Real name: Monet St. Croix
Occupation: Student
Identity: Monet was, until recently, the mute and unknown
Penance. Now freed from her brother's spell,
she is herself once more.
Legal status: Monet St. Croix is a legal citizen of Algeria.
She currently is in the USA without passport or visa, making her
(technically) an illegal immigrant.
Other aliases: Penance
Place of birth: Algeria
Marital status: Single
Known relatives: Marius St. Croix (brother), Cartier St. Croix
(father), Nicole and Claudette St. Croix (younger twin sisters)
Group affiliation: X-Men
Base of operations: New York City
First appearance: November 1, 2000
History:
The story of the being now known as Penance begins with Monet St. Croix, the daughter of Ambassador Cartier St. Croix. Her family was a large one, with her older brother Marius and her younger twin sisters, Nicole and Claudette. She grew up wanting for nothing, living in the pampered life of a diplomat, with enough wealth to manage anything she wished. Though Monet was unaware of it, her family also had an extremely strong X-Factor, with herself and her siblings all being possessed of powerful mutant abilities.
Unfortunately, wealth and influence weren't enough for Monet's older brother, Marius. He turned to the study of darker things, dark magics, to gain power. Monet was scornful of his efforts...after all, it's not as if something like magic was -real-, for heaven's sake. She had always had a sharp tongue, and she never passed an opportunity to denigrate her brother and his silly efforts. This was the case right up to the point when Marius returned, offering to have her join in his efforts to rule the world. Monet responded in a characteristically caustic tone...which was the beginning of her troubles.
Finally having enough of his sister's big mouth and attitude, Marius transformed Monet, through his dark powers, into a red-skinned, untouchable, mute creature, unable to use her own mutant powers. From that moment on, Marius referred to his sister as "Penance" -- Monet's own sort of penance for her 'holier-than-thou' attitude.
At the moment of her transformation, Monet's twin sisters came across her and Marius. The sudden interruption disturbed the delicate balance of powers at play, and the unfocused magic wreaked its toll, transporting both Marius and the transformed Monet to another dimension. Sealed in this other dimension, Marius used his sister to feed upon, draining her essence so long that he began to manifest certain physical traits that she had.
Finally, after long years of imprisonment, Penance managed to break loose, during a frenzy of violence. She was able to wound Marius, distracting him long enough that she was able to escape, fleeing through the gateway which her brother had created to allow him back into the physical world. Since that time, she has lived on her own, a wild and feral creature moving through the shadows of the city, as an animal, waiting for something, she knows not what.. perhaps a link to her lost humanity.
After the return of her brother to the city and his subsequent defeat, Monet has been returned to her human form and true mutant abilities. What will become of her now is a mystery, but she seeks to reclaim her life and her sanity.
Height: 5'6" Weight: 125 lbs.
Eyes: Dark Brown Hair: Dark Brown
Unusual physical characteristics: Monet is mixed-race
Caucasian and African-American, lending her an exotic appearance.
Strength level: Monet can lift weights on the order of
10 tons.
Known superhuman powers: Superstrength, flight, superspeed,
and telepathy, as well as a form of cosmic knowledge.
Other abilities: None
Weapons and paraphernalia: None
Other notes: Monet is an ambassador's daughter (although not
to the U.S.), giving her some minimal pull in diplomatic circles.
Monet is currently in a coma, after having been permanently absorbed
by Rogue.