PETRA
Real Name: Unrevealed (see comments)
Identity/Class: Human mutant, citizen of the United
States
Occupation: Adventurer;
former student, runaway
Group Membership: Muir-MacTaggert X-Men
(Darwin/Armando Munoz, Sway/Suzanne Chan, Vulcan/Gabriel Summers)
Affiliations: Moira MacTaggert, X-Men (Angel/Warren
Worthington III, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Havok/Alex Summers, Iceman/Bobby
Drake, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey, Polaris/Lorna Dane), Professor Charles
Xavier
Enemies: Krakoa
the Living Island
Known Relatives: Parents and brother (all deceased,
names unrevealed)
Aliases: None
First Appearance: X-Men: Deadly Genesis#1
(January, 2006)
Powers/Abilities: A mutant geomorph, Petra could
psychokinetically manipulate rocks, sand, stone and even lava for a
variety of effects. She has been known to reshape rock into various
simple forms such as hammers, blades or even using it to trap people
inside giant earthen fists. Petra can create or stop earthquakes and
generate rockslides, though it's not been established what her quakes'
maximum magnitude are. Petra could alter the consistency of matter, for
instance turning a lump of coal into a diamond. Her powers allowed her
to generate dust clouds for cover and she could even have the earth
"swallow" her up, to escape from danger. Through an active act of will,
she also formed a small cave to survive in underground. By manipulating
the trajectory of the piece of rock she was standing on, Petra could
simulate flight. Orphaned at a young age and forced to fend for herself
on the street, Petra had far greater experience with and control over
her powers than most other teenage mutants.
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 143 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Blonde
History:
(X-Men: Deadly Genesis#1/2 (fb) ) - Petra was born the youngest child
of an originally Danish family, the only member of the family born in
the United States. She had a happy, uneventful childhood but lost both
her parents and her older brother during a freak rockslide shortly after
turning 13. Escaping unscathed but emotionally traumatized, she was
placed in foster care and placed with a family in New Jersey with five
other foster kids. Her foster father turned out to be a sexual predator
and when he tried to cop a feel during a family visit to Central Park,
she instinctively used her mutant powers to hold him back. Stunned,
shocked and scared she ran off, hiding out as a runaway in the park for
months. She mostly kept to herself, afraid someone might realize she was
a mutant. To keep herself hidden, she used her control over rocks and
earth to create a comfortable cavern inside one of the park's many giant
boulders. In order to survive, she would occassionally beg for money or
steal food. By the time she was 16, the control over her powers had
increased to such a degree that she could transform the physical
composition of rocks. Turning a lump of coal into a diamond she sold to
a shady pawnbroker, she used the money to rent a room and have her
first shower in two years. Over the next year, Petra created a number of
smaller diamonds she sold all throughout New York to have an income.
However, when she returned to the pawnstore she sold her first diamond
to, the owner knew something was wrong and called the police on her.
After a brief struggle, during which she used her rock powers to defend
herself, Petra waas taken down with a taser blast and incarcerated.
(X-Men: Deadly Genesis#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Learning of the incident with
Petra, world renowned geneticist Moira MacTaggert contacted the
authorities and used her influence to have all the charges against the
girl dropped. She also made arrangements with the court for Petra to be
transfered to her care.
(X-Men: Deadly Genesis#1/2 (fb) ) - When Petra woke up in a holding
cell several days after getting tasered, she was surprised when a female
guard came to collect her. The woman told her about the deal with the
authorities and that someone was coming to get her. Terrified but
excited, Petra waited for what was to come.
(X-Men: Deadly Genesis#4 (fb) - BTS ) - Petra met and accompanied
Moira to the Muir-MacTaggert Research & Development Institute in New
York. There, she joined Moira's other students Darwin, Sway and Vulcan.
She also met Charles Xavier, who aided Moira in devising the students'
training sessions. They also met Cyclops once when he accompanied Xavier
to the Institute. As time continued, Petra started to hone her
abilities, though she could get a bit cocky, which MacTaggert used to
push her even further during her training. Compared to fellow students
like the temporal energy wielding Sway, Petra was a quick study.
(X-Men: Deadly Genesis#4 (fb) - BTS) - Charles Xavier sent his X-Men on a mission to check out the mutant presence he detected on the island of Krakoa in the South Pacific. Xavier was unaware he'd actually felt the island itself, which following atomic testing had mutated into a merged animal/vegetable composite hungry for mutant energies. When the team arrived, they were quickly overpowered and taken prisoner, forcing Xavier to mount a rescue mission.
(X-Men: Deadly Genesis#4 (fb) ) - Xavier went to the Muir-MacTaggert
Institute and explained to Moira what had happened to the X-Men before
asking for her students. Petra and the others were propositioned by
Charles and, in no small part thanks to the eager Vulcan, agreed to help
him. Xavier took them back to his school where he used his telepathic
powers to give the inexperienced, young mutants a crash course in the
use of their powers. Within a few hours, they experienced long months of
training which greatly increased Petra's control over her rock powers.
