CHARLOTTE JONES

BIOGRAPHY

While little is known about the early years of Charlotte Jones, at some point she trained as a nurse and worked at a busy hospital in the trauma department, while married to a cop called George, and becoming the mother of son named Timmy. After a parents' night at Timmy's school, Charlotte watched in horror as her father and son raced each other down the sidewalk, only to be caught in the middle of a turf war between gangs, who were gunning each other down. George was killed, while a bullet nearly severed Timmy's spine, leaving him paralyzed. Her life shattered, Charlotte no longer wanted to patch up gang members, she wanted them off the streets and became a cop to follow in her husband's steps. The additional pay helped to cover the cost of her son's physical therapy. Charlotte's mother-in-law, Mrs Jones, would help look after Timmy while Charlotte was working. [X-Factor (1st series) #59]

When X-Factor returned to Earth from their dealings with the Celestials in space, the sudden re-appearance of their sky-high home, Ship, prompted the arrival of several police choppers, ordering X-Factor to remove their unauthorized vessel. At the same time, a news chopper hovered nearby, broadcasting their wishes to do an interview with them. When the choppers accidentally collided with each other, Officer Charlotte Jones fell from one of the choppers – straight into the arms of Archangel. Carried to the safety of the ground by Archangel, Charlotte watched as he and the rest of X-Factor were swarmed by a mob of inquisitive reporters, camera crews and photographers. They were particularly interested in Archangel, though he didn't care for their attention. Charlotte came to his rescue this time, declaring him a hero as he flew away. [X-Factor (1st series) #51]

Officer Jones was on duty when a homeless woman alerted her to a body that she had found. Investigating, Charlotte was shocked to find the corpse of what she suspected was a mutant. Unbeknownst to her, it was the Morlock called Chicken Wings, slaughtered by Sabretooth. After calling for an ambulance, Charlotte was rescued once again by Archangel, who had noticed several gang members watching her. Charlotte was terrified of Archangel, despite the fact he saved her life only one night ago. Sensing her fear, Archangel flew off into the night. While Charlotte told herself that she knew he would never hurt her, she was still afraid of him.

Later that night, Charlotte and her patrol partner, Seth, soon came across a vicious battle that was being played out between Archangel and Caliban, the latter of whom had recently been mutated by Apocalypse. Archangel was badly wounded by Caliban, who took off when he believed Archangel to be dead. Charlotte dropped to Archangel's side and told him to hang in there while they got him to hospital. She waited at the hospital until X-Factor arrived and Archangel could be sedated, as the effects of a poison used on him by Sabretooth had started to cause complications. [X-Factor (1st series) #52-54]

While on patrol in Alphabet City, Officer Jones and her partner on this occasion, Murph, literally ran their car into the mutant Forge, who was on the run from Genoshan Magistrates. The Magistrates, who were trying to locate Jenny Ransome and Phil Moreau to have them returned to Genosha, caught up to Forge, resulting in a shoot-out in which Murph was shot and killed. After the two managed to escape into the sewer beneath the street, Forge informed Jones that the Magistrates would return and gave her the standard X-Men uniform for her to wear for added protection. Feeling ridiculous in a costume, Jones wore her police jacket over it.

More Magistrates soon located the duo in the tunnels and another shoot-out ensued. Charlotte was grateful for the added protection of the armor, but the Magistrate at whom she shot was killed. She confided to Forge that she had never killed anyone before. Charlotte and Forge made their way out of the tunnels and towards X-Factor's Ship. There, the Genoshan Wipeout was using his powers to disable Ship, enabling his teammates in the Press Gang and more Magistrates to enter. Having no mutant powers proved useful for Charlotte, as she was able to apprehend Wipeout, who had no way to “disable” her. She then placed him under arrest and soon the other Magistrates and Press Gang members were also apprehended. Charlotte was shocked when an Inspector arrived and ordered that they be cut loose and repatriated home. Though Charlotte reminded the Inspector that the Magistrates were cop killers, that fact did not alter the course of events. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #264]

