Nico Minoru

Nico Minoru first appeared in Runaways #1 (July 2003) and was created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona. In Brian K. Vaughan's original pitch for the series, Nico was called Rachel Messina. Her parents were still magicians, but posed as wealthy antique dealers; this cover story was ultimately used for Gert's time-travelling parents. Nico's source of power was not originally going to be her mother's Staff, but Robert Minoru's spellbook. as well as its sequel, Avengers Undercover. Nico appears as one of the main characters in A-Force, an all-female Avengers spin-off launched by G. Willow Wilson, Marguerite Bennett, and Jorge Molina during Marvel's Secret Wars crossover. ==Fictional character biography==

The Pride Every year, Nico's parents join five other couples in a charity event; one year, Nico and the other kids spy on their parents. Nico is shocked to discover her father speaking an enchantment, and after witnessing the murder of an innocent girl by their parents ("the Pride"), Nico joins the others in their massive ransack to run away from their parents. While on the run, Nico encounters her parents. Her mother, wielding a large staff with a ball at the end ("the Staff of One"), reveals that she and Nico's father are dark wizards; she then attempts to jam the Staff into Nico's chest. Nico's body absorbs it. After she is later cut by Dale Yorkes' Samurai battle-axe, the Staff re-emerges from her chest, which prompts Nico to use the phrase "Freeze", and freeze Stacey Yorkes. It is revealed that Nico is a witch, and that the Staff only emerges when she bleeds. Sometime after running off, Nico takes on the name Sister Grimm to escape the name her parents gave her, but drops it after a while. After team leader Alex outs himself as the mole and is defeated along with the Pride, Nico is accepted as the group's leader. Mystic Arcana ''. Art by Marko Djurdjevic. In 2007, the magic-related crossover event Mystic Arcana fills the gap between Runaways #17 and #18, during Nico's brief time at Father Flanagan's Home for Unwanted Goth Kids. The story begins with Nico dressed in a Japanese school girl's outfit, stating that it's perhaps time to let go of the goth trend. She is soon talked into going to a nightclub with her friends, where she meets her parents' old rival Marie Laveau; Magik represents air and logic, the Black Knight represents the Earth and tools, the Scarlet Witch represents water and emotions, and Nico represents fire and wands. Although C.B. Cebulski wrote the Sister Grimm portion of Mystic Arcana, Runaways-creator Brian K. Vaughan lent some assistance. As a fugitive After being warned of a future threat named Victor Mancha, Nico and the Runaways find and abduct Victor to question him. After Victor's mother is murdered and father, Ultron, is destroyed, Nico invites Victor to become a part of the team, much to the anger of some members, notably Chase. Nico reassures them that she is willing to "rip [Victor's] damn heart out" if necessary. After Chase ties Nico up before he attempts to sacrifice himself to the Gibborim, Nico interprets it as a cry for help and leads the Runaways to intervene to stop Chase's self-sacrifice. The Gibborim instead attempt to take Nico, revealing that Nico's soul is innocent, thus, suitable for the Gibborim's consumption. Victor rescues Nico and the two form a relationship. After defeating the Gibborim, Victor asks Nico what she's willing to do if Chase does something like this again; Nico responds by saying she is willing to "rip [Chase's] damn heart out" if necessary. After returning to their lair beneath the La Brea Tar Pits, Xavin realizes she had publicly exposed their location, drawing the attention of Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. Nico, stepping into her role as a leader, leads the Runaways in a cross-country escape from Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. The Witchbreaker After escaping the authorities, the Runaways head to New York, where Nico anxiously makes a deal with Kingpin. The Witchbreaker claims she is Nico's great-grandmother, and states she will teach Nico how to withstand more pain and, therefore, wield more magic with better proficiency. She wields a weapon similar to the Staff of One, with more adornments. When reunited with her comrades, a significant development to Nico's abilities is evident, where she is freely able to float, displays more proficiency and confidence in casting spells and able to use a spell with an effect more complicated than most of her others thus far. Later on, Nico uses the spell "Zombie Not" to turn an army of zombies back to humans; the spell, backfiring, turns the zombies into an actual "zombie knot", thus creating a one large zombie. The Runaways deduce that after the Witchbreaker tortured and trained Nico, Nico's magical abilities