself to a place known as Kapalan.
Powers and Abilities
Matter Manipulation: While Mikhail’s powers were never accurately defined, perhaps because there was no power definition, he displayed the ability to rearrange matter to some extent. He could forcible fuse a man with a tree, manipulate Iceman’s body and accomplish other strange feats. He also used his powers in other ways such as firing energy blasts, tampering with people’s powers and teleportation. He could transport himself as well as others by opening up dimensional portals. It is difficult to tell whether or not he had some kind of enhanced perception, as he was able to realize Iceman’s potential simply by looking at him. Without having any prior interaction with Bobby, Mikhail was able to show him how to better use his powers.
Alternate Realities
Earth-295
In the Age of Apocalypse Mikhail killed Apocalypse‘s horseman War. Apocalypse then made him his new War. He joined the Horsemen of Apocalypse with Abyss, Mr. Sinister, and Holocaust. He was eventually killed by Thor by being pushed out of Big Ben. Thor was also killed in this event.
Other Media
Video Games
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
Mikhail Rasputin appears as a boss to fight in this video game. In the game he is one of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse and he has the same design as in ‘Age of Apocalypse’ storyline. He uses his mutant powers to slow the characters.