Charlotte found herself discussing Archangel with X-Factor's longtime ally and leading reporter, Trish Tilby, when Archangel, still reeling from the effects of the poison, had taken to the night, seeking to destroy the corrupt. Charlotte agreed that Archangel needed to be stopped, but pointed out he was only terrorizing muggers and drug dealers. As an officer, Charlotte knew Archangel had to be stopped, but as a citizen, she saw the benefits of his vigilantism. While on the last part of her patrol, Jones witnessed a motionless Archangel carried through the air by the mysterious psychic vampire called Crimson, who had set out to make Archangel one of her fellow Ravens. Despite him being her quarry, Charlotte came to Archangel's defense once more and aimed her gun at Crimson. Realizing there was more to Charlotte than met the eye, Crimson began reaching to tug Charlotte's memories from her. Fortunately for Charlotte, the sun soon rose, forcing Crimson to disappear and leave her prey behind. Still in his madness, Archangel lashed out at Charlotte, nearly striking her with his razor-feathers and accusing her of destroying the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He warned her that his lawyers would talk to hers. Confused by this, Charlotte decided to contact X-Factor. [X-Factor (1st series) #56]

When stormtroopers from the anti-mutant organization known as the Right confronted X-Factor, who had just found Archangel, a battle ensued during which Archangel was able to escape and continue his bizarre antics across the city. Charlotte was part of a squad of officers who kept order on the ground and was able to inform X-Factor, once their battle with the Right was over, that Archangel had been spotted, apparently robbing a bank. Charlotte accompanied X-Factor to the bank, where Crimson and her fellow Ravens soon revealed themselves, preparing to make Archangel one of them. Now off duty, Charlotte was checking on her son, Timmy, back at their apartment when she was confronted by Crimson and two other Ravens, who kidnapped her in front of Timmy. Charlotte was held hostage in an old theater where the Ravens had commenced the transformation of Archangel into one of their own.

In order for the ritual to be complete, Archangel had to take the life-memories of another, and Crimson wanted that to be Charlotte. Assisted by Forge and Banshee, X-Factor arrived and battled the Ravens, while Archangel was at a standstill before Charlotte, unable to take her memories fully. Crimson was not happy with this and, while she lashed out at Archangel, Charlotte wondered why all of these strange things had been happening to her recently. She soon freed not only herself but Archangel, removing the power inhibitor that was keeping him under Crimson's control.

As the enraged Crimson prepared to kill her, Charlotte called out to Archangel, reminding him that she had a son and couldn’t leave him. Archangel, who had seen Charlotte's memories, responded by decapitating Crimson, just before he passed out in Charlotte's arms. When he awoke, Archangel explained to Charlotte that it was her memories that he saw that gave him the strength to resist defeat. It was her courage that gave them both another chance. [X-Factor (1st series) #57-58]

Charlotte found her personal life complicated when Archangel showed up at her apartment. Her mother-in-law was not happy with Archangel's intrusion into their lives, while her son, Timmy, was thrilled to meet Archangel. Mrs. Jones expressed her concerns over Archangel, including the fact that her son, Charlotte's husband, had only been dead three years.

During this visit, Archangel bonded with Timmy and was fortunately able to catch the youth when the boy, who walked on crutches, tripped over a toy. As she was flown to work by Archangel, Charlotte revealed to him the history surrounding her husband, much of which Warren had forgotten. Even though he had plucked memories from her mind, they were now fading from his own. En route to the precinct, they came across Iceman and his girlfriend, Opal Tanaka, and Archangel asked Charlotte if there would be another time for him to visit. Charlotte evaded the question and instead asked Warren to put him down around the back, so her colleagues wouldn't see her arrive with him. [X-Factor (1st series) #59]

