Cerebra's Files

Penance II


Real Name: Claudette and Nicole St. Croix
Affiliation: None
Previous Affiliations: Generation X
Aliases: M I
Relatives: Cartier St. Croix (father), Mother (unnamed, deceased), Monet (M II, sister), Marius (Emplate, brother)
Alternate-X Versions: The Monets (Age of Apocalypse)
Codename Etymology: Pronounced pĕn'əns [From Latin paenitentia "penitence"]; An act of voluntary humiliation performed to show sorrow for one's sins.
Powers & History: As Penance II: red diamond-hard skin and razor-sharp claws. As M I: Super-strength, speed and stamina, flight, and invulnerability, plus a very high level of intelligence and limited psionic powers.

Claudette and Nicole St. Croix replaced their sister Monet when their brother Marius (Emplate) transformed her into Penance. In this merged form, M was prone to episodes of intense concentration, which apparently was a form of autism, signifying that Claudette, who is autistic, was in charge.

M was captured by the Phalanx and met the other mutants who would become Generation X. She attended the Massachuessetts Academy from its inception as the Xavier’s School and quickly earned the ire of Jubilee, as she (they) were out Monet-ing Monet, based on their memories of her.

After the twins were split apart during Operation: Zero Tolerance, they combined with their brother into M-Plate. In that form they found out from Emplate’s mind what had happened to their sister Monet, namely, that she was turned into Penance.

Following M-Plate’s dissociation (thanks to Dirt Nap), the twins re-merged into M I and used their powers to switch places with their big sister, leaving Monet in her original body and the twins trapped in the mute form of Penance.

While the twins were in the Penance form, M II tried to make them as comfortable as she could, feeling guilty that they were now trapped while she remained free. Eventually the twins were split apart again during another explosion caused by Emplate’s final attack on the Academy. This time, the Penance form remained intact and soon woke up and escaped as Penance III. The twins were picked up by their father and returned with him to their home, where it’s presumed they remain.
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