have been greatly augmented. Val Rhymin's magician informs Nico that the Staff of One carries tremendous magical ability and Nico, being young, should not use it. The magician steals the Staff from her, only to be killed after the Staff defends itself. A silent Nico takes her Staff back, and warns the other Runaways not to touch it. Although the title went to Brother Voodoo, her image appeared as one of the many candidates the Eye of Agamotto considered to assume the role of the new Sorcerer Supreme. Nico also makes a non-speaking cameo in Strange #4 (Feb. 2010) as one of the powerful mages Doctor Strange asks to stop using their powers for an hour. Avengers Arena In the series Avengers Arena, Nico is abducted by the villain Arcade and placed on a special island version of Murderworld. The Staff of One has its power drastically reduced for an unexplained reason, preventing her not only from being able to act out against Arcade or the island, but also requiring "dozens of spells" just to successfully grow food to eat. After mounting a frontal attack on Apex and Juston Seyfert's Sentinel, Nico loses the Staff of One when she is dismembered by Chase (now in possession of the Darkhawk armor) and thrown off a cliff. She then crawls to the Staff of One and tries to cast the spell "help", but bleeds out before the Staff can act. The Staff resurrects Nico, using her massive blood loss as a sacrifice to grant her enough power to disarm Death Locket, destroy the Darkhawk armor, and defeat Apex by trapping her underground. Chase returns to his normal self and then helps Nico and Reptil fight Cullen Bloodstone, who had decided to battle X-23 in his unstable Glartrox form. In the ensuing battle, Nara is killed after retrieving Cullen's ring, which would return him to his human form, and Anachronism goes wild. Reptil asks Nico and Chase for help breaking up the fight, but Nico insists she and Chase stay out of it. At Nico's command, Chase then turns into Darkhawk and sucker-punches Reptil as part of some secret plan that he and Nico devised. Chase showed regret at having to attack Reptil. When Chase refuses to let Cammi stop Nico, she breaks his arm and leg, taking the Darkhawk amulet for herself to stop Nico from killing everyone. Cammi gives Chase the amulet again when Apex attacks the remaining teens on Murderworld. Soon after, Death Locket stops the fight by killing Apex and everyone is able to escape Murderworld. She also has the power to teleport and create floating and cloaking spells. To the other Runaways' horror, she and Chase fight during one of Chase's interviews on the talk show, criticizing Chase for breaking their pact of silence, which was made moot when Arcade released video. She then teleported Chase away from the set. However, when Anachronism reveals Bloodstone's gone missing, all the survivors team up to head to Bagalia to find him. On their way in, Nico berates Chase for saying they are "family," pointing out that he only came with them because she made him. Once they find Bloodstone, he reveals that he enjoys life among the villains, and the others, minus Cammi, start to enjoy it as well. Nico tries to convince Bloodstone to come back with them, but he refuses. Daimon Hellstrom has been helping Cullen control his monster form and he offers to help Nico with her upgraded powers too. When Cammi tries to tell the others to leave, Bloodstone instead has Hellstrom teleport the group to Arcade's latest party so they can confront him. Hazmat uses this opportunity to kill Arcade. Baron Zemo then tell them they have two choices, join him or be returned to the surface to be punished by S.H.I.E.L.D.. Nico comes up with a third option, pretend to join Zemo and destroy his organization from the inside. She works closely with Hellstrom to strengthen her magical powers. Eventually they unwittingly feed to Avengers information planted by Zemo in order to trap the Avengers in Bagalia and then steal S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier. Cammi stops Zemo and reveals Arcade is alive. Since only a body double was killed, S.H.I.E.L.D. drops any charges against the teens. She is last seen enjoying some vacation time on a lake with the rest of the group in the final issue of the series. A-Force Following the Secret Wars storyline, Singularity awakes in the primary Earth-616 universe and quickly spots Carol Danvers but Danvers does not recognize her. Unbeknownst to Singularity, she is being pursued by a similar being named Antimatter. While Danvers confronts Antimatter, Singularity flees to New York City. With Antimatter still in pursuit, Singularity locates She-Hulk, who does not remember her either, and asks for help. As the pair fight Antimatter, Medusa arrives with reinforcements and takes Singularity into custody. After Antimatter kills one of Medusa's soldiers, she releases