M (comics)

This article is about the Marvel Comics superheroine. For the Norwegian comic strip, see M (comic strip).

M
Cover art for X-Factor (vol 3) #38. Art by Mike Mayhew.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Uncanny X-Men #316 (September 1994)
Created by	Scott Lobdell Chris Bachalo
In-story information
Alter ego	Monet Yvette Clarisse Maria Therese St. Croix
Species	Human Mutant
Team affiliations	X-Factor Investigations Generation X X-Corps X-Corporation: Paris
Notable aliases	M-Plate, Penance
Abilities	Superhuman strength, speed, agility, dexterity, reflexes, coordination, balance, vision, hearing, and endurance Genius level intellect Accelerated healing factor Supersonic Flight Telepathy Ability to perceive mutant auras

M (Monet Yvette Clarisse Maria Therese St. Croix) is a fictional comic book superheroine, a mutant who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo, she originally was a member of the teenage mutant group Generation X (1994), and now appears in the series X-Factor.

Additionally, Monet represents a rare example of a Muslim superhero in American superhero comic books; in 2011 X-Factor comics by Peter David, for example, this has been used to explore issues of Islamophobia in contemporary American culture. Monet's faith allows for comparison to be drawn between real-life anti-Muslim sentiment and the fictional anti-mutant sentiment of the comic book setting, adding Muslims to the list of minority groups which X-Men stories and characters have been interpreted as providing allegory to.^[1]

Fictional character biography

Early life

Monet St. Croix was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia during a family ski trip and is the eldest child of the rich and eccentric Afro-European Cartier St. Croix and his Algerian wife. She grew up as a pompous and spoiled rich girl as a result of being the favored child of her father and his prestigious position as the Monegasques Ambassader to France. She was also raised as a Muslim.^[2] Shortly after her mother’s mysterious death, her brother Marius, the vampiric mutant known as Emplate, was banished from the St. Croix home. He eventually returned after learning the dark arts and requested that Monet join him in conquering another dimension. She cruelly rejected his offer and after finally having enough of his sister's ridicule, Marius transformed her into a red-skinned, untouchable, mute creature whom he nicknamed Penance. Monet's younger sisters, Nicole and Claudette, heard the commotion and quickly went to her room. When they could not find Monet, they assumed that Marius had killed her. The twins then banished him to another dimension while Monet followed, believing it was her only way to revert back to normal.

Afraid their father would break down after the loss of his favorite child, the twin sisters decided to merge bodies and replicate Monet both mentally and physically. This version of Monet would have been identical to the original if it were not for Claudette's autism. Since both the twins' minds were combined, Claudette's autism would sometimes take effect, leaving "Monet" in catatonic stupors. Subsequently, while the twins were impersonating their sister, they were among the new generation of mutants captured by the techno-organic alien race known as the Phalanx.

Generation X

Main article: M-Twins

The twins (under the guise of Monet), helped to battle the Phalanx until she and the other teenage mutants were rescued by Banshee and Emma Frost. The group soon formed the Generation X team with Sean and Emma acting as co-headmasters of the new school designed to train them in the use of their powers.

During this time, the true Monet had finally managed to escape to Earth after years of torture as her brother’s main source of sustenance for his energy-draining powers. The Australian teleporter known as Gateway was currently training the twins when he found and brought the physically and mentally drained Penance to Generation X. At first she was violently distrustful, but soon accepted her place and joined the team. Months after the arrival of Penance, Emplate returned to the Academy to reclaim his "meal." Extremely angry that he had been deprived of his main sustenance, he and his newly formed Hellions stormed Generation X. While there, he revealed to Generation X that "Monet" was really his sister. Unfortunately for Emplate, Generation X, with the help of Bishop, defeated him and saved Penance.

M/Penance/M-Twins

Monet St.Croix, Art by Joe Madureira

Later on, it was finally revealed that "Monet" was truly Nicole and Claudette in disguise. After a battle with the Prime Sentinels, "Monet" was knocked unconscious after being hit by an explosion and buried under a pile of debris. When teammate Synch cleared off the rocks, he did not find "M", but instead the younger twin sisters. However, the secret of where the real Monet was remained a mystery as Nicole and Claudette were now in a coma.

