RISQUE

BIOGRAPHY

Born to a Cuban father and a Seminole mother, Gloria Dolores Muñoz grew up in Miami, Florida alongside two younger brothers. Gloria had a rather happy early childhood and was frequently taken by her father to the Wackyworld amusement park, a place she would remember fondly in later years. However, her parents divorced when she was twelve and Gloria came to live with her mother. A year later, Gloria manifested the mutant power to implode inorganic objects. Embarrassed, she tried to pretend that everything was still normal in her life and hang out with friends at Wackyworld, flirting with local boys. She even got a job as a mascot at the amusement park one summer but soon was fired for smoking in costume.

Despite her initial efforts to live a normal life, Gloria quickly submitted to a more unorthodox lifestyle. By the age of sixteen, she was living on her own. Although the details of her activities in the following years are mostly unknown, Gloria likely made ends meet through various illegal jobs and eventually as a mercenary operating under the alias “Risque”. Over the years, she made a name for herself among the Cuban community in Miami and later New York, gaining many friends but also becoming notorious for her tough and no-nonsense attitude. At some point, Risque encountered Sledge, a member of the sub-species known as the Deviants, who helped her out of a particularly bad situation. Risque felt indebted to him for his aid. Years later, Sledge had a specific mission for Gloria. A friend of his – the mutant known as Vanisher – had been stranded in an alternate dimension and Sledge had deemed a member of X-Force, Warpath, as the ideal man for journeying into that dimension and helping Vanisher return to our world. Risque’s objective was to get close enough to Warpath to gain his trust, then capture him and bring him to Sledge. [X-Force (1st series) #65-67]

Risque established contact with Warpath by leaving a message for him through the National Council of Indian Affairs, claiming that she had to meet him for a matter of life and death. Warpath went to the appointed place and time of their meeting - a junkyard in New York City, late at night. There, Risque surprised him by blowing up some vehicles with her imploding powers. However, she quickly showed herself and addressing him by his first name, told him she had just wanted to meet him. She then kissed him on the lips and revealed her own codename. Before she slipped away into the night, she told the speechless James not to forget her. Piquing his curiosity in this way was her first step towards seducing James. [X-Force (1st series) #51]

Risque continued to monitor Warpath and secretly followed him around for days waiting for the right moment when she could actively engage him and become a part of his life. Eventually, she had that chance when Warpath was knocked unconscious by the villainess Selene while investigating some murders for which Selene was responsible. Although it is unclear how, Risque rescued Warpath from Selene and carried him to a house in South Beach, Florida. There, James recovered and quickly fell under Risque’s spell. Warpath was soon infatuated with her and stayed for days at the beach house, enjoying their blossoming romance despite feeling a bit guilty for not calling his X-Force teammates to let them know he was all right. As the two grew closer, Risque became hesitant to move forward with her original assignment. [X-Force (1st series) #53, 55]

While still in South Beach, the pair came across some members of the Friends of Humanity who were attacking a mutant. Naturally, Warpath and Risque intervened but James was bewildered when he saw Gloria use her powers without restraint. She used them to intimidate the attackers and seemed to have no reservations about seriously harming the mutant bashers if necessary. Vexed, James criticized her methods but Gloria stood her ground. When the victim of the attacks revealed that he was not an actual mutant but a disfigured burn victim, he blamed the abuse he suffered on the presence of real mutants like them. This gave Gloria even more arguments in favor of her rather extreme methods. She told James that she had experienced prejudice her whole life and that mutants should stick only with other mutants. Warpath realized just how different Risque was from the other woman he recently had feelings for - his teammate, Siryn. [X-Force (1st series) #56]

A few days later, Warpath and Risque headed back to New York and the X-Men’s mansion in Westchester where the X-Force team was currently residing. They arrived to find X-Force engaged in battle with Mister Sinister, trying to prevent the villain from abducting Nate Grey, whom they had been assigned to protect. Risque and Warpath instantly joined the fight. Though she did not express her surprise, Risque was quite astounded when she saw Sinister as she didn’t expect to meet any of those she considered “legendary ones” so quickly. Sinister was equally baffled by her, as she was a mutant completely unknown to him, despite his vast and comprehensive archives of every mutant on Earth. Despite his interest in her, Sinister psionically subdued everyone in the room and departed with his intended target - a now unconscious Nate Grey. When Warpath woke up, Risque was nowhere to be found. [X-Force (1st series) #57]