As a result of Charles' mental boot camp, Petra and her fellow students
believed themselves to be full fledged X-Men, ready for anything. After
handing them their uniforms, made of unstable molecules by Reed
Richards, Xavier and Moira saw Petra and the others off
(see comments).
(X-Men: Deadly Genesis#6 (fb) ) - Charles Xavier mentally monitored the team's rescue mission to Krakoa, guiding Vulcan through the Strato-Jet landing sequence when suddenly their mental connection was broken. Now on their own, they were immediately besieged by the island, who formed monsters from the marsh and rock to attack them. While fighting off the initial wave, Petra quickly realized she had no control over the rock creatures, which scared her. Still, Vulcan pressed on, ordering Sway to use her time replay to track down the X-Men. They watched in horror as the island claimed Marvel Girl and Cyclops. The team discovered Cyclops who was being guarded nearby by some of Krakoa's creatures. They managed to free Scott and tried to get the drained mutant to the jet. As they marched through the jungle, Krakoa began to drain their energies as well, making it harder for them to move. They still reached the Strato-Jet and briefly talked with Cyclops who agreed to take the aircraft up into the air to attempt to reconnect with Xavier. As soon as he left, the enraged Krakoa turned on Petra and the others, attacking with full force. Sway tried to slow their enemies down, but was brutally cut in half even as a giant, walking volcano creature seemingly incinerated Petra and the others. Horrified by watching his fellow mutants, and kid brother Vulcan, die, Cyclops fired up the Strato-Jet and headed for home.
(X-Men: Deadly Genesis#6 (fb) - BTS) - At the moment of
her death, Sway released all her stored temporal energies at once. This
slowed down time long enough around her teammates for Petra to act even
as the volcano creature's flames consumed her. The geomorph had the
ground swallow her friends, even creating a small cavern for them. Petra
died, while the drained Vulcan and Darwin were rendered powerless and
unable to move.
(Giant Size X-Men#1 ~ X-Men: Deadly Genesis#6 (fb) - BTS) - Xavier
was forced to erase Cyclops' memories about ever meeting Petra, the
others or the Muir-McTaggert Research Facility. He also mind-wiped Moira
MacTaggert, unaware that the heartbroken Moira had already made
videologs about the entire affair. In the end, Cyclops returned to
Krakoa with a new group of mutants and rescued his teammates. Krakoa was
rocketed into space, with no one but Xavier to remember Petra.
(X-Men: Deadly Genesis#6 - BTS) - The X-Men learned of
Petra and the rest of Moira's students' existence and final fate when
Vulcan returned to Earth and forced Xavier to reveal what he'd done all
those years ago. The team decided to honor Petra's sacrifice with a
proper burial, even though there was no actual body to bury. She was
laid to rest along with Sway and the recently deceased Banshee (Sean
Cassidy) at the Xavier Institute.
(X-Men Legacy I#210 (fb) ) - Locked in psychic combat with Charles Xavier, the Acolyte Exodus used Xavier's guilt over having caused Petra and Sway's deaths as weapons, replaying the events to torment and haunt Charles.
SECRET WARS III HAPPENED
(X-Men Red II#2 (fb) - BTS) - When Vulcan returned from the Fault he subconsciously conjured energy construct of his deceased friends Sway and Petra, believing they were in fact real. Charles Xavier and the Summers family confronted Vulcan but he refused to accept they were construct and became angry at the fact they couldn't have been resurrected through the Krakoan resurrection protocols as their minds weren't stored in Cerebro. As such Xavier and the Summers family decided to condone the presence of the Sway and Petra constructs, believing they would help Vulcan heal. Vulcan and the constructs took on residency at the Summers House, a Krakoan habitat located in the Blue Area on the Moon.
(X-Men V#8 - BTS) - Vulcan and the constructs of Sway and Petra woke up to another hangover when Vulcan was woken up by his brothers Cyclops and Havok. The brothers pointed out that Vulcan's behavior was getting out of control as the floor was littered in empty bottles. While Sway and Petra stayed in the couch, Vulcan and his brothers noticed a group of infected Acanti heading to Earth.
(X-Men V#10 - BTS) - The constructs of Sway and Petra were making margaritas in the Summers House kitchen just as Vulcan woke up from a recurring nightmare. Noting all the mutants had left the Summers House to deal with the Cotati threat they could be trashed again, urging Vulcan to join them in their drinking game. Both Sway and Petra continued to make fun of Vulcan, pestering him with the nickname "Emperor". Vulcan then chose to go on a walk and accidentally stumbled upon the Cotati who were preparing to attack Earth. While Vulcan engaged the Cotati, Sway and Petra enjoyed their margaritas until they witnessed a large explosion, courtesy of Vulcan. The girls, however, decided to finish their drinks first after which they went after Vulcan just as he'd defeated the extraterrestrials. Quickly locating Vulcan, Sway was able to calm Vulcan down after which Petra proposed to make then a drink, something Vulcan agreed to.