Charlotte did see Archangel again, although he was busy with the Genoshan crisis. They discussed the risks involved in their lives as a hero and as a police officer, and agreed that each other was worth the risk. [X-Factor (1st series) #65] The risk increased when X-Factor's sentient home, Ship, became ill and started attacking the city. Recently promoted to sergeant, Charlotte and a squad of police officers attempted to enter Ship to get control of the chaos. However, only Charlotte successfully passed through Ship's barrier, after which she was captured by the Dark Rider called Gauntlet. Fortunately, Archangel was able to rescue her soon after and, when the Dark Riders vanished, Charlotte took a large weapon that Gauntlet had left behind. She was with X-Factor when they deduced Apocalypse was behind their problems and, moments later, Ship exploded. Charlotte was transported to the moon with X-Factor and soon fought alongside the mutant heroes and the Inhumans against the Dark Riders and the diabolical Apocalypse. When Apocalypse was defeated, Charlotte realized that nobody would ever believe the adventure she had been on, if  anyone even thought she was still alive. [X-Factor (1st series) #65-68]

In the weeks that followed after X-Factor and Charlotte returned to work, Archangel and his teammates re-joined the X-Men, which put a physical distance between Charlotte and Archangel. Charlotte phoned Warren and left a message on his phone, but he did not respond to her. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #288] Charlotte and Warren later went on a date, attending the One World Harmony concert in Central Park, where an assassination attempt was made on Charles Xavier. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #294] Charlotte and Warren started spending time at one of Warren's apartments in Manhattan. This made Charlotte uncomfortable, as she had her own apartment, but Warren wanted them to be alone and felt this was the best way. However, an evening together was interrupted when Warren flew off to investigate a strange happening in the city. [New Warriors (1st series) #32]

Charlotte was soon promoted again, this time to Detective in Manhattan’s Homicide department. She knew that she had everything going for her, so when Professor Xavier asked her to steal a coroner's report, she found herself wondering why she would risk everything for the outlaw mutants. Nevertheless, Charlotte stole the report and gave it to the Professor. When she queried him as to how she knew she was doing this of her own free will and he wasn't influencing her, she was simply told that she would have to trust him. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #298]

When Charlotte did not hear from Warren for over two months, she assumed their relationship had come to an end and got over him. However, when a case she was investigating was linked to 

mutants, Charlotte contacted Warren and coldly instructed him when and where to meet her. The reception she gave Warren was a chilly one, though she came to his defense when her colleagues were against having a mutant involved in the case. When Warren apologized to Charlotte for his lack of contact, she told him to get over himself.

Taking Warren to the scene of the crime, a nightclub where bodies lay strewn on the dancefloor, Charlotte revealed that all evidence led to a mutant on human crime. Charlotte told Warren that she wanted him to know about this so that the X-Men could get a heads up on what they were up against. Charlotte was accompanying Wolverine, Storm and Cannonnball to the morgue to speak with the coroner about the deaths of the humans when they were attacked by the Morlock group called Gene Nation. During the confrontation, Charlotte found herself up against Sack, only to learn that her gun was no match for him, as the bullets went straight through him. The terrorist faction of Morlocks were then defeated by the X-Men, and disappeared. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #322-324]

Charlotte found herself conflicted when she was part of the team interrogating X-Force following the deaths of the beings known as the Externals, as the authorities tried to grasp what had happened to the murdered mutants. Charlotte freed the imprisoned X-Force following their questioning and warned them to watch their backs, informing them that even she couldn’t protect them from what was coming. As she left the precinct for the night, she was confronted in the police garage by Bastion, who told her that she had those mutants under lock and key, which is where they belonged. Charlotte warned the intruder that she could arrest him, but Bastion assured her that would not be necessary and made her aware that his organization had “zero tolerance” for the injustice that she just committed. [X-Force (1st series) #54]

Following the Onslaught debacle, New York was in chaos and Charlotte found the same was true regarding her police precinct. She could not find the file on X-Force's recent arrest, or the file on Benjamin Russell. She met with Cable to update him on the missing files and warned him that times were changing, and not for the better, so he best watch over X-Force. [X-Force (1st series) #59]