Singularity and teleports Antimatter to the moon. Realizing that physical attacks are having little effect on Antimatter, Singularity transports She-Hulk, Medusa and herself to Japan to seek the help of Minoru. When Antimatter returns, Minoru casts a spell that causes him to be temporarily unmade. The spell buys the women some time during which Danvers suggests that Antimatter maybe susceptible to intense levels of light particles. They then travel to Miami to recruit Dazzler just as Antimatter remerges. Dazzler hits Antimatter with everything she has to no avail but it gives Danvers time to activate a containment device that she designed. When Antimatter overloads the device, Singularity has Minoru remove Antimatter's tracking ability and transports the team to The Peak. As Antimatter eventually reaches The Peak, She-Hulk orders Singularity to stay behind while the rest of the team leaves to parley with Antimatter. After talks fail, Antimatter fatally wounds Dazzler and in turn She-Hulk decapitates Antimatter. Angered by Dazzler's death, Singularity leaves to confront a recovered Antimatter one-on-one. As Singularity fights Antimatter, Dr. Tempest Bell, The Peak's lead scientist, develops a bomb capable of destroying Antimatter but denoting it will also kill Singularity. She-Hulk, Minoru and Danvers go to reinforce Singularity, while Medusa places the bomb inside Antimatter. Just as the bomb explodes, a revived Dazzler arrives with a dimensional teleporter and whisks Singularity away from the blast. With Antimatter destroyed, the team celebrates at a diner when Singularity senses a disturbance as remnants of Antimatter tear open portals to other worlds. In Astoria, Oregon, A-Force tracks a dragon from Battleworld named Countess and discover that she is being pursued by an alternate version of Dazzler that belonged to the Thor Corps. A-Force joins Dazzler Thor in combat which causes Countess to retreat. As the heroes wait for Countess's return, Dazzler confides to Dazzler Thor that she has been infected by the Terrigen Mist and is dying. When Countess arrives, she takes control of Minoru who then incapacitates the team. She-Hulk, Medusa, Dazzler, Dazzler Thor, and Danvers awake in a jail cell in Astoria to discover that their powers are gone and the populace under the control of the Countess. After She-Hulk taunts the Countess, she has Minoru turn She-Hulk against the others. As the fight with She-Hulk takes the team away from the city and their powers return, the Countess has Minoru turn their feet into cement shoes and drag them under water. As the team is about to drown, Minoru commands them to breathe. Once out of the water, She-Hulk sends half the team to distract Countess, while the others rescue Minoru. After being rescued, Minoru reveals the true nature of Countess' powers and returns with Dazzler and Dazzler Thor to confront Countess. Minoru convinces Countess to have a change of heart as Dazzler Thor succumbs to the compounded effects that the Terrigen Mist are having on her otherworldly system. After Dazzler Thor's body vanishes, Dazzler warns her teammates that she may suffer a similar fate. Civil War II During the "Civil War II" storyline, after She-Hulk is gravely wounded in a battle with Thanos, Danvers tells Minoru that the Inhuman Ulysses Cain had a vision of her killing a woman named Alice. Refusing to be arrested for a crime that she has yet to commit, Minoru flees to a safehouse in Ouray, Colorado. Unbeknownst to Minoru, the town is under attack from a swarm of giant bugs. Minoru encounters Elsa Bloodstone. Bloodstone informs Minoru that the attack is the result of an infection that is turning the populace into insects and takes her to meet Janine, whose daughter Alice has gone missing during the commotion. Meanwhile, Danvers and Medusa race to find Minoru before Dazzler and Singularity, who disagree with their methods. Danvers and Medusa find Minoru and Bloodstone just before Dazzler and Singularity arrive. After a brief confrontation, they agree to split into two teams: one to find Alice and the other to protect the civilians. While searching for Alice in an abandoned mine, Danvers, Minoru and Bloodstone are attacked by a giant bug. The bug incapacitates Danvers and Bloodstone before telepathically communicating to Minoru that she is Alice and has been inadvertently infecting the townspeople after her transformation. Alice tells Minoru that killing her is the only way to save the people. When Minoru refuses, an infected Bloodstone threatens to kill Danvers. Medusa, Singularity, and an infected Dazzler are overrun by bugs and regroup with the others just as Bloodstone infects Danvers. After Dazzler infects Medusa, Minoru casts a spell to transform Alice back into a human but it does not cure the rest of the populace. Alice explains that she must be killed and Minoru reluctantly casts a death spell on Alice which transforms the infected back into humans. Alice then remerges in her final form and tells A-Force that she is no longer a threat as she now has greater control of her powers. When the commotion is over, Danvers and Minoru continue to disagree over each other's actions but agree to visit She-Hulk together in the hospital. Strange Academy Nico Minoru became a teacher at Strange Academy where she teaches Creative Spellcasting and co-teaches Defense Against Vampires alongside Magik. ==Powers and abilities==