[NOTE: As established just three months earlier in X-Men (2nd series) #52, Sinister kept records of every mutant on Earth, excluding those who come from future/alternate timelines, as was the case with Bishop in that issue. Both Sinister’s observation and Risque’s remark hinted that she was from the future. It was later revealed in an interview with writer Scott Lobdell that Risque was originally planned to be a member of the Askani Sisterhood. However, those plans were later scrapped and her origin was changed.]

Risque was pulled from the battleground by Mimic and Blob, who were also working for Sledge, before Sinister had the chance to get his hands on her to satisfy his curiosity. Realizing that she had developed genuine feelings for James, Risque slipped away from Blob and Mimic and found her way back to the house in South Beach, Florida. Risque planned to return to Westchester and help James and his friends as soon as she got herself back together, but Blob, Mimic and another of Sledge's agents easily tracked her down and reprimanded her for running away from them. Risque apologized, but also tried – in vain – to voice her objections to Sledge's plans for Warpath. [X-Force (1st series) #60]

Risque eventually returned to Xavier’s Institute and was reunited with Warpath. Still smitten with her, James was eager to learn more about her, including her real name, which Gloria readily revealed. Siryn walked in on them in Warpath’s room just as they were about to kiss. Much to her surprise, Theresa was jealous of their relationship and began to dislike Risque as a result. Gloria clearly sensed Siryn's feelings and purposely tried to make her even more jealous of her growing connection with James.

While out clubbing with Warpath in New York City’s East Village, Risque evaluated the situation she had created and chastised herself for getting so close to James. She realized she couldn’t afford to be in love. While still in the club, she was approached by yet another ally of Sledge. The man chided Risque for not completing her mission and remarked that she used to be reliable. He also informed her that Blob and Mimic had been sent to do what she was supposed to do: deliver Warpath to Sledge. Gloria insisted she was on top of things, but it was too late, as Blob and Mimic were already attacking Warpath. Together with James, Risque was able to defeat the two mutants. She then took James to a lush apartment which she claimed belonged to a friend of hers who was away. Finally determined to complete her mission, in spite of her feelings for James, she laced his drink with a drug which put him to sleep. [X-Force (1st series) #65]

Dejected after betraying James and turning him over to Sledge, Risque left New York and hopped a ride for Tampa to pay a visit to Wackyworld. One night she returned to her motel and discovered that the X-Force team was lying in wait for her. They had been searching for her for the past few days since she was the last person James had been seen with prior to his disappearance. Gloria was able to leave the motel undetected and made her way to Wackyworld, hoping to get lost among the crowds. However, Caliban’s mutant-tracking ability enabled him to track her down in the amusement park. Just as he snatched her, Caliban suffered a seizure and collapsed. Risque instinctively thought of taking advantage of this and fleeing. However, her conscience took over and she returned to help him, unwilling to leave a fellow mutant in such a condition. Her act of altruism led to her quickly being captured by the rest of X-Force who were also in the park. She was finally forced to disclose James’ current location. Risque and X-Force traveled to Detroit, Michigan, only to find out Warpath had already agreed to help Sledge. Risque tried to apologize to James, explaining that she owed Sledge for helping her in the past. Disenchanted with Risque, James broke up with her. Gloria tried to console herself by claiming she would be better off as a loner but she didn’t really believe it. [X-Force (1st series) #66]

Still caring deeply for James, Risque visited Sledge’s junkyard a while later and asked how James was faring in the mission he had been sent on by Sledge. At that exact moment, Sledge lost contact with Warpath. Fortunately, Warpath was later able to return to our dimension, along with Vanisher. [X-Force (1st series) #69, 71] Risque later showed up in Hawaii, where X-Force was vacationing, enlisting their aid in a fight against the local Lava Men. However, it turned out this was actually the Hawaiian goddess Pele impersonating Risque, who lay asleep in a nearby beach. [X-Force (1st series) #81]

