[ bio ]

[superxgrlfriend]

"And now, you're asking ME to give up all THIS, so I can lord it over freaks and geeks in some other dimension... très drôle, mon frère!! It is to LAUGH." – Monet, Gen X #40

Monet Yvette Clarisse Maria Therese St. Croix was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia (formerly Yugoslavia) to a wealthy Moroccan ambassador and his Algerian wife. Growing up, she was lavished with expensive clothing, exotic trips and the best in the world that money could buy. Spoiled and favored over her three siblings, Monet became elitist, self-centered, and even at times cruel, belittling those she believed to be beneath her. Surrounded by only the highest of society, Monet thought herself to be nothing less than perfect. Unfortunately, perfection came at a high price.

One tragic night, Monet's mother was attacked and killed by the mutant Emplate, a villainous creature who thrived on eating the bone marrow of fellow mutants. Even more heartbreaking than the murder itself was the fact that Emplate was Monet's older brother Marius. After realizing what he had become and what he had done, Emplate escaped from the family home. Later, after Monet came into her own powers – which included superhuman strength, flight, and telepathy – Marius returned. He implored her to join forces with him, attempting to coerce her into returning with him to the dimension where he was currently residing. Despite promises of power, Monet was unconvinced; while Marius looked like a monster, Monet already had everything she could ever want. She laughed in his face and ridiculed his looks while rejecting his offer.

Emplate, enraged by his sister's hubris, transformed her into a mute, red-skinned being. Her skin was so sharp that she could not even bear to sit; the literal cutting edge of cruelty, this would be Monet's penance. Negative psychic energy absorbed from the environment constricted and compressed her skin into a crimson state that not be penetrated. A monstrosity, just like her brother. Moments after her transformation, her eight-year-old twin sisters Nicole and Claudette burst through the door. They demanded Emplate return Monet, not realizing that Penance was really their older sister. Unwilling to give up his servant, he told the twins that he had taken Monet away and she would be gone forever. Assuming Penance was an accomplice of Emplate's, the twins banished them both to an alternate plane of existence using their mutant ability to open interdimentional gateways.

Slowly, the reality of what Marius had said begun to set in. Although severely autistic Claudette could not understand the repercussions of Monet's disappearance, Nicole certainly did. Fearing what her father would do if he lost his favorite daughter, she decided that their only recourse would be to use their mutant power to merge with one another to become their 16-year-old sister. Perhaps the twins neglected to consider their own disappearance, or perhaps they believed it would go unnoticed, but it was for naught; though their father had "Monet", he still deeply mourned the loss of his twin daughters.

While the twins-as-Monet trained with the interdimensional teleporter Gateway, battled the techno-organic Phalanx, joined Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters at the old Massachusetts Academy under the tutelage of Sean Cassidy (Banshee) and Emma Frost, and chose her codename (M, the first letter of her first name, representing her elegance and perfection), the real Monet, now known as Penance, was a prisoner of Emplate. She was bound and caged, kept as her brother's sole source of marrow. It was only when Emplate left her to feast upon Jonothon Starsmore that Gateway was able to intervene; after teleporting her from Emplate's dimension, Penance literally dropped from the sky and onto the front porch of Generation X's Massachusetts Academy.


"Nobody wants to be alone. Not even we monsters." – Chamber, Gen X #3

Unable to speak her true name, impenetrable to telepathy and with razor-sharp skin, hair and nails, Penance proved to be untouchable in every sense of the word. She had known nothing but hurt and pain and hopelessness, and now, even surrounded by people who wanted to touch her, who wanted to help, she was utterly alone. Fueled by a vague desire for freedom, a concept that she could not understand literally but only feel, she escaped the school's infirmary. Although Gen X attempted to curtail her destruction, only Jonothon Starsmore, a mutant with a past also filled with pain and loss, could calm her. With a gesture of empathy and trust, he reached for her – and she kneeled beside him, trust returned. It was her initiation, her welcome, to the Generation X team.

At first, Penance sat neatly on the fringe of the group, content with just observation. Slowly, however, she felt compelled to come closer: spending time with Chamber, swimming with Jubilee, seeking out Banshee. She began to join the team on missions and her ability to trust grew immensely in a very short time. Although she couldn't define it, couldn't grasp the literal meaning, she was beginning to feel something akin to belonging. The pain she'd suffered at the hands of Emplate seemed miles away until one afternoon, while in the pool with Jubilee, memories of her previous torture hit her at full force, rendering her unconscious. Dr. Moira MacTaggert, while assessing Penance at the request of Sean, suggested that Penance's diamond-hard skin wasn't the direct result of mutation, but the result of her fear of the world around; she was literally hiding herself within a protective shell. Despite that knowledge, Generation X could do nothing to help her. Fortunately, her condition remitted spontaneously and soon she was able to rejoin the team.

