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KNOW-IT-ALL
Earth-295

Real Name: Claudia

Identity/Class: Alternate Earth (Earth-295), human mutant

Occupation: Student, freedom fighter

Group Membership: Generation Next of Earth-295 (Chamber/Jonothon Starsmore, Colossus/Peter Rasputin, Husk/Paige Guthrie, Mondo, Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde, Skin/Angelo Espinosa, Vincente Cimetta)

Affiliations: Bishop, Magneto (Erik Magnus Lensherr)

Enemies: Apocalypse, Seattle Core Workers (Quietus, Sugar Man, unidentified others)

Known Relatives: Unrevealed

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: The Tomb, Colorado Rockies, Colorado

First Appearance: Generation Next I#1 (March, 1995)

Powers/Abilities: Know-It-All is a mutant technopath, capable of interacting with machinery and analyzing digitally stored information at incredible speeds. Know-It-All can 'psi-surf' through data networks, instantly gathering and storing sizeable quantities of data. She can break through encryption protocols and is able to move undetected through high security digital environments. Know-It-All's computer-like mind can track multiple targets at the same time, providing up to the second analyses, progress reports and projections. Know-It-All can project an interactive image of herself from hundreds of miles away. She can make herself invisible to psi-scans, though more powerful psionics are capable of detecting her. To fully optimize her abilities, Know-It-All is frequently hooked up to large computer banks, which allow her to efficiently process and store her findings.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'6")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 120 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Unrevealed

History:

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: X-Men - Age of Apocalypse 2005 I#1) - When Magneto ordered Colossus and Shadowcat to help him train the next generation of mutants to fight Apocalypse, Know-It-All was one of their recruits. Her abilities proved invaluable in helping to locate others.

(Generation Next I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Know-It-All and the team took up residence in The Tomb, an abandoned castle in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. In the catacombs she was assigned a computer lab specifically catered to help her use her powers as efficiently as possible. Because she lacked active offensive capabilities, Know-It-All became the team's locator and major-domo, helping her teachers train her classmates. She used her control over machinery to run a weapons gauntlet in the woodlands near the Tomb set apart for combat exercises.

(Generation Next I#1 - BTS) -  While she was monitoring the team's latest combat drill, Know-It-All was visited in the Tomb by Magneto and Bishop. The leader of the X-Men had come to the Rockies to ask Know-It-All to scan Apocalypse's databanks for information on chrono-variant mutants. She gathered a list of mostly deceased subjects including prelate Gallo and T. Edenfox, as well as Flashback who was missing in action.

(Generation Next I#1) - Know-It-All presented her findings to Magneto and her teachers who were concerned for their student's safety. If the Shadow King were to catch her psi-surfing Apocalypse's files, she risked instant lobotomization. Undeterred, Know-It-All continued her presentation which ended when Colossus was stunned to learn his young sister Illyana was on the list. He had thought she'd died with the rest of his family, but Know-It-All confirmed she was being held at The Core, Apocalypse's main power plant in Seattle. Figuring Illyana's latent temporal abilities were their best bet, Magneto ordered the team to rescue the girl and bring her to him.

(Generation Next I#2 - BTS) - Know-It-All remained behind in the Tomb to monitor the rescue mission.

(Generation Next I#3) - Know-It-All concluded that her teammates were having problems inside The Core. She risked her own safety by contacting her teachers, projecting an image of herself on the outside wall of The Core where Colossus and Shadowcat were waiting for a signal to move in. Know-It-All told them Skin, Chamber, Husk and Vincente were cornered and needed help while Mondo was about to reach Illyana's location deep within the plant. Taking Claudia's recommendations to heart, Peter and Kitty entered the Core to aid their young wards.

Generation Next I#4 - BTS) - Know-It-All helplessly watched almost all of her fellow students perish during the riots that broke out inside the Core. She also witnessed Colossus' decision to abandon his students in favor of returning with his sister and wife to Magneto (see comments).

Comments: Created by Scott Lobdell, Chris Bachalo, and Mark Buckingham.

Know-It-All's creators Scott Lobdell and Chris Bachalo originally planned her to be a hint to Monet St. Croix's big secret already teased in the first few issues of Generation X. In those early stories before the Age of Apocalypse, M exhibited advanced computing skills, even impressing the White Queen by casually operating a data system nobody could begin to use without months of intense instruction.

Over time the origin of Earth-616's M changed so often, it's pretty much impossible to consider Know-It-All the Earth-295 version of that character (or her twins, or her dual form, or her combined form with Emplate, or... oy, my head).

You can't help but feel for Know-It-All: though not shown on panel, it's implied she got to witness her teacher's betrayal when he lefther teammates to die. 2005's AOA miniseries showed us only Husk lived to tell the tale, with no word on Claudia's current status.

In the aftermath of X-Men: Omega, Shadowcat and Colossus were dead so no one was coming back to the Tomb. Let's hope the poor girl didn't need assistance to get out out of the computer banks she was hooked up to... Or else this story has an even more tragic ending.

And, if you'll permit me some armchair quarterbacking 30+ years after the fact: Know-It-All showed she was able to pinpoint Illyana's exact location inside the Core, so why risk the entire team of students while the intangible ninja assassin Shadowcat is stuck on the outside taking a smoke break? She could have walked in and walked out with her sister-in-law with literally no one laying a hand on them.

All locations mentioned are Earth-295, unless otherwise specified.

Profile by Norvo

CLARIFICATIONS:
Know-It-All should not be confused with

Images: (without ads)
Generation Next I#1, p21, pan1 (main)
Generation Next I#1, p20, pan5 (closeup)
Generation Next I#1, p17, pans3,4,5 (monitoring combat training)
Generation Next I#3, p19 pan3 (projecting herself)

Appearances:
Generation Next I#1 (March, 1995) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Chris Bachalo (pencils), Mark Buckingham (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Generation Next I#2 (April, 1995) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Chris Bachalo (pencils), Mark Buckingham (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Generation Next I#3 (May, 1995) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Chris Bachalo (pencils), Mark Buckingham (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Generation Next I#4 (June, 1995) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Chris Bachalo (pencils), Mark Buckingham (inks), Bob Harras (editor)

First Posted: 01/05/2025
Last Updated: 01/06/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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