Soon after Emplate came back to terrorize the young mutants, the twins merged with Emplate, creating a new persona, called "M-Plate". When the three of them separated, the twins finally learned what their brother did to the real Monet St. Croix. The twins kept this secret for a short time, until Synch accidentally synched with the twins' telepathy. Everett managed to convince Nicole to finally reveal the truth to the rest of the team. Immediately after Nicole's story, the twins formed back into "M" and then merged with Penance, freeing Monet in the process, while leaving themselves trapped in the mute body for the time being.

Returning to normal, the traumatized M became self-reliant and outwardly harsh and defensive to make up for her fear and insecurity, causing her to clash with many of her Generation X teammates. The only person she allowed to see her vulnerabilities was Everett Thomas, with whom she started a brief romantic relationship. A rivalry soon started with her teammate Jubilee, which only intensified after Monet and Everett became an item. When Emplate returned during the school dance, Jubilee caused an explosion, which, once again, separated the twins from each other, and left the Penance body to become its own being.

Leaving the Academy

Upon hearing the return of the twins, Cartier St. Croix decided to visit his three daughters. When he arrived, he came face to face for the first time in years with his son Marius who was severely injured. He tried to make amends with all of his children for having neglected them for so long. After Cartier apologized to his son, Marius finally revealed that he was the one responsible for the death of his mother, which only further infuriated Monet.

Cartier‘s way of showing he cared was to transfer his daughters away from the academy because he did not believe they were happy there. Monet was then transferred to an exclusive boarding school in the Swiss Alps. Monet seemed to be adapting fine to her new school, but she soon found out that the headmaster was really a vampire, who was responsible for a number of deaths. Monet quickly defeated him, and the school was burned down. Afterwards, M had a choice to go to any school she wanted, but she chose to return to the Massachusetts Academy.

Final days of Generation X

Synch dies in Monet's arms

When Monet returned, she and Everett continued to grow close and began to intensify their relationship. However, Monet was the most devastated when Synch sacrificed his own life to stop an exploding bomb that had been placed in the academy by Emma Frost’s sister, Adrienne. After the tragic incident, the team rapidly began to fall apart, even as Monet began to open up and act more vulnerable around her teammates. Monet also began to observe Emma acting strangely villainous. After they found out Emma had killed her sister in retribution for Everett's death, the entire team questioned Emma's leadership abilities, particularly when combined with Banshee's relapse into alcoholism following the death of his lover, Moira MacTaggert. The school was promptly closed when the students decided their instructors were no longer fit to teach them.

X-Corps/X-Corporation

After Generation X disbanded, M temporarily joined Banshee's militant X-Corps with Husk and Jubilee in order to keep an eye on the devastated Irish mutant. However, the X-Corps were soon destroyed by Mystique, leaving M to join the X-Corporation's European branch, located in Paris, where she assisted Cannonball, Multiple Man, and Siryn in defeating Weapon XII. Monet helped the X-Men battle Black Tom Cassidy and the Juggernaut before returning to her duties at X-Corporation Paris.

X-Factor Investigations

Following the events of House of M and the shutdown of X-Corporation, M, who also has appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair,^[3] has opted to join X-Factor Investigations, a private detective agency run by Multiple Man. Monet completed her first mission on the team by telepathically tricking the famous actor, Jack Vaughn, to confess to the murder of Gloria Santiago's sister. Afterwards, Monet broke down crying in Jamie Madrox's arms, but quickly threatened to break him in half if he ever revealed her moment of "weakness." A comment made to Rictor seems to imply she no longer wishes to go by the name M. However, in a therapy session with Doc Samson, Monet stated that she hides behind the "M" persona so that others will not see how vulnerable she has become after the lengthy time she was held captive by her brother.

M and Madrox

Monet also had a brief romantic fling with Madrox. The tryst did not end well because Madrox was unsure whether he or his duplicate had slept with Monet while he or his duplicate slept with Siryn at the same time. While the two women initially refused to speak to each other, they eventually took a jet-setting shopping trip to patch things up after being threatened by Layla Miller. During this Paris trip, the two encountered a small anti-mutant mob marching on Paris' own Mutant Town, and were arrested by the Gendarmes for breaking the riot up. Instead of fighting the police off and saving the ex-mutants, they surrendered, not wishing to create a "mutant-terrorizes-innocent-people" story. However, in a French prison, the mob leader bragged to Siryn and Monet that he and his mob had succeeded in burning down the building, which was why he had been arrested. An emotionless M tore off the bar from her cell, and threw it at the man, injuring him. When asked what she had done by Siryn, she coldly replied, "I made a political statement." Soon after, Monet crucified the mob leader before she and Siryn broke out of the prison to check on the ex-mutants. When the two arrived, they found an abandoned girl whom Monet decided to take back to the States.

