The Uncanny X-Men #285
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeUncanny X-Men #285 (February 1992, cover-dated) carries the first appearance of Mikhail Rasputin — Colossus's older brother, previously mentioned as long dead all the way back in issue #99 — making it the debut of a character who would go on to play a significant role in the Rasputin family mythology and several major X-Men storylines across three decades. The issue also marks a pivotal story beat in the early Bishop saga: stranded in the past, Bishop, Malcolm, and Randall actively swear to prevent the dystopian future they came from, signaling a philosophical shift that moves Bishop from time-cop manhunter toward aspiring X-Man. Together, these two narrative threads — the Gold Team's interdimensional ordeal and Bishop's street-level mission on Earth — make the issue a structural centerpiece of the ambitious Blue/Gold era that began when Whilce Portacio and Jim Lee divided the X-Men into two rosters following Chris Claremont's departure.
In "Down the Rabbit Hole," the X-Men are thrust into a surreal, war-ravaged dimension where they encounter the ghostly presence of Colossus' long-dead brother. With no clear way home and their team scattered, they must navigate a hostile world while confronting echoes of their pasts—written by Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, and John Byrne, with dynamic art by Whilce Portacio and inks by Art Thibert, and a striking cover by Portacio and Thibert.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Issue #285 was produced under the distinctive three-way creative arrangement that defined Uncanny's post-Claremont run: Whilce Portacio handled plot and pencils, Jim Lee served as co-plotter, and John Byrne scripted the dialogue — a collaboration that ran from issue #281 through approximately #286 under editor Bob Harras and editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco. Art finishes were split between Art Thibert and Al Milgrom, with lettering by Tom Orzechowski and coloring by Joe Rosas. The story arc, which the Gentlemen of Leisure fan-analysis site titles 'Down the Rabbit Hole,' grew directly out of the void portal introduced the prior issue (#284), and Portacio's personal interest in expanding the Rasputin family — an idea hinted at decades earlier by Claremont — drove the introduction of Mikhail. The Multiversal Omnipedia credits the character's creation specifically to John Byrne, Jim Lee, and Whilce Portacio.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First full appearance of Mikhail Rasputin (Colossus's older brother and sibling of Magik), who had been mentioned as deceased as far back as Uncanny X-Men #99 but never before depicted.
- Mikhail is revealed as a Soviet cosmonaut and mutant who was believed killed when his government secretly sent him on a mission into an interdimensional void on Sakhalin Island, exploiting his energy-manipulation abilities.
- Story title is 'Down the Rabbit Hole' (also marketed as 'Portal's End'); cover date is February 1992, with an on-sale date of December 3, 1991.
- Creative team: plot and pencils by Whilce Portacio, co-plot by Jim Lee, script by John Byrne, inks by Art Thibert and Al Milgrom, colors by Joe Rosas, letters by Tom Orzechowski, edited by Bob Harras under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco.
- The issue runs two parallel storylines: the Gold Team (Jean Grey, Colossus, Storm, Archangel, Iceman, Sunfire) stranded in the war-torn void dimension, and Bishop, Malcolm, and Randall continuing their hunt of future-criminal escapees on Earth.
- Archangel's metal wings act autonomously to kill enemy combatants while he is unconscious — beginning a recurring subplot during Portacio's run about Warren Worthington's diminishing control over his own transformed body.
- On Earth, journalist Trish Tilby (originally from X-Factor) reports on Bishop's violent pursuit of the criminals; her appearance represents Portacio's deliberate effort to carry X-Factor supporting cast into Uncanny, as noted by fan-analysis site Gentlemen of Leisure.
- Mikhail is not named in this issue itself; his full backstory and name are formally revealed in the immediately following issue, Uncanny X-Men #286.
Cast · 11 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Spécial Strange #85 (1993), Gli Incredibili X-Men #53 (1994), X-Men #7/1995 (1995), X-Men: Bishop's Crossing #[nn] (2012), X-Men: Bishop's Crossing #[nn] (2016), X-Men Epic Collection #20 (2022), X-Men: Blue & Gold - Mutant Genesis Omnibus #[nn] (2025), De X-Mannen #125, La Patrulla-X #124
Key issues in The Uncanny X-Men
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