I have raised you to be good, as the universe needs a light. You are a hero in a blighted world. You alone are free. You alone can save us. Save us all, Rasputin IV. Save us from my sins. 
History
Origins[]
Rasputin IV was a chimera created to be the perfect captain for a special mission. Having ravaged the nearby galaxies and destroyed the interstellar empires of the Galactic Council, the Quiet Council of Sinisters hungered for new worlds to conquer. To that end, they had Mr. Sinister create a chimera for the mission of captaining an exploration vessel designed to discover new worlds.
After trying three times, Sinister managed to create Rasputin IV; a stable chimera combining five X-Genes and perfectly moulded to be a captain and hero. Armed with a Soulsword, Rasputin was showed off to the council and declared ready for her mission. Aware that in creating Rasputin he had made himself obsolete and useless to the council, Sinister took her aside and undid the Sinister-conditioning programming her. He confessed his sins to her, telling her of the original Krakoa, and the paradise it had been before he destroyed it. He told her that there was a way back to that unspoiled paradise through a device of his, which had been stolen from him, and begged her to help him retrieve it and to save the universe. Rasputin agreed, and the pair stole the ship and crew designed for Rasputin's original mission, and left to find Sinister's device in order to save the universe.[4]
Despite Sinister's optimism that it would take them a few years at most, the pair would spend 900 years on their quest, long outliving the rest of their crew. Tracing a lead to an Exodus prayer world, Rasputin found coordinates and a message from Destiny to Sinister. Arriving at the coordinates, they discovered a phonograph cylinder with a message from Destiny, telling Sinister how to find the Moira Engine. While eavesdropping on the conversation, Rasputin realized that Sinister had lied to her about his intentions and that he was not seeking the Moira Engine to save the universe at all, merely to continue his experiment upon resetting the timeline. She attacked him, but Sinister managed to jettison her from the ship, leaving her to die in empty space. As she lay there drifting, Rasputin was approached by Mother Righteous who offered her vengeance on Sinister in exchange for a deal.
Mother Righteous made Rasputin part of her Reliquary Perilous, which she intended to use to send her knowledge of this timeline back to herself in the past.[5] Mother Righteous failed, but the reliquary was claimed by Moira MacTaggert who proceeded to activate the reliquary. Rasputin's mind was sent backwards in time to the days of the real Krakoa, where the machine housing the Moira Engine regrew her body.
Journey to the Past[]
Rasputin emerged just in time to prevent Mr. Sinister from fleeing and ensure he was punished for his crimes. Once he had been sent to the Pit she introduced the Quiet Council to Mother Righteous, whom she credited for saving the galaxy.[6]
Rasputin began working as an enforcer for the Quiet Council, helping Storm manage the members of the council whose resurrections had been compromised by Mr. Sinister and being assigned as their personal security at all times.[7]
She later attended the third Hellfire Gala, where she bonded with Ms. Marvel, whom she had known as a great hero in her future. When Orchis attacked the gala, Rasputin helped fight them. When Professor X was coerced into using his powers to force every mutant to leave Earth, Rasputin was one of few capable of breaking his telepathic hold on her. She joined others who managed to break free in escaping to a Hellfire Club hideout.[8] She joined the other escapees in fighting against Orchis.[1]
In the middle of the X-Men's rescue of Cyclops, Rasputin was called away by Professor X.[9] She joined the crew of No-Place X, attempting to fight the Enigma. Rasputin ventured into the alternate timelines created by the Moira Engine, hoping to kill the Essex clones in each one before they could attempt becoming Dominions and prevent the Enigma from existing. However, when she arrived too late to stop Doctor Stasis in Moira IV.8 she had allowed each clone to ascend and the plan had failed. They were forced to use Professor X's backup plan, killing Moira MacTaggert before her powers activated in her tenth life.[10] Rasputin was led to believe that the plan was to talk Moira into changing her ways, but when the "Cypher" on the crew revealed himself to be Mister Sinister she realized the true plan was darker. Chasing Xavier down, she convinced him to seek a better way to stop the Enigma. As part of this new plan, she killed Sinister.[11]Personality
Rasputin IV was created to lead the exploration fleet of the Empire of the Red Diamond, so she was programmed to be heroic as a way to prevent her from betraying the Empire while unsupervised. She remains heroic despite receiving free will.[4] Nine hundred years of the horrors of her timeline hardened her but could not quench her hope of one day saving the universe. Despite her good nature and extensive experience, Rasputin is somewhat naive, as it took her all that time to realize that Sinister had no intention of saving the universe.[12] She initially turned the devotion she once showed Sinister toward Mother Righteous without realizing the latter was similarly malevolent,[6] but after realizing the truth became determined to never be lied to again.[11]
She also holds a particular hatred towards Sinister. Upon realizing that the plan to go back in time to kill Moria involved Sinister, she refused to follow the plan any longer on account of seeing him as a liar. Being horrified and rageful when Sinister returns in the White Hot Room to take everyone back to Earth and believes he cannot be redeemed.Attributes
Powers
Rasputin has the powers of her genetic templates; those of Quentin Quire, those of Piotr Rasputin, those of Gunther Bain, those of Kitty Pryde, and those of Laura Kinney of Earth-616. However, her individual powers are not as strong as those of her genetic templates.[13]
- Piotr Rasputin: Organic Steel Skin
- Quentin Quire: Telepathy/Telekinesis
- Gunther Bain: Force Field
- Kitty Pryde: Intangibility
- Intangibility: Rasputin IV can become intangible and walk through Invisible Woman's force fields.[13]
- Laura Kinney: Healing Factor
Weaknesses
Paraphernalia
Weapons
Notes
- Although Rasputin's force field power is said to be copied from Gunther Bain's, their force fields do not behave the same way. Bain's fields only surround his body, while Rasputin consistently uses hers to attack or subdue others in a manner similar to the Invisible Woman.
- Sinister considered Rasputin to be his finest creation. Her abilities were carefully chosen to make her as powerful as possible while remaining stable, and he purposefully did not include any of his usual control systems in her design.[12]
See Also
- 22 appearance(s) of Rasputin IV (Moira VII.1)
- 1 mention(s) of Rasputin IV (Moira VII.1)
- 28 image(s) of Rasputin IV (Moira VII.1)
- 2 quotation(s) by or about Rasputin IV (Moira VII.1)
- 2 victim(s) killed by Rasputin IV (Moira VII.1)
- 1 item(s) used/owned by Rasputin IV (Moira VII.1)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 X-Men (Vol. 6) #25
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rise of the Powers of X #4
- ↑ X-Men: Forever #2
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Immoral X-Men #2
- ↑ Nightcrawlers #3
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sins of Sinister: Dominion #1
- ↑ Immortal X-Men #11
- ↑ X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2023 #1
- ↑ Fall of the House of X #1
- ↑ Rise of the Powers of X #1
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Rise of the Powers of X #3
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Immoral X-Men #3
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 X-Men (Vol. 6) #27