Spellcasting Nico, being a witch, uses magic as her weapon. In the early issues, her sole weapon had been the Staff of One, an ancient magical staff that can cast any spell imaginable. However, it cannot resurrect the dead or use the same spell more than once, producing random effects if she attempts to do so. Tina Minoru, the Staff's owner previous to Nico, mentions that the Staff even made Dormammu (a demonic entity with vast magical power far surpassing even that of the Sorcerer Supreme) tremble and that it gave the wielder "[a]ll the power of the past, present and future" and would make its wielder "unstoppable." Tina is also able to do spells without saying them, as evident when she turns herself, Robert Minoru, and the Steins into their villain costumes. In Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways, Nico successfully cast a tunneling spell using a Latin phrase supplied to her by Vision without knowing its meaning. Only Nico (and other members of the Minoru family) can summon the Staff, but initially, anyone could cast spells with it. When not in use the Staff retreats into her body, which Nico describes as "feeling like I have something in my eye, but instead of my eye, it's...it's my soul." As the series progressed, Nico found alternative ways to make herself bleed, including brushing her gums for extended periods of time and having Gert's Deinonychus Old Lace bite her arm. The Staff always emerges from the center of her chest, and passes through any clothing she is wearing without damaging it or Nico. However the Staff will damage anyone or anything directly in its way when ejected from Nico's body. For example, the Staff emerged after the vampire Topher began to drain Nico's blood and pierced his chest. In the Mystic Arcana series, Nico is said to have far greater magical potential than even she had realized, as the last living heir to the Clan Minoru; Nico overwhelms Marie LaVeau in a matter of moments, despite all of Marie's magical experience and power, and discovers that the roots of her family legacy are deeper than even she imagined, with her being the only person alive capable of unlocking the Black Mirror. Nico is told that she has stepped onto the Dark Path and that she and Marie shall meet again, "for all those who step onto the Dark Path are destined to travel that road together." On occasion, however, she has cast spells without resorting to the Staff, such as creating an image of Alex Wilder in the palm of her hand, and casting a shield spell taught to her Wong. Time and space are also crucial limitations to the power of the Staff: all spells shown cast by it only have a temporary effect, and the effects of these spells weaken as the distance between Nico and the target increases. Extended magic Nico's time with the Witchbreaker has granted her a newer version of the Staff of One, similar to the original but with more adornments and a larger ring (the ball on the original Staff is also removed). Nico can now wield its powers and cast spells with greater proficiency than before, even floating under her own powers instead of using the Staff, as Nico had already cast a variety of levitation enchantments before. Furthermore, Victor Mancha also questions how Nico is floating, apparently indicating that this was indeed not of the Staff's own magic. Nico can now cast a variety of spells without using her Staff, bringing her closer to her parents' abilities. It is unknown where the original Staff of One is now, though her new staff, regardless of its precise origins, is summoned in exactly the same method as the former. Without her staff, Shes been shown flying, making shields, and projecting holograms. More recently, Nico's Staff has displayed an ability to defend itself. The Staff now reacts violently toward anyone other than Nico who attempts to use it, turning into a demon or dragon and devouring that individual. Later in Daken: Dark Wolverine she shows that her spells can be extremely detailed when she freezes Daken with "Freeze to the exact temperature and aesthetic appearance of a cheap Popsicle from a 7/11" though she still has the "One spell" rule. After her murder by Apex Character attributes and personality benefactors, the Gibborim. She refuses Alex's offer brutally and helps usher her friends to safety. When Nico