X-Men Explained: Who Is Penance? Is She Really Marvel's Perfect Mutant?

[@user-uz2sj4zs7i]

Always wonder about M/ Penance. She just seem to have so many powers for one mutant not to mention her origin. Her popularity has risen over the years though.

[@mizkomunikation9478]

Since her main “power” basically makes her a highly evolved being, a lot of her abilities just go with that premise such as more durability, strength, and the types of mental abilities that might come with a highly evolved brain.

[@unkown981]

So she is just a weaker version of apocalypse

[@keinlanz]

The switacharoo they pulled ruined Penance's character and weakened M's in the process. It's a real shame. M would have been awesome just being the alter-ego mutant expression of the twins trying to be perfect.

[@viniciusribeiro6451]

She reminds me Kryptonians and Miss Martian. 😂

[@catwomanfan3428]

Great spotlight on M! She deserves soooo much more shine. I wish they would color her like she was in Gen X. There was no mistake then she was of African descent. I hoping she gets an MCU adaptation. Your choice to play her was excellent!

[@MarCoViTV]

Shes not black and never was...

[@wrdgaf]

@@MarCoViTV she's very much mixed with black idk why y'all denying it...

[@Luna-dh6yt]

She is a brown woman from Algeria,

[@possiblymaybe6711]

@@MarCoViTV she’s very clearly mixed

[@zoohouseonline8113]

She’s definitely a black African don’t listen to these weirdos who have an issue with that. They every black African looks like Lupita Nyongo

[@Gangerworld]

I hear from people who work in the character design industry that if you're a designer and you want to create/design a black character - especially if they're female - and you want them to stay black after all the editors and bosses have gotten their hands on the design before finalizing it, you want to start with her dark. Like super dark. As dark as possible, really. Because they say that every step during the editing process, the bosses will lighten her skin several shades. So if they wanted to confirm M as Algerian, they should have designed her like she was Ethiopian. :P

[@nobodyknowsforsure]

Nah just make a decent character with clear cut guidelines and put limitations on what can be adjusted. So when people get bright ideas, they look at the guidelines and no what they can and can't touch.

[@oxladealex9369]

I really don't understand how she's dark skinned since she has no Sub-Saharan African genes

[@droskie5]

@@oxladealex9369 yet her father is black. And the creator has said she's black. Deal with it

[@keinlanz]

@@droskie5 define "black". Who *precisely* does or does not qualify as black?

[@droskie5]

@@keinlanz I don't know why you are even asking me these questions. Who told you she doesn't have black roots just because they draw her like a mixed race person? Her mother is Algerian (could be Berber, Arab, or a mix ) , her father is Afro-Monegasque. There are many people like M in Europe. Have you seen people like Imaan Hammam. Do you understand what that means, now? The character has been portrayed by a black actress in the 90s. Even the guy who created the character has said she's black. What about that is hard to understand?

[@trehubb6144]

Monet is one of the mutants I would love to see in the Mcu. She has so much to offer..

[@PK-MegaLolCaT]

really? cause im like at minut 5:55 of the video and... they havent listed any single interesting quality... she is simply some sort of god like superman type of gimick.. but any children can come up with such ovethe top traits.. ok im at minute 10:03 now and i notice glimpses of an interesting personal story that somehow manage to slip through this guy's rambling of her job qualifications..(cause honestly this whole video so feels like someone showing their job resume).. see this bother me.. cause there is clearly a relatable story there...that instead of being the thing being talk in this video .. all i keep the guy rambling about is how she is much better than everyone else.. cause she was born better than everyone else... anyway.. sorry for the weird way this comment is structure.

[@markcruz359]

Wasn't Monet called M and someone else was Penance back when they were in Generation X in the 90s?

[@vincentredd3896]

Loved M from the beginning….I still think of her as Omega Level, although she has yet to show any aptitude toward atomic manipulation.