After returning home, Jamie sends Monet and Theresa to Nashville to retrieve two children from their parents (and the mutant hating cult they belong to), and return them to their grandparents. When they attempt to take them, Siryn is knocked out when a bullet fired by one of the children's mutant bodyguards grazes her head, and another bodyguard knocks out Monet by holding a cloth drenched with chloroform over her mouth. Monet awakes chained to the floor of a bunker along with Theresa, who is tied to a chair with her mouth duct taped shut to prevent the use of her powers. After taunting Theresa, who is unable to retort back due to the tape over her mouth, Monet is eventually able to break free, and the two women abduct the children and bring them back to their grandparents.

World War Hulk

When the Hulk came to the X-Mansion to capture Xavier over his part in the Hulk's banishment from Earth, Monet and the rest of X-Factor came to help.

Messiah Complex

M has a small role during Messiah Complex. She is seen along with the rest of the X-Teams and has a talk with Warpath about his feelings concerning his late friend Caliban and being a member of X-Force. Later, she aids Emma and the Stepford Cuckoos in locating the baby. She is present at the final battle on Muir Island

Divided We Stand

M buys all the women of X-Factor Investigations an iPhone, but destroys Rahne's when she finds out she is leaving. She tells Rahne about how she is always telling her to feel and claims that since Layla is not coming back, she will keep her iPhone in mint condition until Rahne returns to X-Factor. She leaves, telling Rahne to not be a stranger, or stranger than she already is. She then goes to a bar with Siryn where Theresa reveals she is pregnant. Monet offers to be with her if she chooses to get it aborted, only to be told she is not taking that option. M also states that Theresa has embryos more mature than Jamie, and that "he would make a crap father." Later Siryn tries to tell Jamie of her pregnancy but Monet realizes Siryn still loves Jamie.

When Arcade makes his presence in Mutant Town known, Monet tries to rescue Rictor only to be zapped with electricity. She recovers but starts mixing up peoples names (like calling Rictor, Sam and Jamie "Scott"). After dealing with Arcade, Monet and the rest of X-Factor split up to help the trapped citizens of Mutant Town. The team, including Monet, is later relocated to Detroit.

Secret Invasion

X-Factor is employed by the estranged father of former teen X-Man Darwin to locate him. Monet, Guido, and Jamie find Darwin traveling with Longshot, who is later revealed to be a Skrull. The trio also come into conflict with She-Hulk and Jazinda, who are in pursuit of said Skrull. For some reason, She-Hulk gets very angry around Monet. After he is captured, the groups go their separate ways and reunite Darwin with his father. Monet is oblivious to the fact Darwin has a crush on her.

Operating out of Detroit

Shortly after the events of Secret Invasion, Darwin's father sells him out to a group of people called the Karma Project. While he is in a coma, Monet is called in to read his father's mind only to find nothing. Later the real Longshot shows up to help and Monet shows an attraction to him, though it is unknown whether it's Longshot's ability of having women fall in love with him or not.^[4] She then teams up with Madrox, Strong Guy, and Longshot in finding Darwin and is present at the birth of Sean.^[5]

Val Cooper sends Monet, Guido, and Darwin to acquire a shipment of weapons designed to take out mutants, though instead they sink it to the bottom of the ocean.^[6] Monet later falls under Cortex's mental control^[7] and proceeds to attack her teammates^[8] until they are attacked by three Sentinels from the future. Monet is freed from Cortex's control by Longshot and when she attacks Cortex, she discovers that he is the second Madrox duplicate who was sent to the other future timeline during "Messiah Complex."^[9]

Return to New York

In the aftermath of the battle with Cortex, X-Factor unofficially splits due to tensions between Jamie and Terry. Guido and Madrox move back to New York while Monet, Darwin, and the others stay in Detroit in order to work under Terry. However, the Detroit team soon crumbles when a depressed Terry chooses to disband the team and move back to Ireland. While most of the Detroit members move back to New York to work with Jamie, Monet chooses to move in with Terry in order to keep an eye on her. Monet worries for her friend, who becomes increasingly withdrawn and even has a brief sexual fling with her former boyfriend Deadpool.