takes the leadership position, it proves she has the intelligence and courage to make difficult decisions. One notable example is a risky decision in leaving Xavin to battle a resurrected Geoffrey Wilder herself saying "Xavin knew the risks". Gert's untimely death sends Nico into the arms of Victor Mancha, with whom she reveals she has a habit of running to people when distressed. Nico admits she is confused but she will figure "who and what (she) likes on her own" and then she kills them. She begins a relationship with Victor, but the relationship is quickly ended mutually after Victor falls for another girl. Nico became very isolated and unstable after the events of Avengers Arena, where she was dismembered, resurrected, and ultimately survived Murderworld, having almost no contact with the Runaways, even ignoring Molly's birthday. She explains she was destroyed after the events of the Arena, she was terrified of her new powers and was likely suffering from severe PTSD, and seeing Chase return to normal after the experience only made her hurt more. ==Relationships with other Runaways==

Nico is a very emotional person and has repeatedly expressed difficulty with knowing precisely what she is feeling. Alex Wilder In the first volume, Nico and Alex share a brief relationship. She kisses him for the first time during the Runaways' attempted rescue of Molly Hayes; She kisses and expresses love for Alex after he saves her from the vampire Topher; it is generally accepted that Nico and Alex are a couple at this point. Despite her professed love for Alex, Nico chooses to side with the Runaways after Alex reveals his plan to bring her to the Gibborim's new world with her parents, firmly establishing her dedication to the team and her strength of character. However, despite the betrayal, Nico demonstrates willingness to forgive when she unsuccessfully tries to resurrect Alex, and states that even though Alex was a traitor, he did not deserve death. And once again, they went their separate ways as she fought alongside the superheroes whereas Alex joined the super-villainous team, Young Masters. When the group re-bands some time later, Nico attempted to kiss Karolina, revealing her possible romantic feelings. However, Karolina rejected her, due to her wanting to be faithful to her girlfriend, Julie Power, and dismissed it as Nico's habit of seeking physical comfort in times of stress. Following Julie and Karolina's break-up, Karolina invited Nico to attend her parents' legitimate foundation's charity ball with her. While there, Karolina's usual nervousness was replaced by newfound confidence because of Nico's support as she has "always seen the real" her. Nico confessed for a long time she was confused about herself so she couldn't see her clearly. Nico knows who and what she wants now and asks Karolina to give her a second chance. Karolina was surprised and a little scared but the two kissed, beginning a relationship. Chase Stein Nico admits she provides a motherly role to Chase's rule-breaking persona. The pair maintain a strong respect for each other despite often disagreeing over major group decisions, including Gert's burial site and allowing Victor to join the team. Chase cares for Nico's safety and well-being, as evidenced from when he comforted Nico after Karolina's departure, and when he took the Staff of One from Nico to destroy it to give her a normal life. After Chase bluffed their way out of a fatal encounter with the drug lord, Pusher-Man, Nico kisses him. This causes a rift in their friendship, and into Gert and Chase's relationship. Nico is also the only person that Chase bids farewell before leaving to sacrifice himself for the Gibborim, which Nico interprets as a cry for help. Victor Mancha Nico explains that she seeks physical comfort after periods of stress. While Victor expresses feelings for Nico, she asks for time alone to clear her head and figure her feelings out, much like how she initially dealt with Alex and Karolina after each expressed feelings for Nico. However, Nico admits that Victor is genuinely a good guy and would not mind being in a relationship with him. Victor calls Nico his girlfriend when he attempts to save her from Chase, and although she is in a hostage situation, Nico still lightly scolds Victor for calling her such. The two eventually become a couple. However, the relationship is brief as Victor falls for Lillie, a carefree girl from 1907. Trying to become a better person, Nico, seeing that Victor and Lillie are in love, steps aside, deciding to remain friends even after Lillie decides to stay in the past. ==Reception==