[@lloydrroman8388]

Another great actress to play Monet would be the chick from grown-ish, Yara Shahidi. She's African American and Middle Eastern.

[@olheadcognito982]

There is no such thing as the Middle East it's called Africa..

[@oxladealex9369]

North Africans are far from middle eastern bruh

[@Dayonetheone]

She's "Nas" 1st cousin.

[@davidpatrick4871]

How the f**k is she not considered omega?

[@carlosfontanez1835]

Thank you for posting this video. Monet st croix is one of my favorites X-Men characters.

[@roleplayingwithidiots7455]

Literally a mutant who constantly makes bone out there. Emplate: why can’t I hookup with her? Writers: reasons

[@stanwilliams5713]

I also think that she was at her best on the all-female X-Men team. IMO, THAT’s the X-men movie I want to see.

[@dorianjohnson7046]

So they just cycling names? Speedball/ Pennance. Adam Warlock/ Warlock etc.

[@laplumemobile]

I'll always have a soft spot for the Gen X mutants and wonder where or if they are still around in current comics from time to time

[@judyb1539]

Just found your page! I'm now a fan!!😊 I am a HUGE mutant fanatic!❤

[@me0on0utube]

...Also, I always felt like they took the idea for Emma diamond skin from Penance who was said to have diamond hard skin in the Gen X comix

[@Nathan-yq8en]

Yess especially as she couldn’t use her telepathic abilities in the penance form originally

[@keyodi]

She “seems” like the mutant version of supergirl….. I’d love to see more of her

[@afro_princess1671]

Naah, not even close

[@otmanh]

Just a small correction. Mach 1 is the speed of sound, Mach 3 is three times the sound of speed 👊

[@treylakingz9029]

M is a beast I've always loved her Synch is my favorite by far. But hey I'm a GenX kid through and through.

[@bevaineshaw4555]

She's always been 1 of my favorites just 2nd to Jean Grey, out of all the content creators someone finally has done an explanation about her Thanx.

[@downtown_clownybrown]

i've always loved monet ever since peter david's x-factor run

[@adriansandoval5078]

Her best iteration so far!!!

[@pepelarrza3877]

Yes omg she was so funny all her lines were pure gold

[@GearlessMo]

Awesome Recap of this amazing character. Looking forward to seeing her in live-action sometime soon, but your pick is SPOT ON.

[@DonMegaPLP]

Knew all this. As a true nerd would... I came here to find out why/when she was able to use the form... I thought I missed something. I see I didn't. The X-Office just fast fwded past all that. Wonderful.

[@Nathan-yq8en]

Literally she just started using it randomly

[@GandolfdaBlaq]

Monet is a whole Queen times 50. Love when you do these kind of videos.

[@crazykidben]

Back before the MCU had introduced the Guardians of the Galaxy, I held out hope we’d get Zoe Saldana as Monet someday…

[@me0on0utube]

This character's back story is very convoluted. Marvel comics had some good quality mutants in Gen X yet they wouldn't be written well. Very diverse yet not used properly

[@noa_the_knower]

she actually debuted during the Phalanx covenant series which was also written by Lobdell i think, but that event was the origin of all of Generation X

[@bill930505]

M is her own mutant Supergirl becoming a mutant Superwoman, albeit a little selfish. If she wins this year’s election, in this era, a lot of corrections will be made in a carefully researched matter of her family history while also improving the mental aspect she has carried to this day.

[@Gangerworld]

Monet also has the crazy mutant power of changing the amount of melanin in her skin seemingly randomly - going from looking like she has African descent to Asian to Aboriginal to being purely Caucasian. Truly a monster of a mutant. In all seriousness though - as a huge fan of the og Generation-X run, I prefer the idea of Monet or "M" being the Claudette and Nicole fused together. 1) Dragonball. 2) It makes sense that she's so overpowered, her being a gestalt mutant and all. It's a much more interesting idea. You need a heavy hitter, are you really going to get two little underaged girls to do the fusion dance and become M? Well... Cyclops probably would XD

[@ggt47]

Crikey really? Monet my gurl my favourite X-team. Hope they get some proper representation in the MCU.