A few weeks later, Sledge had a new mission for Risque.  He dispatched her to the location of Arcadia DeVille, a reality-warping individual who had inadvertently created a replica of the Demon Bear and was now being pursued by it. Tasked with finding Arcadia and keeping her safe, Gloria ended up in San Francisco where she joined X-Force and Arcadia in the fight against the Bear. After the Bear was defeated, Arcadia suddenly became possessed by the cosmic being known as the Queen of the Star Swords. Fortunately, she was soon rid of the Queen’s control thanks to the combined efforts of X-Force and Risque. [X-Force (1st series) #99-100]

Risque soon decided to turn her life around and gave up her mercenary lifestyle. She enlisted in the X-Corporation, an organization founded by Professor Charles Xavier and tasked with protecting the rights of mutant communities all around the globe. Risque was assigned to the X-Corporation branch in Hong Kong. Two weeks after she had settled there, she began uncovering evidence of an illegal trade in mutant organs. While investigating the case, she was attacked by men working for Sublime Pharm Solutions, the company involved in the smuggling operation. Risque killed one of her attackers but was eventually slain during combat by the rest of them. Domino, who was active in the same X-Corporation branch, immediately notified the X-Men of Risque’s murder and they came to China where they uncovered John Sublime’s plot to transplant mutant body parts onto ordinary humans in order to create a new superpowered species. [New X-Men Annual 2001]

Some time later, Selene used a mystically-enhanced version of the Techno-Organic Virus to resurrect various deceased mutants to serve as an army which she sent after her major enemies. Risque was one of these mutants. Fully under Selene's control, this undead army attacked the X-Men's mutant sanctuary, Utopia. Unlike the other resurrected mutants, Risque exhibited a minimal level of resistance to Selene’s hold on her. Upon seeing James in Utopia, she warned him that she would attack him and pleaded with him to run away. James was incredulous, until Risque was compelled to assault him. Another resurrected mutant, the Acolyte called Mellencamp, joined the fight against Warpath but warned Risque that after killing James, he would gut her next. He was sick of hearing her constant pleas to James to run away and save himself. Thankfully, Warpath was carried away to safety by Archangel before Risque was forced to kill her old flame. [X-Necrosha, X-Force (3rd series) #21-22]

It is unknown what happened to Risque after Selene's plot unraveled. She may have been among the mutants teleported by Blink to Genosha and sacrificed as fuel for Selene’s ascension to godhood. Alternatively, she may have been killed during the battle in Utopia or slipped away unharmed during the commotion. Regardless, if she survived the Necrosha incident or was resurrected by Krakoan protocols, Risque next appeared alive as a subdirector in the security division of the S.W.O.R.D. space station, working under a teenage Cable. In the Krakoan age, mutants had massively expanded their influence and S.W.O.R.D.’s purpose was to expand their reach into space. Risque helped form a mutant circuit called the Six in which she was labeled "the Foundry." Her role was classified but involved her implosive field generation to condense [classified] from the high-density kirbon fields (whatever that means). [S.W.O.R.D. (2nd series) #1]

After this, Risque mostly stayed in the background. She voted in the X-Men election during the Hellfire Gala along with fellow Six member Peeper [X-Men (5th series) #21] and was part of the security detail on hand to put a stop to a fight between Nova and Magneto during the Last Annihilation conflict. [Guardians of the Galaxy (6th series) #15]

However, her first solo mission, Operation: New World, was a big one. She was sent by Commander Abigail Brand on S.W.O.R.D.'s first scouting mission to attempt expansion of the Sol system and become a powerhouse on the intergalactic stage. She landed on the first planet she found promising and attempted to test if the water could support life. That life found her though, as a tentacled, sentient alien pulled her underwater and caused a brief fight. Risque passed out trying to reach the surface for more air but was captured and taken to the aliens’ underwater city.

Despite being restrained and surrounded, when the leader of the aliens approached, Risque tried to communicate that she came in peace. The two seemed to understand each other well enough that, when Risque broke her bonds and swam away, the leader ordered his people to let her go. When she made it back to the ship, she communicated to Brand that the waters of this moon were inhabited and she wished for these people to be left alone by any conquering conquistadors. Brand agreed that mutants would not make the same mistakes of humankind and that Krakoa would find a better way. [Marvel Voices: Community #1]