Sam Guthrie

A coal miner's son from Cumberland County, Kentucky, Sam Guthrie's mutant power first manifested in a mine collapse, rocketing him to safety. He can propel himself at jet speeds while encased in a near-invulnerable thermochemical blast field, and was soon recruited into the New Mutants as Cannonball.

Few Marvel characters can claim a debut as landmark as Sam Guthrie's — arriving in the legendary Marvel Graphic Novel #4 in 1982, a Bronze Age milestone crafted by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod that launched an entirely new generation of mutant heroes. Over 44 years and 584 catalog appearances, Sam has grown from his roots in The New Mutants through the hard-edged pages of X-Force and into the storied ranks of The Uncanny X-Men, earning 41 key-issue designations along the way — a testament to just how often he's been at the center of things that matter. As an X-Men member, he's kept remarkable company, sharing adventures with Wolverine, Ororo Munroe, and longtime ally Roberto Da Costa across decades of Marvel's mutant saga. Whether you're a longtime collector or just discovering the X-Men's deeper bench, Sam Guthrie is exactly the kind of character whose longevity and legacy reward every page you track down.