[@unkown981]

I mean she basically has the same powers of apocalypse

[@keinlanz]

It was a lot more interesting for both M & Penance, and both characters were ruined by the change IMO. Penance far more so, because there are no other deaf or Yugoslavic characters in the comics and her backstory was simply dismantled to make room for a lame 3rd St Croix sister that never needed to exist. Talk about lack of representation.

[@danvernier198]

She does have a African descent, I think it's mostly a case of some American artists believing Africa is a homogenous place and just randomly slapping whatever hue they use for Americans of west African descent on her and other artists seeing that he backstory says she's from Algeria in particular and looking up people from there.

[@batuhandurtas2535]

please make a video about Emma Frost she is so prominent on Krakoa but there is so little video about her powers

[@diamantemrobinson]

My favorite

[@christopherbennett5858]

Honestly, I find Monet and her sisters rather touching. I mean the twins combined to look like the most powerful being they knew and became Monet. That’s rather sweet. Frankly, X-corp was a neat venture and her and Selene are fun. It’s also rather interesting to know that they made Penance the real monet because they didn’t want to lose her from the twin reveal. This will probably sound like typecasting but, if Miss Marvel gets a second season where she’s revealed to be a mutant, either Monet or Dust could be a fun addition. Heck, let’s add Gateway as well, that guy is always helping the children out.

[@danielmiddlebrooks6120]

Very well done/compiled/organized!

[@mohammadjuhail3503]

Something that the whole world is almost ignorant to. Algerians are really light! As Ernie said Egyptians Moroccans Tunisians all are quite light skinned.

[@justingaffneysamuels2072]

It varies of course depending on the individual.

[@GangstaMojo]

I've always felt that actress Jessica Lucas would be the perfect Monet st. Croix

[@eon001]

As an African man, I know how tricky the skin color discussion can get. I know good and well if they made her REALLY black, there would be similar criticism. Despite the fact that very dark skinned ladies are under represented too.

[@inesatt1313]

She is Algerian🇩🇿 just like me and I AM PROUD 🥰

[@surfer1927]

I’ve often wondered if she’s the mother of Bishop and Shard

[@singularityphoenix0369]

@1:38 she looks like "Señorita Perfecta" Isabella from Encanto. The fact that you were calling her perfect make it connect even more 🤯🤩

[@devv197]

I hate when they make black characters look purposefully racially ambiguous/ lighten their skin. Also did she take the name Penance because of Speedball (who is now Penance)?

[@blackphoenix77]

M's origin was really convoluted; I wish they wouldn't have done all that stuff with her sisters

[@matthewschwartz6607]

Ah, M is cool. They should give her her own mini-series (An ongoing wouldn’t last.). I would check that one out. Here’s hoping that she gets some solo action.

[@moneyky2327]

She hella fine in one of these comic books 💯🔥❤️👀

[@KevinGloverpost24]

Hopefully she finds her way into the MCU

[@philgood8089]

i was always intrigued by the mystery of M and Penance, and SUPREMELY disappointed by the "revelation" by issue #31. i didn't know Lobdell had intended on Penance being a separate & whole character, a Yugoslavian refugee... and i'd have much preferred that. M, as a separate character, was always a too-perfect/too-flawed character that made her interesting... with the ability to now switch to Penance-form, having combined the characters, it feels like we'd lost something special.

[@keinlanz]

Absolutely. I'd go so far as to say this retcon all but ruined the entirety of the Gen X arc. Penance was cannablized for no good reason after a very cool setup, and the reveal of M being the twins' alter ego was grotesquely cheapened.

[@aikenp]

I want to see more of her and husk. I really hope she gets to join the team this year.