Unsure of how to help Terry, Monet visits the team in New York in an attempt to get Jamie and Terry to work their problems out. However, upon arriving back at X-Factor headquarters, Val Cooper informs Monet that her father Cartier has been kidnapped by a terrorist cell that will behead him on a live broadcast unless Monet surrenders herelf to them. Shocked by this news, Monet asks to be alone in order to cry, while Darwin tries to convince Jamie to get X-Factor to help track down the terrorists.^[10]

Monet and Guido eventually travel to South America to confront the kidnappers, only to have their plane shot down. Monet awakens in an illusion where she is led to believe that she is once again transforming into Penance. It is revealed that the mastermind behind the kidnapping is Baron Mordo, who plans to feed off Monet in order to combat his cancer.^[11]

Powers and abilities

Monet is superhuman in essentially all aspects, possessing superhuman strength capable of lifting automobiles and snapping street lights with ease, as well as superhuman physical attributes like invulnerability, agility, dexterity, speed, reflexes & reactions, coordination, and balance. She is virtually invulnerable, at least enough to withstand common firearms at long range and direct blows of the vastly more powerful Hulk and even has a healing factor, allowing her to heal and recover from wounds much faster. Her healing factor also makes her more resistant to toxins and disease, and possibly also the aging process. Monet also possesses telescopic and night vision and superhuman acute hearing. It is possible her other senses are also enhanced. She has perfect memory and superhuman intuitive skills. She has been shown being able to reroute one of Arcade's robots to track the signal back to the source without knowing the exact specifications of this robot. She is able to psionically levitate and move herself in the air by force of will, allowing her to fly at supersonic speeds. M is also a telepath with the ability to read minds, project her thoughts into the minds of others, and defensively mask her mind against telepathic intrusion. She has limited offensive capabilities, such as mind control and the ability to manipulate the memory of others. The range of her telepathy is generally limited to within a few feet of Monet. Monet also has the ability to view mutant auras. X-Man Bishop noted that M possesses a "superior excellent rating" in all human physical categories.

Monet and all her siblings are able to merge into different combinations with different powers, although merging seems easiest for the twins Nicole and Claudette.

M is formidable in hand-to-hand combat and is of genius level intellect. It is unknown whether or not her mutations adhere to her intelligence.

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

In the harsh world known as the Age of Apocalypse, Monet was known as Know-It-All and was part of Generation Next, having merged with the team's computer system. She risked her life to search the databases of Apocalypse, a task which ended in her destruction at the hands of the Shadow King. Strangely, her real name was given as Claudia.

Know-It-All, Art by Chris Bachalo

The St. Croix twins, who were added to the AOA timeline after their backstory had been created, were called "The Monets" and worked alongside their brother in Apocalypse's Elite Mutant Force.

X-Men: The End

In the alternate future in the X-Men: The End series written by Chris Claremont, M is a member of the XSE and a critical part of the hastily marshalled forces attempting to defeat Mister Sinister.

In other media

Movies

In the Generation X TV movie, she was played by Amarilis. The movie version displayed no psionic powers, and when describing her abilities, it mentioned only physical powers.

Citizenship

• Monet is a citizen of Algeria, Bosnia, and France with passports from all three. It is not clear how she obtained her Algerian citizenship due to the fact that Algeria does not allow women to pass on citizenship to their children, and only Monet's mother was Algerian. She may have used her father's wealth and position to secure it, as her father may be of Alegerian descent as well, though this remains speculation. Despite her father being the Monegasque ambassador to France (and therefore a citizen of Monaco), it has never been stated whether or not Monet herself is a citizen of Monaco.

References

1. ^ Belonsky, Andrew (March 21, 2011). "Marvel’s ‘X-Factor’ Fights Anti-Muslim Hate". Death and Taxes. http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/65234/marvels-x-factor-fights-anti-muslim-hate/. Retrieved March 25, 2011. 
2. ^ X-Factor Vol. 3 #217
3. ^ X-Factor vol. 3 #9
4. ^ X-Factor #35
5. ^ X-Factor #36-39
6. ^ X-Factor #41
7. ^ X-Factor #43
8. ^ X-Factor #44
9. ^ X-Factor #46-47
10. ^ X-Factor #200
11. ^ X-Factor #202

External links

• World of Black Heroes: Monet Biography
• MarvelDatabase: M (Monet St. Croix)
• Marvel Universe Character Bio Wiki
• Spotlight On...M
• Monet Uncannyxmen.net Character Bio