The Uncanny X-Men are by far the world’s most famous mutants, but Xavier’s former proteges aren’t the only Children of the Atom to have an impact on the Marvel Universe. With characters like Justice or Whirlwind spread far and wide throughout the House of Ideas’ publishing line, the X-Gene has populated the world with all sorts of hyper-powered figures. And one Chinese mutant – theCollective Man – is the body-horror brawler nobody ever expected.
Debuting in Incredible Hulk #250 by Bill Mantlo, Sal Buscema, George Roussos, and John Costanza, the Collective Man is actually multiple individuals. As mutant quintuplets with a hive mind, teleportation, and the ability to replicate themselves or to merge into a massive superhuman entity, the Tao-Yu brothers are incredibly dangerous – something the X-Men have learned more than once.
In 2004’s X-Men #159-160 by Chuck Austen, Salvador Larroca, Danny Miki, Udon, and Rus Wooton, the X-Men come up against the Collective Man as they investigate Shen Xorn. They find far more resistance than expected – especially considering the stacked lineup of powerhouses on the team. Using their combined abilities, the Collective Man is able to go head-to-head with Wolverine, Havok, Juggernaut, Iceman, and Polari.
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Collective Man’s Abilities Are The Ultimate Nightmare Fuel
The Collective Man is able to battle the X-Men until both Iceman and Polaris push themselves to their limits. Not only do the Tao-Yu siblings’ fighting prowess and replication abilities let them overwhelm their fellow mutants, but their ultimate fusion – resembling something right out of John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) – gives even the Juggernaut a headache. Ultimately, it takes a similarly embiggened Iceman to put this mutant Megazord down for the count, and even then, his massive is enough to trap Cain Marko.
At first, the Tao-Yu family may seem like a simple Multiple Man knock-off, but their battle with the X-Men proves they are anything but. A highly trained and elite fighting force, it’s clear that against lesser foes than Marvel’s Merry Mutants, the Collective Man would likely succeed through sheer overwhelming numbers. But with the added body-horror twist enhancing their power to quite literally gigantic proportions, they’ve got a massive edge against any Marvel hero who underestimates their somewhat disturbing mutant gifts.
This X-Men Enemy Is An Overwhelming Force
The Collective Man might not be the first mutant that springs to mind when fans think of the X-Men’s deadliest enemies, but the Tao-Yu brothers shouldn’t be so casually dismissed. With the ability to transform between a living colossus and a veritable army, they have the strength and the numbers to take on almost any threat. And should the X-Men ever find a way to convince the Collective Man to join their cause, their roster would increase exponentially.