Enraged over his previous defeat at the hands of Generation X and escape of his favorite prisoner, Emplate could not stand by without proper retribution. He and his assembled minions attacked the academy, rendering most of the members of Generation X helpless. His plan would have succeeded if not for the mutant Bishop and for Penance herself, who was able to resist his manipulation and attack. Defeated yet again, Emplate retreated back to his own dimension, humiliated.

After Emplate's defeat, Penance became more and more integrated within the Gen X team. Her facial features began to soften, proving that Moira's hypothesis had been correct. Slowly, she was giving in to the desire to let people in, to experience the feeling of friendship. When Banshee's cousin, Black Tom Cassidy, attacked and kidnapped all of the other members of Gen X, she defended her teachers and defeated the villain. Almost immediately following, Gen X became embroiled in Operation: Zero Tolerance in a epic crossover storyline that encompassed 18 issues in 6 different series. During their run-in with Zero Tolerance, Generation X (minus Penance, Emma and Sean, who were in hiding in Florida) found themselves in Los Angeles, being hunted by Prime Sentinals. During the battle, Synch locked onto M's aura in order to emulate her powers and realized the truth: M was really two people. (He comically refers to her as "M&M.") He had no time to digest this information, however, as a nearby explosion split M into her true self: twins Claudette and Nicole. The entirety of Gen X and their two new additions eventually returned to Boston victorious.

(It's important to note that during Monet's entire stay with the Gen X team as Penance, her sisters were posing as the "real" Monet. Nicole and Claudette not only were able to emulate her looks, but her personality and powers as well. Cool, calm and exuding confidence, faux-Monet was nearly a perfect replica. She lived her life as Monet would have lived it, including developing feelings for and even engaging in a kiss with her teammate, Synch. However, there were glaring and significant inconsistencies: she was frequently rendered catatonic (a symptom of Claudette's autism), she engaged in activities somewhat strange for a 16-year-old (like climbing trees and coloring), and avoided talking about her family at all cost. Therefore, though the split was initially shocking, it was followed by a sentiment of now it all makes sense.)

Penance took a liking to the twins, both of whom were still unaware that Penance was their older sister, Monet. It wasn't until Emplate attacked the academy again that they learned the truth; using their powers, they merged with their older brother to form the mutant M-plate, a single consciousnesses comprised of the three St. Croix siblings. She asserted that she was wholly distinctive from the three and had her own agenda – to use the mutant Gaia to trigger the ultimate almalgamator, a tool that would combine all sentient entities in existence into a single personality. M-plate was eventually defeated and separated by Generation X, after which Nicole revealed that she and her sister, during the time that they were conjoined with Marius, had learned the truth about the real Monet. Penance..

Thankful that her sister was safe, and expressing much regret over her impersonation ("Oh, Monet!" she cried. "It's like we stole your life!"), Nicole once again merged with Claudette. The M-Twins then merged with Penance, who instantaneously separated from Monet – the realMonet – leaving the twins in the Penance shell. Overcome with relief and worry all at once, M vowed to force Emplate to return her twin sisters to their natural state.

Generation X could only look on in disbelief; all of the St. Croix skeletons had finally escaped from their closet. With a bang.


"I spent more time than I care to remember trapped in a razor-sharp body, unable to touch or be touched. Getting a tattoo would almost be like a celebration of being able to be touched again." – Monet, Gen X #50

Monet fit neatly into the gap left by the twins – with aplomb. Claudette and Nicole had been so convincing as their older sister that the transition was hardly even remarked upon. Monet was just as, if not more so, arrogant and snobbish as her sisters had been. She renewed her rivalry with Jubilee, resentful that the younger mutant had treated her more like a pet than a friend as her tenure as Penance. Even the burgeoning romance between Synch and M hadn't been affected, despite the fact that it was really the M-twins who had previously kissed Everett, not Monet herself.

It soon became apparent, however, that Monet's sharp tongue and quick wit were only tools to deflect the truth; she was still suffering. Haunted by her time as Penance, when she was unable to even scream and impossible to touch, she longed to reach out and connect. Even the physical pain of tattoo would be welcomed, "… you and I are both human, Everett. We both need to be touched." Over time, she became comfortable enough, especially around Everett, to expose some aspects of her vulnerability.

The guilt that Monet felt over her sisters' entrapment as Penance was palpable, looking forward to the day that she could face her brother – as herself – and force him to reverse his spell. She wouldn't have to wait long; taking advantage of a peaceful moment (a school dance), Emplate made his move, transforming nearly half the team in his own image. Using his power to corrupt, even Penance fell prey. Synch was able to anger Jubilee enough to snap her out of her entranced state, after which the latter quickly set off an explosion that not only wounded Emplate but separated Claudette and Nicole from their Penance shell.