[@nobodyknowsforsure]

I think one of the most memorable moments I remember with her was when they came to protect Prof. X and World War Hulk punted her to another state. I was like WTF because I knew she was strong and was expecting a decent fight with hulk. It really showed how powerful WWH had become and it was a smart way to do the fight in hindsight since she was more or less invulnerable. That fight opened the barber shop in full lol and poor Colossus, imagine seeing an animated version of that fight. She's a decent character in my opinion.

[@jeremyruh5219]

They need to give her more of a showcase

[@williamgreen2937]

Don’t forget her death by the enchantress in X-Men #9 2013-2015 run , when it was an all girl squad ran by storm

[@jackieanderson9408]

I saw generation x back in the day.👍

[@danielelliott4670]

One thing Marvel hasn’t cleared up… who the heck was Hollow???

[@bobbywoodart5269]

GENX wasn't her first appearance. She first appeared in the Phalanx Convent along with the rest of GenX

[@stanwilliams5713]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this video! I’ve been a fan of Monet since generation X #1 and I needed some questions answered about what happened between there and what’s going on with her in the Hox/Pox/Dawn/Reign of X.

[@LandofMert76]

Has always been a very interesting character, and one of my favorites from Generation X. 100% agree that Marvel's non white women are so often drawn with white features. So many look like they are caucasian with darker skin.

[@viniciusribeiro6451]

08:12. "Rich is a superpower." - Bruce Wayne. 😂

[@thestendhalsyndrome]

Man i used to love the Generation X comics back in the 90s.. Chris Bachalo's old artwork style is gorgeous and i loved the characters

[@christophersherman5404]

She is one of my favorite characters. I hope she will get more story arcs. I feel she should be played by an ambiguously raced actress. With beautiful brow skin and looks right with long flowy hair. I hope she gets her shine.🤞🙏🏽👩🏾💪🏾🧠👄👁🦵🏾👸🏾..oh and to transform into penance would translate in movies soo good.💫💯

[@ChefRodKnight]

Nathalie Emmanuel maybe? I could see her doing M justice!

[@christophersherman5404]

Didnt she play in GOT?

[@docdirtymrclean3610]

speed of sound = 740 mph - 842 mph depending on the temperature and substance it is going thru at the time being. Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound (Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately 343.2 m/s (1,126 ft/s; 768 mph; 667.1 kn; 1,236 km/h). Mach 1 is around 761.4 mph Mach 3 would be 2283.62 mph give or take. lol just saying, Monet out here ZOOOMING

[@couufdr]

Maybe she's like domino but with perfection... Basically turning her into a relative one punch man. Mine is the one but you get what I mean. Her power is being perfect

[@vibrationzzz]

right it’s different from just having “superman” powers as some fans who don’t understand would say it’s everything about her is superior which triggers each power she has, it’s perfection from all ends 💯

[@davidtyler6708]

I guess she was the ultimate wish fulfillment character, and because she is popular and connected with a lot of people, the thought of her not existing was too much for a lot of people. The writers gave the people what they wanted, and allowed a character that wasn't meant to exist to continue to exist (see Xorn). My only issue is the Penance character was being written in a comic book called, "Loners", written by C.B. Cebulski, now referred to as, "Hollow". Supposedly, it wasn't Monet or her twin sisters in the body, but somebody completely different, and they never got around to revealing who it was.

[@daniroelle]

Ryan Destiny from STAR would be a great person to play M based on her actual illustrations in the comics. Also this was a great breakdown as usual, thank you.

[@QRSteele]

Monet has been one of my faves since the days of GenX.

[@s-wo8781]

I really wish we get more black artists in Marvel. I'd like to see Monet and Storm with natural hair. Give me some locs, twists, redo the mohawk with a frohawk, some braids, come on! I can tell these black women characters were created by white dudes because they can only seem to give black women either straight hair or an afro. Black women have way more than that.

[@trevonh4139]

Facts

[@timothymoore6341]

M is a real snob, but I like her! She and Jubilee used to butt heads way back when they were in Gen X.

