Rictor
X-factor
(Volume 3):
After House of
M, Rictor was
one of the many
mutants to lose
his powers due
to The Scarlet
Witch’s reality
warp. He was
found by Jamie
Madrox, about to
jump off a
building so he
would not have
to live a
powerless life.
Madrox sent a
dupe up to talk
to him, and
Rictor was soon
convinced (by
words of the
dupe, and Rahne
screaming at him
like a rabid
woman) that he
didn’t have to
jump. However,
Madrox’s dupe
pushed him over
the edge despite
it all. Luckily,
Monet caught him
before he could
give strategic
advice from a
body cast.
After a
conversation
with her, and
after saving a
girl at a gas
station with
just his
intelligence,
Rictor decided
to join up with
Jamie’s team. At
first, all he
does is tag
along on
missions and
whine about how
he doesn’t have
powers, acting
very distant to
his new
team-mates. His
first mission
involved taking
care of someone
who tried to
kill him,
showing that
yes, even
without powers,
Rictor still has
that wonderful
luck he’s always
had. Layla saves
him by killing
said person who
tried to murder
Rictor, and he’s
off free until
the next time
someone decides
to hurt, kidnap
or beat him up.
It’s not long
before he has to
save Siryn from
a deranged
former mutant,
which results in
him being very
vocal about his
mistrust in
Layla.
Afterwards, he
continues to go
on any mission
he was given,
until he finds
out Pietro is
responsible for
what happened to
his powers.
Though angry, he
ended up
spending a lot
of time with
Pietro, mostly
because Rictor
wouldn’t be
Rictor if he
didn’t make bad
choices.
Rictor began to
visit Pietro
frequently to
talk about
getting his
powers back, but
he never
actually went
through with it.
He insisted that
Pietro just had
interesting
things to say,
and even joked
that he slept
with him. Later,
Pietro gave him
a chance to help
bring back
abilities to
others without
consequence, and
Rictor agreed to
it. When he
figured out
Pietro wasn’t
exactly the guy
to be hanging
around with, he
fought back and
nearly died.
This is when he
gained a lovely
new addition to
his skin, which
manifested in
the form of a
crystallized
spine that made
him a superhero,
and gave him the
ability to bang
anyone he wanted
to when sad.
This was a brief
rekindle of the
Ric/Rahne
relationship.
The crystals
fell off when
Ric took on the
Isolationist,
and he was then
thrust into the
Messiah Complex.
Rictor goes
undercover at
the Purifier’s
base in order to
find out if they
had the new
mutant baby, and
ended up blowing
his cover in
order to help
out the New
X-men. It was a
short mission,
and he was
eventually back
with X-factor.
Minus the
wonderful
Purifier's robe
he had going.
Tragic, if
anything. Rictor
worked
that thing.
After fighting
everyone he
could find when
the Messiah
Complex
crossover
ended, and
the obligatory
gay joke, Rictor
went to talk to
Rahne because he
thought for some
reason she would
believe in his
paranoia.
Instead he found
a note, and was
broken up with
in that good old
coward's way.
Deciding to be a
petty bitch that
evening, Rictor
set the note on
fire and flushed
it down the
toilet whilst
sporting some
fabulous green
pants. To hell
with that bitch,
he mused
following it.
Julio has seemed
to finally
realize Rahne
doesn't like
him. What a
trooper. He then
attempted to run
away, saying
it's time for
him to start
living a normal
life. However,
that changes
when Arcade
kidnaps him,
leaving him
under the threat
of a swinging
axe at his
cojones. (Keep
your countdown
on the
kidnappings,
because it's
totally in the
double digits
now). Much to
the surprise of
the world,
Rictor
eventually stops
holding out for
a hero and saves
himself. Even if
he did end up on
the ground still
strapped to some
wood. Oh,
Rictor. Only
you.
It's later
discovered that
the man who
hired Arcade was
the Purifier
that accepted
Rictor into the
group during the
Messiah Complex.
After the man
kills himself,
Mutanttown is
doomed to an
explosion from a
fail safe Arcade
left behind.
Using a temper
tantrum, Rictor
saves everything
by throwing a
chair at a
computer in a
fit of rage. Oh
yeah, he's just
that cool.
Through all the
jumbo of Val
Cooper deciding
to stalk
X-factor, the
team relocates
to Detroit. In a
surprising turn
of events,
Rictor actually
references his
past! Though
it's only been
for a short
while, he and
the rest of
X-factor are
unaware that
Jamie has them
all secretly
working for Val
Cooper.
It is also revealed throughout the course of this that Siryn and Jamie are having a baby together. Unfortunately, it doesn't end well for either person. The child winds up dead, Jamie quits the team, and Siryn is left in pieces. Rictor acts protective and defensive of Terry at first, but he later admits that even though Jamie's not on his list of favourite people, he does feel sorry for him.
Rictor later sets out with Guido on a road trip of sorts, and they come across one of Jamie's dupes. The meeting, however, is cut rather short due to Shatterstar busting in on it. He tries to kill Rictor due to something called "Cortex", but fails in doing so. We last see Rictor finally sharing an on panel kiss with Shatterstar, much to Guido's surprise.