The St. Croix sisters were happily reunited with each other. Shortly thereafter, they were reunited with their father as well. After Ambassador Cartier St. Croix had been informed about recent events, he flew quickly out to Boston to see his daughters and attempt a reconciliation with his son. Monet, angry and cynical, told her father that Marius wasn't his son anymore, just a vicious creature that deserved neither empathy nor compassion. Against her advice and without even an acknowledgement of her warnings, the ambassador visited Emplate in the infirmary, the location of his current captivity. Emplate, humiliated, weak and hungry, delighted confessing to his father that, yes, he did kill his mother and yes, he did enjoy it. The man who was known as Marius was no more; there was only Emplate. Monet, livid, had to remove herself from the vicinity. Hanging her memories of Penance and her brother on a shelf, she soon removed herself from the country, moving to a boarding school in Switzerland to be closer to her family.

Monet liked the school well enough. The Swiss were well known for their super-expensive, elite boarding schools, and this one was no exception. Although she was struck by pangs of homesickness (which she attributed to the altitude and lack of oxygen), she had no time to process it as she soon became involved in murder-mystery. Monet the Vampire Slayer kicked ass and took names as she took down the headmaster of the boarding school after finding out that he was feeding on her classmates. Over Switzerland entirely, she boarded a plane back to Boston, ready to rejoin her teammates. She especially looked forward to reuniting with Everett, as she missed him most of all.

Monet summarily resumed both her place on the team and her relationship with Everett, which was growing more serious with each passing day. The peace she and her teammates were enjoying, however, wouldn't last. Adrienne Frost, Emma's sister, defeated in an earlier battle with her sister and Gen X, was out for blood. With only revenge on her mind, she instigated a riot, a convenient distraction for the series of bombs she set to detonate in midst of the confusion. Sean attempted to disarm most of the them, but couldn't conceivably defuse them all in time. While shielding the non-mutant student body, Everett was caught in the explosion of the final bomb. All defenses shattered, Monet sobbed as he died in her arms.

In the aftermath, Monet dove into her M persona and buried most of her grief in anger. She withdrew into herself, alternating between silence and uncharacteristic explosions of violence. On a shopping trip to New York, Jubilee confronted Monet, calling her out on her maladaptive defense mechanisms. In a moment that would come to define their relationship, Monet lashed out, screaming, "The first and ONLY person in my life I have cared about... just ripped away from me in an instant! You have NO idea what that's like! You don't know how I feel!" Jubilee, who had been in love with Everett, immediately began to cry. Sobered, Monet took the other girl in her arms as they cried together, finally finding an outlet for her grief. Although they would still engage in banter and teasing, from then on, Monet and Jubilee would be more friendly rivals than serious ones. One could even go so far as labeling them friends – though Monet would probably deny it.

Generation X disbanded soon after that. Sean had turned to alcohol to quell his grief over his lover Moira's death and Emma was very evasive about the circumstances surrounding her sister's death. (Emma had killed Adrienne in retribution for Everett's murder.) Questioning the effectiveness of their headmasters, the Gen X team decided to go their separate ways. Banshee went on to create X-Corps, an organization whose goal was to police the mutant population of Europe. Many of his former students, including M, decided to join the militant operation, but their goal was to police Sean. They had seen the heavy toll that Moira's death had taken and were quite worried about him, especially considering that he had asked known terrorists (Avalanche, Blob, and Fever Pitch) to also join X-Corps. He utilized the mind-control powers of a captive Mastermind to keep the supervillians in line. M played a large role in the somewhat predictable battle that occurred in Paris after the shapeshifting mutant Mystique freed Mastermind and the controlled mutants. In the ensuing chaos, there were several casualties: many were killed and even Banshee himself was incapacitated after Mystique stabbed him, injuring his larynx and rendering him powerless.

Likely spurred by guilt over her involvement in the X-Corps disaster, Monet moved on to join the Paris branch of X-Corporation, an organization that was created by Charles Xavier to ensure the protection of mutant rights. Her stint as a member of X-Corp, however, would be short lived; Decimation occurred during her tenure (wherein 90-95% of the mutant population was rendered powerless) and anti-mutant groups quickly seized the chance to attack. X-Corp Europe suddenly found themselves without headquarters as it was summarily blown up by a terrorist group. The organization was terminated shortly thereafter. In the wake of the dissolution, Jamie Madrox (Multiple Man), invited many of its former members, including Monet, to New York to join his new team, X-Factor Investigations.


