Russell "Rusty" Collins, formerly known as Firefist, is a fictional

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. Firefist was portrayed in the 2018 film ''

Deadpool 2 ''Deadpool 2'' is a 2018 American superhero comedy film based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, it is the sequel to ''Deadpool'' (2016) and the eleventh installment overall in the ''X-Men'' film series. ...

'', by

Julian Dennison Julian Bailey Dennison (born 26 October 2002) is a New Zealand actor. He debuted in the 2013 film ''Shopping'', for which he won the English Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actor. He is known for his roles as Ricky Baker in '' Hunt ...

Publication history

Created by

Bob Layton Bob Layton (born 1953) is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comics titles such as '' Iron Man'' and ''Hercules'', and for co-founding Valiant Comics with Jim Shooter. Early life Bob Layton ...

and

Jackson Guice Jackson "Butch" Guice (born June 27, 1961) is an American comics artist who has worked in the comics industry since the 1980s. Biography Guice was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.. Retrieved March 21, 2008. Growing up in the 1960s, Guice was fond o ...

, Rusty Collins first appeared in ''

X-Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' #1 (Feb. 1986).

Fictional character biography

Rusty Collins was born in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. Raised by his uncle, Rusty joins the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

at sixteen years of age. His

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...

power, generation of fire, manifests itself violently, burning a woman. Rusty is arrested, but when a prison guard playfully threatens him with deadly harm, he bursts into flames again and escapes.''X-Factor'' #1 (Feb. 1986) X-Factor is alerted and comes to Rusty's aid, helping him to control his powers. He comes to live with X-Factor, who are slowly gathering a small team of mutant wards. Rusty forms a relationship with Skids, a former

Morlock Morlocks are a fictional species created by H. G. Wells for his 1895 novel,''The Time Machine'', and are the main antagonists. Since their creation by H. G. Wells, the Morlocks have appeared in many other works such as sequels, films, televisio ...

. For a time, they all live upon

Ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

, 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 1989 "

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...

" storyline, Skids and the other wards, taking the name

X-Terminators The X-Terminators are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. History The name "X-Men" was originally used by X-Factor at that group's inception. The five original X-Men (Angel, Beast, Cyclops, I ...

, the name their mentors used when traveling in their mutant guises, teamed up with the

New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically us ...

to help rescue mutant babies from

N'astirh N'astirh is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created as a demonic inhabitant of Otherplace. Publication history N'astirh first appeared in ''X-Factor'' #32 and was created by ...

, who was using them to help keep open a portal to

Limbo In Catholic theology, Limbo (Latin '' limbus'', edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. Medieval theologians of Western Euro ...

. Rusty himself had gone back into custody at the Navy but willingly goes with the group when he realizes his younger friends,

Leech Leeches are segmented parasitic or predatory worms that comprise the subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the oligochaetes, which include the earthworm, and like them have soft, muscular segmented bodie ...

and

Artie Maddicks M-11 Originally known as the Human Robot, the character was given the name "M-11" in the 2006 to 2007 ''Agents of Atlas'' miniseries as an allusion to its first appearance in '' Menace'' #11 from Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics. ...

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 Rapamycin-insensitive companion of mammalian target of rapamycin (RICTOR) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''RICTOR'' gene. RICTOR and mTOR are components of a protein complex that integrates nutrient- and growth factor-derived si ...

and Boom Boom. Rusty and Skids help out when long time New Mutants member

Danielle Moonstar Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Northern Cheyenne superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in the graphic novel ''The New Mutants'' (Sept. ...

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 Nitro may refer to: Chemistry *Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed: **Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2 **Nitroalkene, ...

and

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

, Rusty is brought back into the sights of Freedom Force. While attempting to escape, he was severely injured by the

Blob Blob may refer to: Science Computing * Binary blob, in open source software, a non-free object file loaded into the kernel * Binary large object (BLOB), in computer database systems * A storage mechanism in the cloud computing platform M ...

. While recovering in the hospital, he and Skids were contacted by members of the

Mutant Liberation Front This is a list of some of the major foes of the Marvel Comics superhero team, the X-Men. Central rogues' gallery Other recurring antagonists Teams See also * List of X-Men members References {{DEFAULTSORT:X-Men Enemies, List Of Enemies ...