(X-Men Red II#2 - BTS) - Charles Xavier allowed the energy construct of Petra to visit Krakoa to teach a class of students, hoping this would help Vulcan to lose his distrust in the island.
(New Mutants IV#14 - BTS) - The construct of Petra joined one of training sessions taught by the New Mutants. As such she appeared in a squad called the Elementals alongside Dust, Rain Boy and Sprite as the took on the Ferals consisting of Anole, Fauna, Nature Girl and Scout.
(X-Men Red II#2 - BTS) - With the help of the Scarlet Witch, Krakoan society was now able to resurrect those mutants who'd died before their minds had been stored in Cerebro such as Petra and Sway. Now on the cusp of resurrecting the true Sway and Petra, Charles Xavier wrote a letter to the Quiet Council explained he would once again confront Vulcan about the presence of the energy constructs.
(X-Men Red II#2 - BTS) - Charles Xavier and Cyclops confronted Vulcan at the Summers House just as the constructs of Sway and Petra had prepared some fresh margaritas. Surprised by his visitors Vulcan quickly accepted the margarita while Cyclops revealed Wanda had helped them build a mutant afterlife, the Waiting Room which allowed them to resurrect mutants such as Sway and Petra. Vulcan, however, was confused at the notion as he believed the girls were standing next to him. Xavier then used his telepathic abilities to reveal the truth to Vulcan, unwilling to accept he created a large explosion, seemingly destroying the Summers House. The construct of Sway and Petra, however, disappeared after this confrontation.
(X-Men Red II#1 - BTS) - When Cable encountered Vulcan, on Arakko he was reminded to how his uncle had created energy constructs of Sway and Petra.
Comments: Created by Ed Brubaker, Trevor Hairsine, and Scott Hanna.
Though Petra is a perfectly normal, not necessarily Scandinavian first
name, it's most likely not her real name. After all, those of you who
studied Greek in school already know that "Petra" means rock. It's also
the name of a historical
city in Jordan known for its rock-cut architecture.
If one does the math, Petra was seventeen when she was placed in the
custody of Moira MacTaggert. Depending on how long she was training with
Moira, she was either barely 18 or coming up on it when she was killed
in the line of duty.
The tragic tale of Petra and the other students of Moira MacTaggert
should be all the proof anyone ever needs that Professor Xavier truly is
a jerk. Also, the idea that he could give them a crash course in using
their powers by making them think they had the experience was ludicrous
at best. Their minds might believe they have the experience and skill,
but their actual, physical bodies had no time to develop and mature
along in the process. It'd be like convincing a novice runner the idea
he's actually a trained marathon man... The results aren't pretty. Also,
even though time was of the essence, Charles still insisted that Reed
Richards made customized uniforms for this rescue squad?
Petra received a profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z#11 and X-Men: Messsiah Complex Mutant Files#1.
Profile by Norvo.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Petra should not be confused with
images: (without ads)
X-Men Messiah Complex Mutant Files#1, p48, pan2 (main image)
X-Men Deadly Genesis#1, p29, pans 2,3,4 (orphaned at 13)
X-Men Deadly Genesis#4, p12, pan2&3 (training with Moira)
X-Men Deadly Genesis#6, p19, pan3 (killed by Krakoa)
Appearances:
X-Men: Deadly Genesis#1 (January, 2006) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Pete Woods (pencils & inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
X-Men: Deadly Genesis#4 (April, 2006) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Trevor Hairsine (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
X-Men: Deadly Genesis#6 (June, 2006) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Trevor Hairsine (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
X-Men Legacy I#210 (June, 2008) - Mike Carey (writer), Scot Eaton & Greg Land (pencils), John Dell, Andrew Hennessy & Jay Leisten (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
X-Men V#8 (March, 2020) - Jonathan Hickman (writer), Mahmud Asrar (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White, Annalise Bissa (editors)
X-Men V#10 (July, 2020) - Jonathan Hickman (writer), Leinil Francis Yu (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White, Annalise Bissa (editors)
New Mutants IV#14 (December, 2020) - Vita Ayala (writer), Rod Reis (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White, Annalise Bissa (editors)
X-Men Red II#1 (April, 2022) - Al Ewing (writer), Stefano Caselli (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White, Annalise Bissa (editors)
X-Men Red II#2 (May, 2022) - Al Ewing (writer), Stefano Caselli (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White, Annalise Bissa (editors)
First Posted: 03/21/2015
Last Updated: 10/16/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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