"I think if we poll the population of Mutant Town, they'll be agreed that the common enemy is you, you pompous clown." – Monet to Pietro, X-Factor #9

Monet settled in quickly with the X-Factor. She was already familiar with most her teammates, as she'd worked with many during her time at X-Corporation, and she liked their living quarters well enough. Cases were interesting and allowed her to flex more of her telepathic muscles, as it was usually left to Monet to telepathically interrogate victims and suspects to glean information.

X-Factor tangled with many adversaries; a rival company called Singularity investigations, Pietro Maximoff, anti-mutant groups in the wake of Decimation, the X-Men themselves (Jaime and the others were stunned to learn about their involvement in Day of M, and, even more so, their contentedness in keeping the X-Factor out of the loop) and even each other. The night after X-Factor took an official stand on Mutant registration (against, and Mutant Town would serve as a sanctuary for superheroes being pursued by the government) Jaime or a dupe or some combination of the two slept with both Monet and Siryn. After the urging of the team therapist, Doc Samson, Jaime came clean with predictable results.

Monet, furious over being two-timed, tried to beat the dupe who seduced her out of Jaime. ("Sorry, super ex-girlfriend," he retorted, "it doesn't work that way." Which was probably a mistake, in retrospect, as she had him by the throat against a wall.) She then was considerably and irrationally angry with Siryn, who she later came to terms with on a shopping trip to Paris instigated by Layla Miller. Truces were tentatively called after Terry correctly deduced the real source of Monet's anger: she was really just mad at herself for letting Jaime seduce her. ("Slumming" was the word that Terry used. Monet didn't disagree.)

There was no time to dwell on that matter, however, as an anti-mutant riot broke out in the section of Paris where the two were having lunch. Attempting to curtail the mass of violent people, the two get involved, but it's not long before authorities arrive. At first, they cooperate, allowing the gendarmes to arrest them. It was important to make a political statement, Monet insisted, and showing the press that they didn't think that mutants were above the law. She made an even stronger statement when the riot instigator arrived at the prison and revealed that the terrorists had gone back and killed the remaining mutants. Breaking off two bars of her jail cell, Monet nailed the rioter to the wall, effectively crucifying him under the word meurtier.

Siryn and Monet returned to the center of the city. They're horrified to see that it, indeed, had burned to the ground. In the wreckage, they found a pre-teen girl, a former mutant named Nicole. Reminded of her sister, Monet insisted that they take Nicole back to New York with them. Little did they know that their journey back home was facilitated by Josef Huber, the Isolationist, a telepathic mutant who possessed the abilities of all living mutants. His inability to control his telepathy, however, meant that as he constantly heard the thoughts of people around the world, and the voices were slowly driving him insane. Using Nicole as an agent, he planned to eliminate Layla Miller, then convince Scott and the X-Men to arrange a "Million Mutant March." Once gathered in one place, he would eliminate all remaining mutants.

However, when Layla revealed that Nicole tried to kill her, Josef knew his cover was blown. He unleashed a full out assault on the X-Factor, who were at a disadvantage as they were without Siryn and Monet. The two women were on a seemingly unrelated case reuniting two children with their grandparents, a case that turned out to be manufactured by the Isolationist. When she realized that they were out of range of communication, Monet became worried. She joined Rictor and the two were successful in driving off the genocidal maniac.

Monet played a small role in the crossover event Messiah Complex, helping her former headmaster, Emma Frost, locate the first child born with the X-gene since Decimation.

In the aftermath of Messiah Complex, Monet learned two important things: Rahne was leaving X-Factor and Siryn was pregnant with Jaime's child. She believed that Rahne's decision was foolish, but Theresa's choice to keep her baby was monumentally stupid. No advice that Monet gave could change Terry's mind, even saying that the embryo was more mature than Jaime, and he would probably make a terrible father. An attack by the mutant Arcade interrupted the theatrics, however, and the drama would have to be dealt with later. Monet played a major role in his defeat, surviving an electrocution that would have killed a man twenty times over. As per usual, Monet recommended a little violence (though she never actually got a chance to exact any, as Rictor was the one who punched Arcade in the face).

After bombs planted by Arcade detonated, and the X-Factor saved everyone they could, Mutant Town was in ruins. Under orders from the Office of National Emergency, X-Factor would not longer be able to operate out of New York. When faced with the choice whether to disband and separate or join the O*N*E* initiative, X-Factor decided to do neither. Instead, Jaime relocated his team to Detroit to head the newly formed XF investigations.



PERSONALITY:

"I know what the others say about me. Think about me. But I have to be this way. Strong, overwhelming, better than everybody. I have to be this "M" person, because I draw my strength from her. If not for her, then… the forces inside me… they'd crush me."

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.