. With soldiers opening fire on them, they felt there was no other choice than to join them.

Brainwashed

Shortly after, Rusty and Skids were brainwashed by

Stryfe Stryfe is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero team X-Force. He is a clone of Cable. Publication history The character was created by Louise Simo ...

into being two of his soldiers. During this, Rusty is part of an MLF strike team sent to a museum to steal an ancient artifact.

Cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

, the man who took over the New Mutants soon after Rusty left, is there. Cable slays MLF member

Sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

. 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 A round shot (also called solid shot or simply ball) is a solid spherical projectile without explosive charge, launched from a gun. Its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the barrel from which it is shot. A round shot fired from a lar ...

during the

X-Cutioner's Song "X-Cutioner's Song" is a crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics' in twelve parts from November 1992 to early 1993. It ran in ''Uncanny X-Men'', ''X-Men'' (vol. 2), ''X-Factor'', and '' X-Force'', and featured Stryfe as the central villai ...

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 The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...

. While being transported,

X-Force X-Force is a fictional team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team first appeared in ''New Mutants#New Muta ...

(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 or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

. He was inviting original New Mutants Cannonball and

Sunspot Sunspots are phenomena on the Sun's photosphere that appear as temporary spots that are darker than the surrounding areas. They are regions of reduced surface temperature caused by concentrations of magnetic flux that inhibit convection. Sun ...

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

, 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.''X-Force'' #25 (Aug. 1993) Upon arriving at Avalon, the mutants were taken to "the Savior" (in reality

Magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...

), 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 this being done, they joined the Acolytes. When a mutant body belonging to

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

, a "survivor" from the

Age of Apocalypse "Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The ''Age of Apocalypse'' briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comic ...

, 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.''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

'' #42 (July 1995)

Return

Rusty is resurrected by means of the Transmode Virus to serve as part of

Selene In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene (; grc-gre, Σελήνη , meaning "Moon"''A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη) is the goddess and the personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene, she is traditionally the daughter o ...

's army of deceased mutants. Under the control of Selene and

Eli Bard Nakia Bahadir Nakia Bahadir is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a Turkish girl and friend of Kamala Khan. Nakia Bahadir in other media Nakia Bahadir appears in ''Ms. Marvel'', portrayed ...

, he takes part in the assault on the mutant nation of

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...

.''X-Force'' vol. 3 #21 (Jan. 2010)

Powers and abilities

Rusty Collins is a mutant with the psionic ability of pyrokinesis. He can control and manipulate fire, as well as turn some or all of his body into flames. He is immune to the effects fire would otherwise normally have on his body.

In other media

* A young Rusty Collins appears in the ''

'' episode "No Mutant is an Island". This version is an orphan living in Nebraska who has difficulty controlling his pyrokinetic powers until a telepathic mutant named Killgrave offers to help. After adopting him, Killgrave attempts to use Rusty, among other mutants, to become Nebraska's governor. However, his plan is foiled by

Cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...

, who snaps Rusty and the others out of Killgrave's hypnotic brainwashing. * Russell Collins / Firefist appears in ''

'', portrayed by

while

Sala Baker Sala Baker (born 22 September 1976) is a New Zealand actor and stuntman. He is best known for portraying the villain Sauron in the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy by Peter Jackson. Career Originally hired as one of several stunt performers fo ...

portrays an older version from a post-apocalyptic future. This version is a 14-year-old New Zealander who was tortured at the "Essex School" along with other mutant children. After killing his primary tormentor, the school's headmaster, he became fascinated with killing and went on to kill

's family in the future. When Cable travels back in time to kill a young Russell and avert his family's deaths,

Deadpool Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...

is charged with protecting the boy and ensuring he does not become a killer.

References

External links

Rusty Collins
at Marvel.com
UncannyXmen.net Spotlight on Rusty Collins

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Rusty Comics characters introduced in 1986 Fictional characters from Tulsa, Oklahoma Fictional sailors Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities Deadpool characters Marvel Comics mutants Marvel Comics superheroes Marvel Comics supervillains Characters created by Bob Layton X-Men supporting characters New Mutants X-Factor (comics) Film supervillains Male film villains