[@warpath7985]

Just a quick correction, her first appearance was not GenX but in xmen (don't remember number, uncanny xmen 316?) during the Phalanx Covenant story-line, which let into Generation X #1.

[@jorienwachukwu466]

That was her sisters posing as her, not Monet herself.

[@stewiemorlock]

I STILL want an exlanation for the current Penance-form from Hickman. This form wasn't a power that eventually Monet has learned to control, it was something that was imposed on her. A "living prison" or "husk" called "Hollow". Yes, at the beginning Monet was in the Penance form and then she switch with the twins, BUT at a certain point the twins were released from Penance and Penance remained a character unto herself! Somewhere she' was also called "Yvette" and 'TILL THIS DAY no one knows who Yvette is! SO...Hickman...WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENED?! PLEAAASE! TELL US!!!

[@karmabum21]

I don't get it either. To be honest, she doesn't really need the Penance form. I liked the idea of Penance being her own person.

[@warpath7985]

My thoughts exactly! Since when did Penance become a power of hers when it was completely different entity. Did I miss a storyline or something? Plus, I remember the "Yvette" that emplate referred to her as well.

[@stewiemorlock]

@@warpath7985 THANK GOD I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE🙌

[@bydstc1904]

Penance was supposed to be a Yugoslavian refugee named Yvette and Monet wasn’t intended to be a real person. Once editorial decided Monet should be real, they retconned Penance into being a transformed Monet. They explained away the Yvette inconsistency as Yvette being one of Monet’s middle names. If this all sounds convoluted af, it’s because it is😂

[@stewiemorlock]

@@bydstc1904 at least someone gave us some sorto of answer! THANK YOU!!! Now...do you know where we can find these info? Comic? Interview? Website?

[@Diamondkiki89]

So what about penance who was speedball from new warriors?

[@arthurjacksonjr6432]

I think Monet and her siblings all have three forrms and Monet's family has magical and mutant abilities. Monet has three forms like the triple goddess from neo paganism. She also has alot in common with Mahadevi from Hindu religion. Mahadevi has 3 forms - Parvati (Monet), Durga (Penance), and Kali (Emplate form). Maybe these forms were always apart of her. Also, the Enchntress said Monet is like a goddess. This also explain how her physical abilities are actually psionic. Maybe Monet and her siblings are avatars of ancient gods.

[@SparkyTakedown]

Another dope OP character that came out of G-X. But sometimes the OP characters don't always get used so much because they're...well..too OP. Til revecently with HOX and X-C.

[@moneyky2327]

Dang she is best all around then that means that she is on pair with the gods in the marvel like Thor and Odin 💯🔥❤️

[@witchivy5905]

I love the fact that monett is getting more screen time she's so Op and has a great sassy character

[@trgogo8634]

Love Monet thank you for clarifying her history

[@WarKing77]

Completely forgot Monet ever existed until I came across this video, then all the memories I had of enjoying her (and Sync, two young heroes of colour) until I felt Marvel was f***ing up the story. Thanks for this trip down memory lane (since it was almost 30 years ago when I collected Gen X)

[@RafaRodrigues]

She’s one of my faves. Hope she gets the X-Men spot

[@DanteVan2483]

Been waiting for this my fav character

[@TheDutchVegaShow]

I always thought M was just lightskinned with her darker appearances being "her just with some tan" which SHOUTS TO MELANIN! anyways yeah just wanted to add that and I been reading x-men books and x-men books ONLY since 1990.. i bought all those generation x books irt up until about #60 something.. ijs in my head all those years she was just lightskinned/"redbone"/"passes the brown paper bag test" type which that also explains why they tried to whiten her once upon a time.. just my .02 on that part..

[@larryjr9705]

My favorite!!!!! 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅I hope she actually gets put on a good team this year. Her last few X book appearances (X Corp & Empyre) wasn't good and slightly boring. I want her on a team where we actually get to see her do her thing. We all want to know more about her family, her powers and some of her relationships like Synch, Emma Frost, She Hulk etc.