Critical reception Brandon Zachary of CBR.com referred to Nico as a "breakout star," writing, "Of all the Runaways, it makes a certain amount of sense that Nico would be the breakout lead. As one of the more assertive and overtly powerful members of the group, Nico often took center stage in battles and crossovers with other groups. Her mystical abilities allow her to keep up with other heroes in terms of raw power. This justifies her appearances in other stories when teammates like the relatively human Gert and Chase realistically can't. Her status as an Asian-American and LGBTQ+ character allows her to represent an often overlooked demographic in comics, giving these communities a chance to shine. While the Runaways still exist in the Marvel Universe, Nico is really the only one who has blown up in popularity. Although the entire cast has ties to the larger universe and played important roles in stories, Nico has outshone her teammates. While it's a shame the rest of the characters haven't been as central to the universe as Nico, it's still a sign that their legacy lives on." Tomi Nabach of ComicsVerse stated, "You may be wondering why Nico getting to be in a relationship with the girl she likes is such a big deal. There's already a canon LGBT character in RUNAWAYS even without Nico. Certainly, Karolina is great. In fact, Karolina has stood out as a fundamental gay character in the comics for a while. There's something to be noted about Karolina, though — she's white. In fact, almost all the gay representation we saw in comics at the time of Karolina coming out was white people. This goes doubly for gay women. While the comics have a few more LGBT characters who are men of color, like Rictor, the dating prospects for LGBT women are…blindingly white. Nico represents a change for the better when it comes to the representation of LGBT people of color. There's another problem Nico helps cover as well. Marvel, for all its steps forward in LGBT rep, has a bad habit of making bisexuals/pansexuals morally grey characters. Daken, Mystique, and Deadpool, for example, are all bisexual or pansexual in the comics. This seems to reflect the unfortunate stereotype that bi/pan people aren't trustworthy, are sneaky, and/or manipulative. Nico changes this narrative as well — Nico's a hero. Nico is unambiguously good. Unlike Marvel's other bi/pan characters, Nico is someone who can't be portrayed as an untrustworthy person who "can't choose a side" when it comes to morality or sexuality. Nico's refreshing representation for bisexual and pansexual people, especially women of color." • In 2015, Bustle ranked Nico 4th in their "14 Female Superheroes Who Deserve Stardom" list. • In 2017, BuzzFeed ranked Nico 10th in their "27 Kick-Ass Female Superheroes You'll Love If Wonder Woman Is Your Favorite" list. • In 2018, WhatCulture ranked Nico 2nd in their "The Runaways: Every Character Ranked Worst To Best" list. • In 2019, CBR.com ranked Nico 1st in their "10 Most Powerful Members of The Runaways" list. • In 2019, Sideshow included Nico in their "Marvel's Most Masterful Witches" list. ==Other versions==

Secret Wars (2015) During the "Secret Wars" storyline, several alternate universe versions of Nico Minoru reside in the domains of Battleworld. • A variation of Nico Minoru is a fighter in the Killiseum, located in the Battleworld domain of Doomstadt. • A variation of Nico Minoru is a member of A-Force, the defenders of the matriarchal Battleworld domain of Arcadia. Ultimate Universe An alternate universe version of Nico Minoru from Earth-6160 appears in the Ultimate Universe. This version is a resident of Hi No Kuni, a power bloc which includes Japan's territories and is ruled by the Sun Emperor. ==In other media==

Television Nico Minoru appears in television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). • Nico first appears in Runaways (2017), portrayed by Lyrica Okano. This version is a student at Atlas Academy in Los Angeles who became a goth following the death of her sister, Amy. After accidentally discovering the Staff of One, a mystical artifact connected to the Dark Dimension that requires familial DNA samples, she receives training from her mother Tina Minoru. • An alternate reality variant of Nico appears in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, voiced by Grace Song. This version is Peter Parker's best friend and classmate at Rockford T. Bales High School. Video games • Nico Minoru appears as a playable character in Marvel: Avengers Alliance. • Nico Minoru appears as a playable character in Marvel: Future Fight. • Nico Minoru appears in Marvel Strike Force. • Nico Minoru appears in Marvel Avengers Academy, voiced by Maya Tuttle. • Nico Minoru as Sister Grimm appears in Pinball FX 2 as part of the "Marvel's Women of Power" DLC. • Nico Minoru appears as a playable character in Marvel Puzzle Quest. • Nico Minoru appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, as part of the "Runaways" DLC. • Nico Minoru appears as a playable character in ''Marvel's Midnight Suns'', voiced by Lyrica Okano. ==References==