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Character Name: Monet St. Croix
Canon source: X-Factor/Marvel 616
Personality: Bitch I MEAN -
Monet's personality is multifaceted, shaped by her past. When first introduced as Penance, she is ruled by fear and loneliness. So terrified of the world around her, she hardens her skin in order to become impenetrable. She is unable to get close to others despite her longing for companionship. Very slowly, however, she begins to feel foreign, intangible emotions: trust, camaraderie and happiness. She finds herself so comfortable with Generation X that she is able to suppress painful memories for quite some time. Unfortunately, due to Emplate's relentless quest to retrieve her, those memories bubble to the surface violently, rendering her comatose. Although she never does quite come to terms with her past with her brother, she does recover enough to integrate back into the team, indicating that perhaps her time with the team has lent her strength. She finds a kindred spirit in Jono, a friend in Jubilee, and a teacher in Sean.
After Penance's transformation to M, we meet the real Monet. Beautiful, intelligent and strong, Monet is the picture of perfection by all outward appearances. Elitist and condescending, she frequently implies that most people, even her teammates and especially Jubilee, are beneath her. Almost immediately after returning to her own body, she is shown berating her companions, flinging harsh words and sharp insults. It soon becomes clear that Monet is still severely traumatized by torture at the hands of her brother and time spent as the mute, untouchable Penance. Her "M" persona - this self-assured, confident and capable superhero, she who could do no wrong - is a crutch. An illusion. A razor-sharp skin. In reality, Monet is still as scared and lonely as she was when she was Penance, yearning to be close to others but fearing the consequences.
As Monet begins to fall in love with Everett, and exposes some facets of her vulnerability to him, we are able to catch a glimpse at the real Monet. Not Penance or "M" or twin-as-Monet, but the real, true Monet St. Croix. She begins to drop her walls. She blends seamlessly into the team, enjoying the company of other people. Though humility would never be her strong point, her barbs become less acerbic and more teasing. She paints Paige's nails and takes Angelo to a school dance. She's growing up, moving on. Finally, after confronting Marius on her own terms, she is reunited with her family. Happy for the first time in ages, Monet's life begins to return to normal - or as normal as it can be when you're a crime-fighting mutant superhero.
Monet is devastated by the loss of Everett and her draws her defenses in full force. She loses her mother, her brother, herself, and now, one of the only people in the world to care about her, in a very short period of time. Leaning on her "M" persona, Monet returns to her calm, detached self by the time she follows Sean to Europe. This marks an important turning point for Monet, who will come to rely on this persona more and more, unwilling to expose her vulnerability again in fear of getting hurt. In fact, by the time she joins X-Factor, the girl behind the "M" is rarely seen; by all outward appearances, she is self-reliant, self-confident and self-centered. She is more beautiful, more intelligent and more capable than you. Because she has to be.
This isn't to say that Monet is all angst; on the contrary, she is a wonderfully colorful character. She enjoys bad 80s music, Faberge eggs, Prada and red nail polish. She is ambivalent about horror movies and hates bubble tea. She secretly thinks that the tapioca balls in the latter were part of an elaborate scheme by Jubilee to kill her, or, in the very least, have her throw up all over her new dress. She believes strongly in social justice and has no qualms about using violence to attain it.
If Monet considers you a friend, she will be endlessly loyal. If you earn her respect, she'll give it freely. She'll likely use deceptively sexy English slang to take you down a notch or ten, and then buy you an iPhone, but it's all out of love. Really.
History: Basically this, but this Monet is coming later in the series, around the time that X-Factor comes to Utopia (#50).
Strengths: Monet has a plethora of canon powers; a writer had once said, "Think Superman." Her mutant powers include superhuman fighting ability, near-invulnerability, enhanced senses, flight, telepathy, and intuitive ability to process information. She is also super intelligent and a master strategist, but it's never said whether that's natural ability or a manifestation of her mutation.
Weaknesses: Although one might think that vanity and hubris would be her main weaknesses, that's really not true. Despite all outward appearances, Monet is a really complicated and broken person. The "M" persona that she manifests is really just a defense mechanism; when the barriers fall, all she can remember is loss and pain. Every morning she must wake up and make a conscious decision not to kill herself to escape the nightmares when she sleeps. She hides it well, however, because she has to.
She can also never turn down good wine, a handsome man, or shoes.
Preferred drop-in point: Seattle.
What are some of your plans for this character in their new environment? Doing what she does best: snarking at people beneath her (ie everyone), shopping, kicking criminal butt, etc.