[@kendallakwesera8623]

her skin tone is so inconsistent im never sure who I'm looking at tbh 💀

[@jamesdom9887]

Penance isn't the speed ball guy??? Cool we need more black heroes 💪🏿🤎🖤💪🏿

[@Vamroc]

WOW that's racist you give a woman perfect genetics and fade the black out of her like contrast control on a TV

[@waltlikka]

I hate being this guy & please take this with 100% respect for your work & videos. Monet’s first appearance was Uncanny X-Men 316 during “The Phalanx Covenant.”

[@diydrivenGA]

Sounds like she's the ultimate plot armor mutant.

[@onyx081]

It's no more plot armor than all the other characters in comics who have similar powers sets. Super girl and Miss Martian to name a couple can do most of what Monet can do and even more, and are arguably way more powerful, yet nobody labels their powers as "plot armor" All of Monet's powers are all at reasonable and relatively moderate levels, so it's not like she's some unbeatable omega level mutant.

[@megabear8905]

@@onyx081 What does 'Human Genetic Perfection' have to do with flying or catching bullets? Edit: And Telepathy, because why not.

[@antoniologan7648]

Damn! I love this! I didn't know anything about her before this video!

[@mjr8888]

So, when she was brought back after the suicide mission in House of X, she said she didn't want to be touched. Is that because she still has Emplate in her?

[@SubzeroBlack68]

It's because she doesn't like showing physical affection. It isn't her first time being bitchy like that. There have been other times where someone touches her or tries to comfort her and she swats them away.

[@christophersherman5404]

I wish we can get more of her she is interesting and hope they bring her to the MCU!

[@The30JAG]

There are so many mutant characters that I would love to see in MCU, I hope Marvel can bring us the X-men movies that we all want to see.

[@mohammadjuhail3503]

As a huge marvel fan myself. They forever will have problems with representation.

[@coryjames7651]

She's so dope 🙌 🔥 🔥 🔥

[@GomorrahSkipper]

Monet has always been one of my favorites. She should be played by Summer Bishell, known for Margo on The Magicians.

[@stanwilliams5713]

This is a fire idea.

[@kriz2432]

I Voted for her. :)

[@rell127]

Also technically she didn't show up then she showed in an X-men title actually but that might have been her twin sisters.

[@dwightschmidt5391]

I love this! And wasn't she from the Caribbean island of St. Croix? And wasn't her first appearance in the X-Men's Phalanx covenant series which is what lead us to Generation X?

[@jdub7775]

I wanted to come back to this video to let you know that she's now my 2nd favorite X-men. 1st being Storm. She is my Powergirl in the X-men

[@jjinfinity16]

Love This🙏🏼😌💋❤️🔥

[@taylorfox6436]

Thank you so much for this. I love M

[@carlosfontanez1835]

Always blerd you're truly One of best when it's comes to the X-Men . If Kevin Fergie ever got you to be in phase 4 and 5 . You use me a reference and tell Kevin that u are the best choice and honor the MCU family

[@MikelWash]

Really Good Bro

[@judyb1539]

Side gripe: Synch has been virtually ignored by the world. So wanna see him in the MCU one day!

[@OneLuckyBear7]

X-Men 316 is technically her first appearance until they revealed her sisters were just pretending to be her.

[@raharmonnelson7537]

She doesn't get her just due ......

[@ExTriv]

Throughout all of the racial/ ethnic ambiguity, she's always been bae. I'm glad that she's getting her time to shine again.

[@ryanclark2270]

Thank you for posting this. This is a very cool character. Unfortunately, Mach 3 is three times the speed of sound, being that mach one would be the speed of sound. Additionally, moch 1 = 767.269 mph.

[@SpaceKarenMonkeyKiller]

Speed of sound is 343 Meters per second, not miles.