However, it wasn't just the X-Men and X-Force who were in danger from the changing times. Charlotte herself was targeted by Bastion's organization, Operation: Zero Tolerance, for being a mutant sympathizer. When Bastion’s forces kidnapped her son Timmy, Charlotte’s loyalty was torn. Desperate to have her son safely returned to her, she tracked down Iceman and Cecilia Reyes, who were on the run from Zero Tolerance. After saving them from a Prime Sentinel, Charlotte handed them over to police officers, who themselves were actually Prime Sentinels working for Bastion. Charlotte’s good nature got the better of her and she found could not turn her back on Iceman, as he was an old friend. She knew she was risking Timmy's life but nevertheless rushed to help Bobby and Cecilia, who were battling Prime Sentinels. When she was shot during the battle, Cecilia's medical skills were able to stabilize Charlotte's injuries, though she was unable to accompany them as they delved further into the mystery of Operation: Zero Tolerance. Fortunately, Timmy was later rescued by Iceman and Cecilia. [X-Men (2nd series) #67-69]

Charlotte soon found herself involved with the Fantastic Four, firstly when they rushed off to Genosha and left Franklin in her care, and secondly when she was at Four Freedoms Plaza witnessing the deportation of three alien warriors back to their home planet. However, in this second instance, the inter-galactic gateway was hijacked by Ronan the Accuser. When Ronan started firing at the Fantastic Four, Charlotte leapt in front of Mr. Fantastic and was struck by Ronan's energy. Apparently killed, her body was transported along with the Fantastic Four, Four Freedoms Plaza and Ronan to the moon, where Ronan declared that they would witness the liberation of the Kree race.

Tending to Charlotte's body, Reed Richards was startled to see she was wearing the standard X-Men uniform beneath her trench coat. Charlotte soon after gasped back to life, the uniform having saved her life. She explained to Reed how she happened to own the uniform and that she thought she should have worn it to supervise the intergalactic prisoner return, just in case. Charlotte recounted her previous adventure on the moon as she worked alongside Reed, Johnny and the Thing to save the Invisible Woman and prevent Ronan from laying waste to the Earth. She also found herself working alongside Iron Man on this mission. [Fantastic Four (3rd series) #11, 13-15, Iron Man (3rd series) #14]

While attempting to apprehend the drug-pushing criminal Rufus Delgado, Charlotte encountered Nightcrawler and Cecilia Reyes, who were on the run from the villains called the Neo. During the battle, Charlotte was rescued by Archangel, though she still maintained her cold attitude towards him. Charlotte ran off after Delgado, while the X-Men sorted themselves out. However, just as she confronted Delgado, both he and Charlotte fell victim to two of the Neo, Tartarus and Elysia, who used their powers of desire and fear to merge both Charlotte and Delgado into a gestalt creature. Worse for her, Delgado became the dominant part of their merged form and, when the X-Men eventually returned, they were attacked by the creature Charlotte had become. Fortunately, Charlotte was rescued by Wolverine, who decapitated Delgado, enabling Charlotte to revert to her human form. [X-Men (2nd series) #101, 106]

Charlotte had no apparent lasting effects following her unsettling transformation and, when she next encountered, the X-Men it was to inform them of a crime committed by mutants against humans. Archangel was amongst the X-Men gathered and Charlotte asked him to have dinner with her and explain to her why his skin wasn't blue anymore. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #417]

When the majority of the world's mutant population was de-powered in the event known as “M-Day,” Charlotte was concerned for the X-Men, in particular Archangel and Forge. Working alongside Bishop in Mutant Town, Charlotte came across Hannah Levy, who used to be able to eat only bugs. Her apartment was crawling with insects, which she now couldn't consume, and was distressed at the sudden loss of her mutant abilities. While Bishop tended to Hannah, Charlotte alerted the authorities to another casualty. [House of M: the Day After #1]

Charlotte continued her newfound working relationship with Bishop. Meeting with him in District X, they were attacked by Shi'ar Death Commandos who were hunting Rachel Summers. Charlotte fought alongside Bishop against the Shi'ar warriors and wondered why she continued to follow the X-Men into dangerous fights. During the fight, she was injured and then captured by the Shi'ar Death Commandos by being thrust through the portal that Deathlock possessed. Fortunately, Charlotte survived the ordeal and was rescued. She was later visited by Bishop as she recuperated in hospital. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #470, 472]

Charlotte hasn't been seen working with the X-Men for some time now, but presumably she maintains connections with them, willing to assist when needed, all while balancing her busy life as a senior police officer and mother.